Job offer in Lodz, gross 1000€/4260PLN. Apartment and healthcare paid for. Good in Poland?

Hi everybody!

I am a Swedish guy who is currently in the processes of being offered a job in Lodz in the banking sector. It is a starting position and they seem to hire people with different backgrounds but are specifically looking for Scandinavian people. The gross salary is 1000€ but both apartment and healthcare is paid for by the company.

I have spoken to another Swede who works at the company and s/he says that the money you get is definitely enough to live on.

According to wikipedia the average salary in Poland is 1174€ so my salary will be a little lower than average but on the other hand my biggest expense (apartment) is taken care off by the company.

I realize there are a lot of things to consider when moving to a different country but at this point I am mainly concerned whether or not the salary is enough to sustain me. I don't have any expensive hobbies, I mainly spend my free time at the gym (also paid for by the company to my understanding), at home watching tv-shows or out with friends. On weekends I like to go out to bars and socialize, have a few beers and maybe eat at a restaurant.

So what do you guys think? Is the salary enough to have a comfortable life in Lodz?

Thank you in advance!

It is enough to survive... but regarding "comfortable life" it depends on your definition of it...

It's liveable on because you won't need to pay for an apartment.


This is doable. A meal in a chain restaurant like Sphinx for two people with drinks is about 150zl (at least it is when we go) and it's about the same in independent establishments. It can be less, depending on what you choose.

The salary isn't high (the median wage in PL is around that after tax). You will need to live carefully if you expect to save anything.

For an entry level position it is OK for Poland, but don't expect any luxuries or fancy holidays.

Thank you both for your answer.

Like I said, I don't have any expensive hobbies and don't really travel much. I have some money saved up from working in Sweden that I have invested in mutual funds and stocks so this will (hopefully) generate some money each year if I would like to travel and do something more expensive.

I don't have any interest in having the newest technological things, buying clothes that often etc. so I think that a "comfortable life" for me is mostly related to how my social life is and not material things. However social activities can also cost money, like going to a restaurant with friends, a bar, partying etc. so I think these kind of social expenses are what I will spend most of my money on except for food.

It might be worth noting that when I studied in Sweden I had a pretty similar income (although that was not taxed) which I lived a good life on in my opinion and that included a rent of around 40% of my total income.

Depends on your qualifications. How much finance experience do you have? What division will you be working In? What degree(s) do you have? Etc.

1k euro isnt a lot for poland. A small apartment in lodz wont run more than 3000 zs. But for a young single person its enough to live a middle class existence on. You'll still have to budget wisely as imported goods are expensive. You'll likelt have to use public trans as having a car and filling your tank up will take a big chunk out of your earnings..on the bright side the tax rate is far far lower than Sweden's. Dont get too excited about the free healthcare its really meant for emergencies. If you have some condition or need regular checkups youll likely need to spend some money on private practice but fortunately its pretty cheap.

If this is an entry level I'd take it. Thats a decent package for entry level. Put in a few years, get some experience, then move on after 3 4 years to a better position/division, do an advanced degree/certification, make a book of business with high net worth individuals, etc. My very first 'professional' job was commodity broker at the height of the global recession. A decade later i still make commission off some of my clients and advise them. Managers at large banks in pl make 15 to 20k zs plus , even at polish banks, which is a high salary for the country and will allow you to save. Brokers and traders make even more but pay is mostly performance based.

If this is investment banking or trading or wealth management id def take it. If its retail Id be cautious unless you know you can move to a different division. It really depends what stage youre at in your career.

Good luck. And congrats on having purchased some stocks and bonds. Less and less people esp the tounger generations are saving money, let alone investing it.

I have zero experience in finance. Actually I am an engineer that have taken a few finance classes. It might sound weird to go towards the bank sector but I have realized it's a kind of job that fits me well and the finance classes I've taken have been interesting. The division is "operations" (I think it's called that) and it's a backoffice type of a job which I am fine with, it's a starting position and I think (I am going to look more into it) it is fairly easy to advance upwards and maybe even get relocated to a different country if I wanted to.

The finance classes I took during my university studies were more towards the mathematical aspects of finance such as option valuation and portfolio management but I have had a very hard time getting into these jobs back in Sweden since I have no prior experience in finance. I see this job in Poland to maybe get a foot in the door and perhaps move to a different position within the same bank after a while.

What is the tax rate in Poland? Some websites says it will be 18% for me but some forum posts on here says it's more like 30%, big difference.

Regarding healthcare I have a condition that I take medication for, hopefully it will be easy to fix that in Poland. I don't need regular checkups though, I have basically just been diagnosed and then given medication for like 8 months. After that I just need to refill my prescription.

