Cost of living comparison

compared to

United States vs. Poland Cost of Living Summary

United States is 82.4% more expensive than Poland overall.

Restaurants
pay 59.0% more in United States
Groceries
pay 2.1 times more in United States
Transportation
pay 16.3% more in United States
Housing
pay 2.2 times more in United States
Childcare
pay 3.6 times more in United States
Entertainment and Sports
pay 68.0% more in United States
Clothing
pay 1.6% less in United States

The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and transportation in United States are more expensive than in Poland. Notably, childcare, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in United States.

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United States vs. Poland Cost Breakdown

If you lived in United States instead of Poland, you would:

pay 59.0% more for restaurants

 
Poland
United States
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.02
PLN39.23
$19.86
 
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $8.33
PLN32.63
$11.42
 
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $2.06
PLN8.05
$2.67
 
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pay 2.1 times more for groceries

 
Poland
United States
Bread
1 loaf
 $1.26
PLN4.95
$3.63
 
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.34
PLN17.01
$6.52
 
Milk (1 gallon) $3.75
PLN14.68
$3.98
 
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pay 16.3% more for transportation

 
Poland
United States
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.15
PLN24.10
$4.01
 
Monthly public transit pass $30.85
PLN120.82
$66.70
 
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $30,440.20
PLN119K
$34,164.82
 
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pay 2.2 times more for housing

 
Poland
United States
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $16.87
PLN66.09
$70.22
 
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $635.08
PLN2,487.61
$1,681.01
 
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $525.98
PLN2,060.27
$1,404.28
 
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pay 3.6 times more for childcare

 
Poland
United States
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $375.24
PLN1,469.81
$1,450.99
 
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $7,342.23
PLN28,759.68
$24,361.50
 
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pay 68.0% more for entertainment and sports

 
Poland
United States
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.44
PLN13.47
$6.00
 
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.38
PLN13.24
$5.31
 
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $5.25
PLN20.55
$10.42
 
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pay 1.6% less for clothing

 
Poland
United States
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $81.02
PLN317.36
$53.15
 
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $36.65
PLN143.56
$41.88
 
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $85.93
PLN336.58
$89.76
 
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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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Compare further: Poland vs. United States

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