Cost of Living: Warsaw vs Krakow (2026)

Poland vs Poland — relocation comparison

Your passport:

Livability Score

Warsaw

Krakow

$1,224/mo

Rent

1BR centre

$976/mo

$27k/yr

Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$23k/yr

5 yr

PR path

5 yr

Freelance setup

JDG

VAT-free under €47k
€450/yr accountant

WiseStripe

JDG

VAT-free under €47k
€450/yr accountant

WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated April 2026

TL;DRKrakow is 20% cheaper on rent ($976/mo vs $1,224/mo). Both cities require a personal relationship with your winter coat.

Warsaw and Krakow are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.

Verdict delivered. Your move.

Heads

🇵🇱 Krakow

Full profile, in case the coin says so.

Tails

🇵🇱 Warsaw

Full profile, in case it says otherwise.

Plot twist

Prague vs Warsaw

Someone else's dilemma, equally unsolvable.

Household

Warsaw

Metric

Krakow

$681/mo

🛒

Living costs (no rent)

lower is better

$639/mo✓

$4,950

🧳

Cost to land

lower is better

$4,044✓

81 / 100

🛡️

Settler safety

higher is better

82 / 100

0.7 / 100k

🔒

Homicides

lower is better

0.4 / 100k✓

6.5 / 100k

🚗

Road deaths

lower is better

6.5 / 100k

75 / 100

🚨

Safety Index

higher is better

75 / 100

73°F

☀️

Summer high

personal taste

73°F

25°F

❄️

Winter low

personal taste

25°F

✓109 Mbps

⚡

Internet speed

higher is better

88 Mbps

✓22.3 μg/m³

🌬️

Air quality (PM2.5)

lower is better

27.7 μg/m³

73 / 100

🏥

Healthcare

higher is better

73 / 100

7.4 / 10

🗳️

Democracy

higher is better

7.4 / 10

4.2 / 9

🤝

Migrant acceptance

higher is better

4.2 / 9

18 / 100

🏳️‍🌈

Rainbow Index

higher is better

18 / 100

68/100

🗣️

Street English

higher is better

68/100

$51k

💼

GDP per capita (PPP)

higher is better

$51k

3.8% · Boringly steady

📈

Inflation

lower is better

3.8% · Boringly steady

65/100 — Patchy

⚡

Grid reliability

higher is better

65/100 — Patchy

82/100

🗽

Freedom House

higher is better

82/100

A median Software Engineer in Warsaw takes home $5,190/mo under Standard employee. In Krakow: $4,450/mo under Standard employee.

$740/mo more in Warsaw

Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.

$108k

💰

Gross income

$91k

−$23k

🏛️

Income tax

Standard employee

−$18k

−$23k

🛡️

Social contributions

−$20k

✓$62k/yr

$5k/mo

💵

Take-home pay

$53k/yr

$4k/mo

−$35k

🏠

Cost of living

−$30k

✓$27k/yr

🐖

Annual savings

$23k/yr

Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated April 2026

💰

Cost of Living

Krakow

$249/mo cheaper on rent alone

Sun

How much sky you actually get

44% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

Sky clear

avg daytime

46% clear

Win

Spr

Sum

Fall

7.7h

Shortest day

Dec

8.1h

16.8h

Longest day

Jun

16.4h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

improving ↑

Democracy trend

improving ↑

Inflation trend

improving ↑

software-itfinancegame-devbpo

Industries

software-itbpogame-devtourism

active

Startup ecosystem

active

Moderate

🇺🇸 Your visa

Moderate

Easy

EU visa

Easy

Moderate

RU visa

Moderate

Easy

UA visa

Easy

✅ Partner can work immediately

Spouse works

✅ Partner can work immediately

Not recognized

konkubinat (informal — no legal recognition)

Partner pathway

Not recognized

konkubinat (informal — no legal recognition)

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

Life-threatening only

Abortion access

Life-threatening only

Near-total ban since 2021. Only permitted for life/health threat or rape/incest. One of Europe's most restrictive.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Not recognized

Marriage

Not recognized

Not allowed

Adoption

Not allowed

Yes

Job protection

Yes

Hate crime law

Warsaw vs Krakow — Common Questions

Is Warsaw cheaper than Krakow?▾

Krakow is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $976/month there vs $1224/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Warsaw or Krakow?▾

Krakow is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Warsaw has a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 and Krakow has 0.38 per 100,000.

Should I move to Warsaw or Krakow?▾

Warsaw and Krakow are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Is it easier to get residency in Warsaw or Krakow?▾

Warsaw: Poland Temporary Residence (moderate requirements, Up to 3 years). Krakow: Poland Temporary Residence (moderate requirements, Up to 3 years). See each city's profile page for full requirements.

What's the cost of rent in Warsaw vs Krakow?▾

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $976/month in Krakow, $1224/month in Warsaw (Numbeo). That's 20% cheaper rent in Krakow.