So the finance/banking sector in Poland has quite a few foreigners in it - especially from Spain, Portugal, and Italy. Honestly though if you have a background in engineering, especially if it's electrical engineering or computers, you'll make waaaaay more money than you would in the banking sector and likely have a better career path as well. Unless it's something you're dead set on and you never want to work any sort of engineering type job ever again, I'd really recommend taking a look at some other job openings in your field. If you have a degree and some good experience you'll get an offer that's likely double if not more than what this bank is offering you. But again, I can totally understand if you want to make a career choice. I started off in medicine studying to be a dentist, worked for a large medical corp, hated it although the money was good, but never looked back and hardly any salary would ever make me go back.

If it's in operations it's likely just a back office position dealing with the retail services of the bank. Is this like an analyst type of position or did they say what your title/position is?

I believe income tax rate is 18% for the first 80k zloty and 32% for over 80k zloty. But with all the zus (which it appears your employer is paying for) it would amount to 30%. Honestly I don't know. I have a business in Poland so I pay corporate tax and flat 19% income tax. Ask your company what the netto salary is (brutto being pre tax, netto being after tax). I can also ask my accountant who does all the paperwork as I've never really delved too deep into the numbers.

Medication is EXTREMELY cheap in Poland. Whenever I go to Poland I bring like a backpack full of pills because the same pills would cost $150 for a month supply - and that's with their insurance. In Poland I can buy a year's supply for less than that.

The place I will work at is a Nordic bank and I will be working with other Scandinavian people which is a bit comforting.

Unfortunately I haven't studied the areas electrical engineering or computer science to work with it but honestly they're not areas that interest me so it's fine. My master's degree was in applied mathematics which is a bit of a narrow field and with not so many jobs linked to it. But again, I am interested in finance and see this job as an opportunity to get a foot in the finance door.

The title for the position is junior process officer in either operations or within the area of AML (anti money laundering) and according to the job ad it's definitely a back office type of job. I have looked up some people that work at the same bank with the same title at LinkedIn and it seems like they get promoted after about 12-18 months.

It's nice to hear that medication is cheap, hopefully it will also be easy to see a doctor and get the prescription for it.

It's awful. Scandinavian language speakers are in high demand, and you're looking at a net salary that is around half of what they can demand in Poland from employers. If you were to spend a year learning financial Norwegian or Danish, you'd be able to demand even more than that. Either way, the gross salary is really, really poor for a Swedish speaker.

However, it's not a bad idea to move here and then after a few months, put out feelers to HR people on Linkedin. It's quite common for foreigners to jump around corporations here, and you'll be able to get a much better offer.

Hmm okey, thank you for your answer. This is what confuses me, people seem to give very different answers to the same question.

I think a key reason for different answrts is between people who have been to Lodz and people who have not.

Its not a great salary and i would not assume you would rise quickly - chances of a mote stimulating role would depend on speaking Polish or alternatively getting to a management role in the Shared Service Center.

But Lodz can be a fun place and its cheap to live so you should manage ok with that money

That is because people posting here approach your question from very different places and from very different ranges of experience. Be aware that some people sharing our experiences have actually lived and worked in PL, whereas another person (I'm thinking of a particularly voluble young poster) has not done either.


This bit is actually good advice. I'd stick it out for more than a few months though; certainly at least a year (which in a new country will flash by very quickly). I get a lot at CVs sent to me every week; the ones from what my own boss calls 'flitters and quitters' get deleted immediately.

You mention it's a starter position. These are never going to pay very much. The 12-18 month's to promotion is good too; you'll have a better job (probably with less competition than at home) which will help you move into a similar but better paid position back home or elsewhere.

A lot depends on your motivation for taking that job. Mentioning starter positions and university suggests that you're still quite early in your career; in this case, I suspect that gaining solid experience is important, probably more so than the dosh. You also mention mutual funds etc; this means you are probably excellent at managing money.

If this is the case, that job might be the right one for you. You say you're Swedish, so good experience with a Scandinavian Bank - I know Nordea (I used to bank with them, SEA (they were my client once) and Jysk (via. the Chamber of Commerce) - may very well be an excellent thing for you to do right now.

Łódż is an interesting city to live and work in too. I used to visit a lot for work and pleasure and always liked it.

Just because a rat lives in a stable does not make it a horse. There's plenty of westerners working in gulf states because of the high salaries yet most of them know little about the society, especially if they don't speak Arabic. Whoever said I never lived and worked in Poland? Unlike you, I have businesses in PL and employ Polish people - and no tutoring doesn't count. Also, unlike you I am Polish. You don't even speak Polish so by default you're unable to comprehend all the nuances of Polish society as you're not even able to communicate with Poles who don't speak English, which is the majority of Poland.


