I'M SO SURPRISED BY THIS SALARY FOR IBM in WROCLAW 3000 ZL gross

i'm living in London i'm non EU i got a job with IBM in poland i was so supprised for this salary 2000 net / month i just want to know if it is possible to live there with this salary

You can live off of it, not well. It's not a technical job is it? Customer services or entry level accounting...something along those lines?

It depends on how well you are living at the moment, 2000 PLN per month will be a very basic lifestyle.

depends what you are used to. I used to have 1700 net, boyfriend the same, and had an apartment and a small car, eating out twice a week, movies twice a week. obviously no pûrn site subscriptions or even World of Warcraft, but a trip to a different town every weekend to swim in Warta for example is the type of thing we would do.

I also used to live on 1500zl a month and still drive a car and rent a flat. But that was 15 years ago and in a small town in the middle of nowhere. I'd very much imagine that living in Wroclaw now on 2000zl a month would not be at all comfortable!

Well, from our experience in Poland, the "life" starts with at least 4000pln. 2000pln is rather struggle than life. Many people in Poland have to make it with much less though.

Ksysia's lifestyle isn't what I would call struggling exactly.

you're spoiled, guys...

Well, not really. It's just that coming from a western country, you're obviously used to certain things that we consider normal while in Poland, many people still see it as a luxury.

that's being spoiled...

Are Poles on 2000zl spoiled because they won't work for 400zl like Zimbabweans?

read what i wrote above and get back to me...

So everyone in the world except those with dirty drinking water and nothing to eat are spoiled?

i make it easier for you...

my responses:



yes, it is being spoiled... you make more money, you expect more in other country.... that's why there are so many surprises as for the OP....

It can be difficult. The city I live in is a bit cheaper but I'd pay a bit extra for the good feeling of being in Wrocław. However, that has its drawbacks too. It's easier to save here as there is less entertainment than in Wrocław so it just depends on your lifestyle.

2000PLN net in Wrocław? Might be tricky.

I really hope for a brighter future for Poland.

The problem is that the country is not a small country like Hungary or Czech Republic. It's big with a population with over 38 milj poles. It will probably take a couple of more years before we will see salaries on the same level like the ones in the west.

Off topic
How much does a private english teacher earn in Poland?

A couple, David? That's a bit optimistic, isn't it? The West built itself up on a capitalist model for a very long time. Poland, to its credit, made the transition from communism to capitalism quite well, all things considered. However, you are looking at a longer time frame to redress the imbalance between property prices and salaries.

Plenty then!!


What's wrong with that? imagine the world filled with pessimists!!!!!


Are we talking about more then 30 years?

Plenty :) :)

Oh, I'm a firm believer in optimism but also realism :)

It depends on fluctuations but perhaps 10-15 years to see meaningful changes. It depends on so many factors so it's hard to say.

Anyway, back to the topic. I really wonder what the OP will be doing as that's quite a low salary for an IBM employee.

No it's not. We just live different life than you guys, that's it.


Who said that? I only said that according to our standards, one needs at least 4000pln to live normal, to be able to pay all the bills on time, go on vacation, go out with friends once or twice a week. I don't see this as luxury, do you?

They have a combined salary of 3400PLN , half the price and twice as nice.

can i have ur email addresse i want to have more informations thank u man

2000pln will be fine if you're sharing a flat, might be a little tight if you want your own place. But not impossible.

that's right we had - but to tell you and interesting thing, I knew people who earned that much themselves, as one person, and still told me 'I'm poor, I only have 3,5 grand per month, that's not sufficient! you, on the other hand, are rich and should pay the bill'. I thought that they should think again.

so - here's the secret - we made our salaries be enough, people thought we were rich.

sure you can do it, but I recommend house sharing.

Exactly, There are many many people earning a lot less than that and they get by quite comfortably enough by making their money work.


I would too if you don't know the local economy.

ok thank dtaylor5632 for this information can i have ur personal email i want to know more about sharing flat. this is my email yannodilon@gmail

An American Ex-pat was in Mexico shopping when a local came up to her and said what are you looking for? She said I'm looking for a dishwasher. He said, why don't you hire a dishwasher?

If people are willing to work cheap enough to wash dishes than there isn't any reason to design and manufacture dishwashers is there? So PGTX is it better for people to build and design dishwashers or wash dishes???

Answer: they ain't spoiled! In the long run low wages kill productivity.

CP, along the same line, about ten years ago, when I complained to my Ukrainian maid in Warsaw that the washing machines here can only load 5 kg, which allows me to only wash 5 or so pairs of jeans at a time and not 8 as I would like, she stared at me with what I interpreted as sympathy and said: Who has more than five pair? This got me thinking and began the process of looking at things from not only my point of view. Many posters here need that lesson. BTW, she had worked before in Russia - Novaya Zemlya, so I was just a spoiled brat to her.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novaya_Zemlya

I heard that in late 70s Great Britain was to be the first country in world's history who would jump back from developed countries group to developing countries group. But Thatcher rescued GB from that black scenario. Isn't that you just forgot how it was due to 15 years of prosperity?


few years ago it was 6000 PLN (I know that from Seanus comment)


You talk like you'd be suggesting that Poles likes their low wages...

Zeti, it depends on different things. Around 5000PLN now if you have a solid contact base. Solely through school? Not likely. I'm surprised that the OP gets so little given that Wrocław is a bit more expensive than here.