Cost #4/31 · Cost of living · Europe · Eurostat PLI 2024
🇵🇱 Cost of living in Poland
Poland undercuts most of the EU-27 across rent, groceries and transport - see the categories driving that gap and how far local income actually stretches.
- Cost rank · cheapest = #1 of 31
- #4
- Affordability rank · highest purchasing power = #1 of 29
- #19
Poland's livability score
Livability score
70/100
Poland, weighted across 8 of 8 tracked dimensions
A cost-and-income composite (price-level indices plus purchasing power), not an overall quality-of-life judgment, it does not weigh climate, safety, culture, or healthcare outcomes.
- Purchasing power F €14,394
Median net income adjusted for local cost level
- Overall cost A+ 70
Eurostat overall price level (EU27=100)
- Rent A+ 49
Housing / rent price level (EU27=100)
- Groceries A+ 87
Food and non-alcoholic beverages (EU27=100)
- Healthcare B+ 68
Healthcare price level (EU27=100)
- Transport A+ 80
Transport price level (EU27=100)
- Utilities C 84
Electricity / gas / water (EU27=100)
- Restaurants C+ 92
Restaurants and hotels (EU27=100)
Poland: large 2024 Eurostat move
Overall cost index moved +4.9 vs the 2023 archive - among the larger European shifts this release.
- Restaurants index 85 92 2023 → 2024
Restaurants index rose from 85 to 92 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
- Healthcare index 63 68 2023 → 2024
Healthcare index rose from 63 to 68 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
- Utilities index 79 84 2023 → 2024
Utilities index rose from 79 to 84 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
- Overall cost index 65 70 2023 → 2024
Overall cost index rose from 65 to 70 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
- Groceries index 82 87 2023 → 2024
Groceries index rose from 82 to 87 between the 2023 and 2024 Eurostat releases.
Poland in the Under 85 cost band
On the EU-27 = 100 scale, Poland's overall index (70) sits in the Under 85 band with 9 other published countries. The Europe-wide band mix lives on the rankings hub, not repeated here.
Where Poland undercuts the EU basket
Bars + gauge for a below-EU overall index (70): which categories keep the basket cheap.
Poland - price level by category (EU-27 = 100)
🇵🇱 Poland vs EU-27 = 100
Gauge reads the same overall cost_index (70); the tick marks the EU average.
In Poland, restaurants is the most expensive category and housing & utilities the least.
Why Poland reads cheap on Eurostat
Poland's overall consumer price level is 30% below the EU-27 average. (How this index is built →)
Eating out is where Poland really outpaces the EU average: restaurants top the category chart at index 92, ahead of housing & utilities at index 49.
That price gap works in Poland's favor: because prices run below the EU average, the headline income of €14,394 stretches further than the sticker figure suggests, worth roughly €20,504 in EU-27-average purchasing power.
Eurostat PLI Basket · similar price levels and purchasing power
Two peer sets for Poland: nearest overall price-level indices (EU-27 = 100) and nearest cost-adjusted incomes (median net income ÷ cost index). The cost band block above stays cohort-based; these neighborhoods vary by entity.
Similar overall cost index
Nearest countries by Eurostat price level (70 here, EU-27 = 100).
PLI neighbourhood · Poland
Similar purchasing power
Nearest countries by cost-adjusted income (€20,504 here).
What to do with this Poland data
Poland ranks #19 of 29 for cost-adjusted purchasing power. A raw price index alone does not tell you whether income stretches further here than elsewhere.
- Run the numbers for Poland in the calculator
- Compare Poland vs Hungary side by side
- See the full best-value ranking
- Browse every country we track
These are Eurostat comparative price-level averages for the whole country, not a personal budget. Regional and city-level costs can differ substantially from the national figure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Poland expensive to live in?
Poland's overall cost of living is 30% below the EU-27 average (index 70). Restaurants is the priciest category and housing & utilities the cheapest.
What are housing & utilities costs in Poland?
Poland's housing & utilities price index is 49, below the EU norm.
How does income compare to costs in Poland?
That price gap works in Poland's favor: because prices run below the EU average, the headline income of €14,394 stretches further than the sticker figure suggests, worth roughly €20,504 in EU-27-average purchasing power.
PlainCostOfLiving is rendered directly from Eurostat comparative price levels and median equivalised net income, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-20. Primary sources: Eurostat comparative price levels (prc_ppp_ind) and Eurostat median equivalised net income (ilc_di03).