Obviously your salary is rather average by PL standards - everyone does agree on that. BUT you are getting an apartment provided by the company so that'd basically be the same thing as if he added around 3k at minimum (gross) to the salary. Hence, 7260 PLN gross is considered a decent entry level salary. Also it depends on whether they're putting you up in some crumby studio in an old building or a nice 1 bedroom with floor to ceiling windows, high end appliances, etc. in a modern building.

7k PL gross is actually on the higher end of average - especially for an entry level position. Nonetheless, I think with your skills, language experience, etc you can do a lot better. But you seem like you really want a career change and want to get into finance and you have to start somewhere. All things considered, this isn't a bad start at all. If you had a few years relevant experience in finance like even 3-5 years

Average salary survey - Lodz - averagesalarysurvey.com/łódź-poland

There one guy on there who's an engineer that is reporting 480k gross salary but of course he has significant experience and a master's level education.

A financial accountant reports 38k zloty. Software engineer reports 250k. Accounts payable - kind of similar back office job is reporting 80k zloty which is almost identical to your position. As you can see though if you stuck it out in engineering you'd made considerably more in that field. But again, I'd still look around at other offers since there's a chance you can get a higher entry level salary without experience if you really impress the hiring manager. And at least you'll have something to fall back on, work a few years, then go for something bigger and better in the near future.

@jon357
Thank you for your answer!

Yes I am early in my career, I have less than 1 year of work experience and haven't been able to get the kind of job I would like yet. I think my ideal job would be something analytical within the finance area but without the need to use programming (like a quant analyst would). Like I have written before, I see this job as a foot in the door and a way for me to maybe later change job to something that is more interesting. That is, if I don't end up really enjoying what I will do at this type of job.

The only real concern I have right now that is related to the job is whether or not 1000€ gross is okey to live on in Lodz. The other things about the job all seem pretty good to me and I am eager to work in a different country.

Dirk, you're misleading the OP as you have spent most of your life since the age of seven living in the USA and have never worked in Poland for a Polish employer. When you described your own career in a previous post you were talking about America which really has no relevance to the OP.

@ Mike, Jon always gives very sound and sensible advice. Take heed of him. Best of luck to you :))

This is the key; a foot in the door is how it works, and the contacts/friendships you'll hopefully make there especially among other Scandinavian people (since it's a Nordic bank) will hopefully be very useful indeed for you in the future.

You do say that you might find you enjoy it (and presumably stay longer). It was very good to read that because it's how careers often work. An opportunity presents itself, you find that there are things that you like about it(you might even say "yes, this is it"), that then leads to another door opening if they find you reliable, positive, capable and (this is so so important) easy to get along with.

In a lot of sectors if you find a tight specialism (and one with a future) this is good. Excellent references do help a lot; something that helps even more is personal recommendations. Managers talk about excellent employees and recommend them not just in a reference, but often earlier in the recruitment process. I'm hiring now (for unusual and highly specialised jobs in an unusual place) and people who are recommended to me by people who value their reputation/friendship enough to only recommend good people are far more likely to get the work than people who come through adverts or an agency.

I didn't really think I'd like what I'm doing now; my plan was to stay for a few months and then move on to something specific I was waiting for in the UK, at what used to be The Royal Military College of Science; I took it because one aspect of the work is close to my specialism and I was interested in the particular location of the work. A large part of the role was outside my normal comfort zone, however things went well, my face fitted, and I was offered something rather specific (they created the post, I wrote the job description and specifications) and it is only likely to get better. This (if you're lucky, quick off the mark, don't 'hustle' and are both able and positive) is exactly how things can (and should) work out in the end. If they respect and like you (I think banks are similar although it's years since I worked at one), they'll help you.

Re. your real question, about whether the salary is enough to live on, the answer is yes. It isn't a fortune by any means, however the flat does make all the difference. Live like a local; it doesn't hurt. I do suggest you save as much as possible since it's important to have a cushion if you decide that the work (and the place) isn't for you.

And as I say, Łódż can be a very nice place to be. I wish you all the very best in the job.


You don't ''have businesses'', Adrian, you're a 20-something in and from America. BTW I speak only Polish at home and among friends and passed the state language tests nicely. That and of course having lived in PL for as long as you've been alive means I probably comprehend the nuances' rather better than you think. And really have owned (two) businesses there. Real ones.

Trafficking Africans doesn't count.

