Cost of Living, Average Salaries and Job sites in Poland

because real out of pocket costs matter.

middle class people with even decent insurance will not pay anywhere near that amount. the middle upper to upper class pay pennies on the dollar because they surely have great insurance policies. the poor don't pay sh!t because the government pays for their healthcare (medicare). the main group that is at risk is lower middle class people that are above the poverty line but work crummy jobs with poor to no insurance which means they can either pay more for better insurance or gamble that nothing will happen. many of them gamble.

even fresh out of college grads walking into their first "real job" with a "real company" are offered comprehensive insurance that they pay very little for and once they get married, the couple will choose between the two of them who has the best/cheapest insurance coverage and go from there.

i've always been an advocate of health care reform in the USA, it has it's problems, but if we're talking about the cost of basic coverage for dental, eye, ER visits and such, most of us are taken care of on the cheap.

Answers to a few questions in this topic:

98% people in Poland earns less than 80 000 PLN / year. 11 000 PLN / month is above that. Minimum salary is around 1000 PLN / month net, but people earning that rather don't rent apartments. Median salary is around 3500 PLN, but only when asking bigger companies, so real median must be less than that.

Rent of 1 room studio in Krakow center is starts from 1300 PLN. Little more than that costs 2 rooms apartment 30min to center by public transport.
50 m2 apartment in small town with utilities costs costs around 800 PLN

*all numbers are gross, net is ca. 70% of gross for median salary, check calculator:
infor.pl/kalkulatory/brutto_netto.html

Hello All,

I have been offered the job of a Business Analyst for a Tier 1 Global bank in Warsaw. I'm currently living in London and earning a handsome salary.

However, during my initial discussion with the Manager of the Bank, I have been informed that the salary offered in Poland is much less than that in a country like UK.

I work in anti-money laundering domain/Banking with an experience of 5.5 years. Can some one please suggest me what is a good enough salary for my profile. I have visited many websites to check out salary structure and am very confused; as few websites tell BA salary as somewhere around 6000-8000PLN and some state it as high as 16000PLN.

Appreciate if someone can guide me on this.

16000 is really on higher side, less than 3% people make that kind of money.
But it's not impossible, especially from a big bank transitioning to poland and pay even more. Good luck.

And remember taxes!

Hello "Somebody80", my question is since I am into the first phase of talks and the current talk is about finances, how much is a good enough salary for my experience in Warsaw.

Again, I'm not able to get a conclusive per month number which should be sufficient to live freely in the city(not lavishly, but completing all basic needs). Should i ask for something like 10k PLN?

Since I'm single, I would need 1 room-kitchen house, basic amenities like electricity, gas, internet, etc. Movie once in 1 or 2 weeks, etc. How should should all this cost and most importantly, would I be able to save to send money back home ?

Ask for 50% of what you are earning in UK. Tell them that it is 50% and see reaction. I think in very specialized positions in banking in Warsaw anything between 10 000 and 20 000 PLN gross per month is possible.

According to:
tiny.cc/hays-report
"Kontroler Finansowy" earns in Woj. Mazowieckie (Warsaw) median 13 000 min: 10 000 max: 16 000
Look Column "Woj. Mazowieckie", 6th page

Renting cost in Warsaw:
35-50 m2: - 2196 zł
50-75 m2: - 2676 zł

So with such salary you could live comfortable.

and:

10 000 gross = 7034,39 net
13 000 gross = 9125,11 net

better yet, flat out tell them what you earn in the UK, including any yearly bonuses and any benefits you might have like a company car, paid medical, etc. that way, whatever they were thinking of offering you will seem like a pittance. let them embarrass themselves by offering first. it puts the ball in your court because you can make your initial reaction...not counter offer, just your initial reaction convey to them, "wow, that's all you guys pay people in Poland?"

targeting business peoples' egos is a great way to negotiate.

Hello all,

i moved from germany to poland two weeks ago. now i have a job offer from HP as a payroll specialist and they asked me what my salary expections look like. to be honest, i actually can not estimate how much i can ask for. in germany i would have earned a little bit more than the average income, but it is much higher than here. But due the polish average income i said that i expect 4000zł per month. they accepted this, but now i want to be sure that i am not underpaied :( so i aks for any experiences all of you have.

By the way i have a bachelor degree in mngt and economics. Thank you for your answers.

You were foolish for giving an answer, and had no obligation whatsoever to provide one. The only appropriate answer to this question is "How much are you offering?" Anything else can drastically limit your ability to negotiate, which is exactly the position in which they want you. Next time, you'll know. For now, they can always use your estimate against you if you ever ask for a raise.

My Ukrainian fiancee has taken a liking to Slupsk. She is a medical student with about 1 year left. I am curious about the cost differential between Slupsk and Warsaw. Personally I have around 6,000 PLN a month available should we attempt to move there. Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated. FYI, I am American.

Opportunities and wages in the medical field are both downright abysmal in Poland. Any way you cut it, your combined future earnings and quality of life are going to be far higher in the States than in Poland. And while retiring on 6,000 PLN a month in Słupsk might be attractive to you, it won't be an attractive option for her, at least nowhere near as attractive as working as a physician in the States. Her liking for Słupsk, and Poland in general, will evaporate pretty quickly when the harsh reality of long hours and very, very low wages in a dead-end job sets in. All in all, I would say that trying to make a go of it in Poland as a couple is not a very good option.

