How to Save Money on Living Costs in Poland

Knowing how to spend money wisely is useful for everyone. Learning this skill may come with difficulties and obstacles, but they can be overcome. The key is to rely on willpower and strong motivation.

The first step is to define your personal financial goals. These may be long-term goals, such as buying a home or preparing for retirement, or short-term ones, such as saving for a specific purchase or improving your financial situation.

The goal should be realistic and suited to your actual circumstances. It is not a good idea to significantly lower your quality of life all at once, as this can lead to frustration and loss of motivation. Start by creating a rough budget: list all income and mandatory expenses. This will make it easier to analyse your spending and decide which categories can be reduced or removed.

Budget planning is useful for anyone who wants to be more conscious about spending, as it creates a foundation for saving money. Once you list your income and expenses, it becomes much clearer which categories can be reduced without significantly affecting your quality of life.

A planned budget is especially useful for those who are preparing to move to Poland or already live there. When building a new life abroad, foreigners often face higher expenses than expected. To avoid stress over bills, it is worth preparing in advance and writing down all future costs, including a worst-case scenario.

How much money do you need to live in Poland? According to the Polish government, one person needs at least PLN 1,010 to live. If there are two people in a household, the minimum is PLN 823 per person. Numbeo gives a more realistic estimate: PLN 3,016 per month for one person, excluding rent. This is approximately €708.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city centre is PLN 2,814, while a three-bedroom apartment costs around PLN 4,630. Taking all expenses together, a single person may need approximately PLN 5,000–8,000 per month for a relatively comfortable life in Poland.

We covered the Salaries in Poland in detail in another article on our blog.

To reduce rent or mortgage expenses, consider alternative housing options. Rental prices drop significantly if you choose smaller cities or districts on the outskirts of major urban areas. If living in the centre is essential, consider finding a flatmate so you can share rent and utility costs.

A lot depends on where a person rents an apartment and how large the property is. The most cost-effective option is usually unfurnished housing on the outskirts. The most expensive places to live are Warsaw (PLN 4,900), the Tricity area and Krakow (PLN 3,200 in both cases), and Wroclaw (PLN 3,100). The lowest rents in January were recorded in Bialystok and Kielce — only PLN 2,000.

According to rental listing aggregator otodom.pl, in January 2026 the average cost of renting an apartment in Poland was PLN 3,618, which was 1% lower than in the previous month.

The best housing options for maximum savings usually have the following features:

This may not be the apartment of your dreams, but it can definitely help you save a significant amount of money.

If you have some free time and good negotiation skills, there is another way to save on housing: try negotiating a lower rent with the landlord. To do this, you will need to study nearby listings, look into the building’s history, and compare similar apartments. If you find at least three cheaper options, you can start negotiations.

The best time to negotiate a better deal is from November to February, when students have less influence on demand. A landlord may also be more willing to reduce the price if the listing has been online for several weeks and has not attracted much interest.

Not everyone is ready to give up a favourite three-bedroom apartment in central Warsaw. In this case, there is another practical way to save money: find flatmates, ideally one for each room. This allows you to share rent and utility bills, while also possibly making new Polish friends.

This saving method is well suited to extroverts and anyone who enjoys gathering in the kitchen over a cup of tea to discuss the latest news. However, there is an important detail to keep in mind: rooms cannot be sublet without the property owner’s consent. If the apartment was not originally listed as suitable for several tenants, the rent may increase when new residents move in. Therefore, if you want to live with a flatmate, it is better to look for such listings from the start.

To lower utility expenses, start by replacing lighting with LED bulbs, using energy-saving appliances, sealing windows and doors to prevent heat loss, lowering the indoor temperature by 1–2 degrees where possible, and considering switching to another electricity provider. It is also useful to develop resource-saving habits: use water, electricity, and gas more carefully.

The classic ways to save energy are simple: turn off lights and electronic devices when you are not using them, use energy-efficient bulbs, and choose efficient household appliances. Unplug devices from the mains so they do not remain in standby mode and consume energy unnecessarily.

Pay attention to the appliances you use: perhaps it is time for an upgrade. Class A devices and above are considered the most energy-efficient and have the lowest consumption. In some cases, an upgrade can save up to 50% of electricity, while the cost of new appliances will pay off in the long term.

To save on heating, try lowering the thermostat temperature inside the apartment by 1–2 degrees. Improve the room’s insulation and install heat-reflecting panels behind radiators to retain warmth. Air the apartment briefly but intensively, and turn the radiators off while doing so.

Water savings depend largely on eco-conscious habits: do not leave water running while brushing your teeth, taking a shower, or washing dishes. Watch carefully for leaks in the home: poor pipe seals can lead to the loss of several litres of water per month.

Another option is to install aerators on taps. An aerator is a small attachment that mixes water with air, making the stream feel stronger while using less water. This small device can save up to 50% of water and also helps trap small particles, making the water cleaner.

Groceries are the second-largest expense category after rent and utilities. To reduce spending, you need to become more attentive and sometimes even change your lifestyle — for example, by switching to home-cooked meals.