And yes I do have businesses in Poland - 2 actually. Plus a couple million zloty in property with more coming - and that's just in Poland. Like I said anytime you want to compare assets and cash flow I'm down.


Good, than you understand 'To jest Polska nie Bruksela - tu sie pedalowania NIE POPIERA' and how much Polish people despise commies.


Neither will I because I can make more money elsewhere.... even a few years back when I first joined here I stated how I declined a job offer from Google in Poland

That is actually a very odd and somewhat incoherent post...

Perhaps, if the OP is intereste, has time on his hands and has a good nonsense filter/tolerance for ravings, it would be a good idea if the he spent a few seconds checking out some of your 'contributions' in other threads, just in case he was in danger of paying attention to those here.

To reiterate:
the salary isn't great; nor is it awful
the apartment certainly makes a difference - in terms of value it brings the package close to the national average
the opportunity seems a good one
a Nordic expat in a Nordic bank abroad sounds like a good career fit
it is likely that he'll get experience and connections that will help him
Łódż is not a bad place

All of which I said in my previous reply.... so how is your contribution somehow better when it's the exact same **** i wrote earlier only worded differently? Rather you just want to talk sh1t. That time of the month?

Oh dear...

Dirk, you forget we've known you here for two years now and remember your first posts, so we know you're a spoofer. At this stage we don't really care any more but it's a different matter when you misrepresent yourself to innocent people who come here looking for sensible, reliable advice. Mind you in this case it's only about the cost of living but for some reason you feel obliged to expand it into a career guidance session which you are ill-placed to be delivering and which I doubt the OP is need of. Somehow your posts always seem to end up being about you and how amazing you are - and as for employing people, I'm afraid that giving some eejit 50 zł for going to the post office and picking up a package from China doesn't really count. Maybe that's why you don't understand how ZUS, tax etc works. Y'all have a nice day now ;)

@Mike, have you looked at Numbeo? You can compare living costs between where you live now and Lodz. It's generally pretty accurate. Also you could take a look at the websites for the major supermarket chains to see what it would be likely to cost you for the weekly shop, Auchan, Carrefour, Biedronka, Lidl, Tesco. Food is comparatively cheap here but the quality varies. Meat is pretty terrible, pumped full of water, the beef has absolutely no flavour but lamb is appearing more on the shelves now and it's ok, pretty expensive at about 60zł per kilo for a leg of Polish lamb and even more for other cuts. But if you buy a leg and roast it in the oven English style, it'll give you meat for four days or so for one person and you can make a nice lamb curry or something. If you can get hold of 'dzik' wild boar or other venison it's very good. They sell it in the supermarkets but again, it's pricey. However it's very lean and not injected with water so a little goes a long way. Milk is pretty woeful here too, very watery and you have to watch out for them adding powdered milk, 'mleko w proszku' to things like Kefir and even supposedly natural yogurt. They use it as a thickening agent.

One thing I would add is the importance of learning some Polish but I suppose the bank will arrange for that :)

@jon357

Thank you for all you answers, they're greatly appreciated! Feeling pretty confident about everything regarding this job right now :)

@Atch

Yes I've looked a little bit at Numbeo and it seems like food prices and living cost are all much lower than were I live in Sweden (not surprising). It seems like the salary of 4260PLN should be enough to live pretty well on. The only bad thing is that I will not be able to save that much money by Swedish standards, here I usually save 7000-8000SEK (2800-3200PLN) each month. I guess when I get to Lodz I will sit down and make a budget to really clear things up.

Thanks for the advice on the food! I go to the gym "very" often and I am used to a high meat diet, are thee any food stores that have meat which is not injected with water? I am used to chicken being 10-20% water here in Sweden but not pork, beef etc.

You can get organic meat sometimes in the supermarket, though not often. Your best bet is some organic market type place. There are a lot of outdoor markets in Poland, called Targi or Bazaar but they're not organic. Some of the stuff is homegrown/homemade but a lot of it is just bought at a wholesalers and is the same as the supermarket. If you want organic meat you'll need to go to an organic market 'ekologiczne'. Take a look here, I don't know how genuinely organic it is though:

ekotarg-lodz.pl/

By the way you'll see a lot of mentions of 'wędliny'. That's various kinds of processed meats and sausages which Poles really love and eat loads of. Always check your labels in the supermarket as a lot of food here has high salt content and additives, e numbers etc. Things 'bez konserwantów' means no preservatives.