And you base that on...? I hear the wages have gone up considerably over past few years, and certainly once you they've specialised, there is good earning potential if they happen to be in the sought after speciality and are on a contract... There is a lack of specialists already, and that will only increase with the ageing population, the salaries and opportunities should only continue to increase given that PL now spends about the least % of its GDP on healthcare out of the EU, so certainly this is one profession that does not need to stress about their prospects...


Future earnings and financial security most likely; quality of life/satisfaction - that I would say is really up to the individual to determine based on what their priorities are, especially if bringing up young children is involved... The US in general is great for certain careers and making $, especially if you are single and career driven, but it's such a different lifestyle - not everyone from Europe necessarily enjoys the 'overall package' of living in the States, which, like everywhere, has it's ups and downs (the general feeling is that it's certainly not what it used to be even 20 years ago).

You answered your own question. Also, I'm a pathologist, and I live here in Poland, and have for twelve years, so I think I know the lay of the land for the medical profession here a lot better than you do.


There's very little money to be made in poor old people, especially if it's financed by a poor and stingy state. And the worst is still to happen as the baby-boomer generation starts to retire, leaving the much smaller baby-bust generations to foot the bill for their eldercare. This is a big problem even in rich Western countries. In Poland, it's going to be truly awful.


That's wrong on so many levels that I don't even know where to start. The only bright star on the horizon for Polish health care workers is that they can always emigrate to Western countries, where the demand for their services is increasing.


Poland scores far below the US on any objective indicator of life quality and satisfaction. You also seem to be conflating the US with New York City, and Poland with Europe, and romanticizing life in Poland. However, like Mexico, it's a good place to retire if you're single and living off of Western retirement funds, or if you can provide a unique service that is highly in demand (and someone is actually willing to pay for).

Having said that, though, I'll be returning to Chicago in two months because my Polish partner (an anesthesiologist) has had enough of Poland. Especially the poor wages and job prospects. The job lined up in Chicago pays ten times what the job in Poland did. Future savings potential is 25 times as much.

I have some questions in regards to tax and national insurances in Poland, I am Married in Poland with two children my wife does not work as she is studying, I work currently overseas, if i am to work in Poland with a gross salary of say 350K zloty how is this calculated down.

I understand that there are reductions if my children are at school and my wife is not working, these things i read but it does not tell me that much.

Any particular reason why your accountant can't answer these questions? That would be the appropriate way to get a useful answer, not off of some anonymous clowns like us on the internet.

School for I levels in Warsaw..cost of stufies

Want to school,colleges and universities cost n fees /month in Warsaw

Hi there, I have been offered a job in Wroclaw to work for Volvo as a business analyst. My questions are:
- Is this a good town/city to live in?
- What should I ask for as a monthly salary bearing questions below in mind?
- Is it a good family environment, I have a wife and two daugters (9 and 7yrs old)
- Is schooling expensive

I worry as I have all the things that make living in South Africa great, I have a good job within the investments industry my wife has emplyment as well, fairly large house with swimming pool enough space for a good garden when my kids can play. My wife and I manage to have a good standard of living. This oppoertunity seems like it would be a good experience but I do not want to sacrifice what I have.

It seems that there are a lot of people being contacted by Volvo for Wroclaw. And all of them are outside of Poland. I just had an interview.

To keep theme my research on local costs are aprx 7000 PLN for 2 adults and 2 kids. 2K is the rent, 2.2K for food, 1.5k for school, kindergarden. The rest is clothes, transport and other expenses.

Link (Russian) - poland-wroclaw.blogspot.com/2015/11/2015.html

You're not going to get a private English speaking school for 1.5k in Wrocław.

Hello,

I was offered a role in Kraków in Haineken Shared Service Centre as Team Leader. I have 2 kids (1y & 3y) and if all goes well I will want to relocate there- which means rent a flat, kindergarten and stuff around.

What is the minimum monthly gross salary to ask for to have a decent life without worries about the bills (no fancy things like 3 vacations per year or eating every evening is fancy restaurant are needed).

Hi,
I am from India.I was about to get a job offer in Warsaw in an IT MNC. They have not disclosed my salary.So before I accept their offer, I have few question in mind:

1. What is the avg salary for 9 yrs exp IT Quality assurance Supervisor?
2.What is the cost of living for 2 adults in Warsaw with moderate life style?
3.Is it allowed for my wife to search jobs in Warsaw with dependent visa?

Thanks in Advance.

Hello,

I would like to know the cost of living for a single adult female in a city like Wroclaw with a 10000 złoty monthly gross, I have been told the tax and insurance will amount to around 30-35% which sums it to around 6500-7000 złoty per month.Could someone give break up for an accomodation preferably 2 bedroom furnished or unfurnished apartment/flat not too far from city or places with easy commute/ facilities-internet-gas-water-garbage etc/commutation charges/entertainment etc.

hey i m com in poland plzz i need job so can u help me?