Useful ways to save on food:

Online shopping has another advantage: you are more likely to buy only what you actually need, since you do not have to walk through a store and look at shelves full of tempting products.

The most useful advice, however, is simple: almost everything you cook at home will be cheaper. Even favourite burgers and pizzas are manageable for almost anyone if you find a good recipe and stock up on ingredients. You do not have to make buns or dough from scratch: even if you buy these ingredients ready-made, the meal will still be cheaper.

Now comes the painful part: make coffee at home. Seriously, it is much cheaper. There are many alternatives to your favourite takeaway coffee shops. Cannot imagine life without a cup of latte? A set of drip coffee bags and a carton of milk can cost about the same as one or two coffee shop visits, but will give you enough coffee for at least five days. It may not be the same vibe you are used to, but it can save a lot of money.

And one final tip: do not chase trends. Buy only what you genuinely enjoy eating. If bloggers on social media are enjoying sweet potatoes and avocados, but you do not actually like these foods and they often end up in the bin, perhaps it is not worth buying food just to match an image on the internet.

To save on transport, there is no better option than switching from a car to public transport or a bicycle. A monthly pass costs significantly less than a month’s worth of petrol: fuel costs around PLN 6.16 per litre, while a one-way public transport ticket costs PLN 4.40. You will also need to cut back on taxis, as saving money becomes more important than comfort and speed.

The good news is that Poland has a well-developed public transport system, especially in cities. There are buses and trams, and Warsaw also has a metro. The system is relatively inexpensive and efficient, and it is well integrated with city cards and mobile apps.

In Warsaw, a standard monthly bus pass costs from PLN 110 to PLN 180, depending on which city zones you need to travel through. For people eligible for discounts, the cost of the same pass is reduced to PLN 56–90.

Make use of local benefits. Check whether your city offers special discounts for people who file an income tax declaration locally, and whether it runs “free public transport day” campaigns. This initiative is designed to encourage the use of public transport and is held in various cities, including Warsaw, Krakow, Wroclaw, and others. On certain days, passengers can use buses, trams, and the metro free of charge and without restrictions.

Try combining services, such as home internet and mobile plans, into one more cost-effective package, switching to cheaper tariffs, and monitoring your data usage. It may also be cheaper to sign a contract with a smaller local mobile operator rather than a large and popular international provider.

It is worth checking available offers once a year. If you find a better option, first contact your current provider. The operator may offer better contract terms to prevent you from switching to another network. Since it is now possible to keep your phone number when changing providers, switching has become much easier — and it is worth taking advantage of this.

Review your current tariff conditions. Do you use all your data and call minutes, or do you still have unused allowances at the end of the month? Remove unnecessary services and reduce data consumption to save on your monthly plan.

If you participate in the public healthcare system, it is unlikely that you can reduce this contribution: 9% is automatically deducted from your salary. However, you can save money on private insurance payments. To do this, review the amount of coverage and check whether it can be reduced. Sometimes the level of protection does not match the client’s real needs and risks. Analyse your current situation and decide which services can be removed.

If there is nothing to reduce, check whether there are better and cheaper offers on the market. Are there any promotions that could help lower your costs? Some companies may offer significant discounts to both new and existing customers.

If you are insuring several people, ask whether the provider offers package policies. Buying insurance “in bulk” can be significantly cheaper.

Car owners also spend money on insurance, so they can use several saving strategies as well:

It is also important to avoid “duplicating” insurance policies. If an insured event occurs, you will usually be able to receive compensation from only one company. Multiple insurance policies covering the same risk may also be seen as a possible attempt at fraud, so be careful.

Saving money is both a skill and a lifestyle. To save successfully, it is often necessary to rethink your habits: give up old ones and develop new ones. For example, you can reduce spending on alcohol and nicotine, cancel streaming subscriptions, and choose free leisure activities more often.

Saving and building financial reserves are almost impossible while a person still has instalment payments or loan obligations. If you want to start saving money, focus first on reducing your financial burden.

This includes alcohol, cigarettes, unused subscriptions and memberships, gambling, and in-game currency purchases, especially in so-called gacha games. By cutting these expense categories, you may quickly notice how the gap in your budget starts to close almost by itself.

Instead of buying cinema or concert tickets or planning lunch or dinner at a restaurant, look for more affordable ways to spend time: take a walk in the park, meet friends at home, or play board games.

Go for preventive medical check-ups and basic diagnostic tests at least once a year. Health is the best investment. A small amount spent on taking care of your well-being can help protect you from much larger expenses caused by an illness missed at an early stage.

Only by reviewing your financial habits can you improve your life and save money. Your goal can be anything — the main thing is to stay motivated, and you will succeed.

Expats reduce personal expenses not only to save money, but also to send more financial support to family and loved ones abroad. Even here, it is possible to save if you use an app that allows you to make transfers on favourable terms.

Korona is a trusted app for sending money to 60+ countries worldwide. It can help you save, as it offers one of the lowest fees on the market. The app is safe, fast, convenient, and easy to use.

You can download the app and try making your first transfer via the App Store or Google Play.

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