Avoid buying pre-packaged meat in supermarkets. Buy from smaller neighborhood butcher shops, the quality is better (though beef will be harder to get, it's not a traditional staple in Poland). You'll need some Polish to shop in them and establish yourself as a known quantity, a customer they like and want to keep (try a few and then stick to one or two mainstays). The supermarkets are easier but the quality of meat tends to be worse (Tesco is the worst ime, Lidl maybe the least bad).

There are certainly meat shops in Warsaw but I once saw a delivery being made to the local Bazaar and they were bringing in huge slabs of frozen meat!! So obviously they intended to defrost it and then cut it up, not a very nice thought, buying defrosted meat. Also much of the wędliny for sale is just the branded stuff taken out of the packaging and put out on the counter. If it's 'domowa' (homemade, Mike) they usually specify but it can be very salty. I find Polish duck very good, not so fatty as Irish and much more meat on it. Naturally being Irish I compare all meat with Irish!

Oh and another to watch out for, if you're buying minced/ground meat, it may have salt added. Check the labels if you buy it pre-packed. It's often sold as being for 'kotlety' and in that case it frequently comes with salt. If possible as Maf says, go to a small shop and buy a piece of meat and ask them to mince it for you. They'll do that. You can also get a leaner, better quality cut that way.

Career advice? The dude asked if its a good salary or not. I told him almost exactly what jon wrote - with the apartment its an average (statistically on the higher end as most salaries are around 4400 4600 zs in poland). Second, since he appears to be concerned about money and how far his salary will take him I stated he could work in engineering IF money is more important than starting a new career. Considering that it seems getting into finance is most important to him, I told him the same exact thing as jon - take the opportunity as its a good way to get your foot in the door and with the apartment included. Finance is a low paying career at the beginning but those who put in the hours and make the right connections will become 1% within a few years especially if they work in the IB or wealth management divisions.

I know you're not an economist but perhaps you should familiarize yourself with opportunity costs and specialization. What that means is in a world of finite resources, people focus on what they're best at and outsource things that have a low opportunity cost. So yes, I dont bother picking up imports or shipping exports, nor do i sit in the currency exchange or do my taxes in pl because the labor cost is very low. I can pay an accountant less than $100 to do all my paperwork so why would I want to spend hours doing it myself? And fyi i dont have zus, as an owner of agriculturally zoned land I have a superior insurance known as KRUS.

And second the organic certification is very strict in poland. You can go to just about any small town and buy all the fresh meat you want. Some will even slaughter the animal right in front of you.

People in towns don't slaughter animals in front of you so that you can buy fresh meat. Wtf. Neither do people in small villages.

KRUS isn't superior to ZUS. Lol. What business do you have with KRUS, Dirk?

Mike, if you want to gain some experience and don't need to pay the rent, that salary should be ok. You won't save much, though. I'm sure your colleagues will give you lots on advice where to buy groceries, go out etc.

Dirk is in a very special little universe.... no wonder he gets along so well with Crow.

Yes you absolutely can in poland. I can think of 4 5 villages just around wroclaw that will allow you to buy meat that way. No irs not every farmer but if they have animals for sale most will absolutely sell you freshly slaughtered meat. That just shows how little you know about polish society and rural markets, understandable since you dont speak the language you are unable to communicate with the majority of polish society. So even if there was a sign advertising live poulty, butchers, etc you wouldnt even be able to read it. Next youll tell me people don't sell fresh picked berries and mushrooms on the side of the roads...

Theres a few places even in major us cities that sell live poulty and butcher it in front of you esp in Latino neighborhoods. And in poland if you go to the wioski they absolutely do. I've bought rabbits lamb goats and especially pigs and chickens that way plenty of times. Just about any farmer/rancher thay has livestock for sale and will do it for you as it makes no difference to him whether he sells you the animal alive or butcheted, as long as theyre fairly compensated for the extra time. Some even specialize in preparing pigs for a roast. There's even some places that go the extra step to make sure the animals were slaughtered in a kosher manner although thats far rarer. I usually obtain meat that way for larger gatherings except with chicken which is really the only way I buy it because well bbq the breasts and wings and use the rest for rosol.

@kaprys

I should add that they have to know you or at least feel confident you're not some inspector esp if you want it kosher as theres new laws against kosher slaughter. In the old days esp in prl thats how people esp in the countryside would obtain meat and even up to eu entry. If a random person who speaks little polish comes in theyll be hesitant to fulfill your request. If you're polish and they've known your family since prl its no problem. You just have to ask and pay simple as that.

And yes, KRUS does offer more benefits than ZUS. With KRUS I can even start receiving a pension at 45.

Not what you first said. I know that if you have contacts in a village you can order or buy freshly slaughtered meat but it's not like they kill the animal while you watch in the market or something