Moving to Poland from Norway

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Norway to Poland — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Norway to Poland, you would find that Poland is 30.5% cheaper than Norway overall. A NOK733,695 salary in Norway would need to be roughly PLN192,647 in Poland to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Polish.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Norway to Poland.

What does your salary buy?

NOK733,695 PLN192,647

To maintain the same standard of living in Poland

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 42.8% less

Groceries

pay 45.3% less

Transportation

pay 35.0% less

Housing

pay 31.7% less

Childcare

pay 7.8% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 48.5% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 NOK = 0.3882 PLN (July 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

Cost of living by city

Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).

On average, cities in Poland cost about 31% less than cities in Norway.

Norway

Oslo 73%
Haugesund 64%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Norway to Poland, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2021
57 ↓ 2% vs 2020

people moved from Norway to Poland · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Poland?

Top countries of origin for Poland's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Norway and Poland stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

NO
0.6
PL
0.7
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

NO
1.5
PL
6.5

Norway performs better than Poland across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

NO
$9,523
PL
$3,939
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

affects wait times and access to care

NO
51.7
PL
33.9

Norway generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Poland leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

NO
8.0
PL
41.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

NO
7.2t
PL
7.6t

Norway performs better than Poland across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

NO
45.9
PL
23.0
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

NO
2.0%
PL
32.1%

Norway performs better than Poland across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

NO
3.6%
PL
2.9%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

NO
$90,500
PL
$44,100

Poland generally does better on employment & economy, though Norway leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

NO
82.5 yrs
PL
78.8 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

NO
2.3
PL
4.2

Norway performs better than Poland across all family life metrics.

Data: Norwegian Tax Administration, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Oslo Rain: 30.0 in/yr (763 mm)
49° / 36°F

Avg. annual high / low

Warsaw Rain: 20.9 in/yr (532 mm)
55° / 40°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Oslo Warsaw
Jan–Mar 32°/22°F (0°/-6°C) 38°/26°F (3°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 59°/43°F (15°/6°C) 66°/46°F (19°/8°C)
Jul–Sep 66°/51°F (19°/10°C) 72°/53°F (22°/12°C)
Oct–Dec 39°/30°F (4°/-1°C) 44°/33°F (7°/1°C)
View all months
Month Oslo Warsaw
Jan 29°/20°F (-1.8°/-6.8°C) 33°/24°F (0.7°/-4.4°C)
Feb 30°/20°F (-0.9°/-6.8°C) 36°/25°F (2.1°/-3.9°C)
Mar 38°/26°F (3.5°/-3.3°C) 44°/30°F (6.9°/-0.9°C)
Apr 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.8°C) 57°/38°F (13.9°/3.6°C)
May 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.5°C) 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C)
Jun 69°/51°F (20.4°/10.6°C) 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.6°C)
Jul 71°/54°F (21.5°/12.2°C) 76°/57°F (24.6°/13.7°C)
Aug 68°/52°F (20.1°/11.3°C) 75°/55°F (23.9°/13.0°C)
Sep 59°/46°F (15.1°/7.5°C) 65°/48°F (18.4°/9.0°C)
Oct 49°/39°F (9.3°/3.8°C) 55°/40°F (12.8°/4.7°C)
Nov 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.5°C) 43°/33°F (5.9°/0.5°C)
Dec 31°/22°F (-0.5°/-5.6°C) 35°/26°F (1.6°/-3.1°C)

Data: Norwegian Meteorological Institute Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Institute of Meteorology and Water Management Institute of Meteorology and Water Management

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Norway and Poland. To live, work, or study long-term in Poland, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Poland's immigration authority.

Norway passport

Norway passport holder visiting Poland

Visa Free
Norway passport holders can enter Poland without a visa.
Poland passport

Poland passport holder visiting Norway

Visa Free
Poland passport holders can enter Norway without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Poland than Norway?

Generally yes: Poland runs about 32% cheaper than Norway on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Poland?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a NOK733,695 comparable salary, that's around PLN48,162 in Poland for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Poland?

With 23.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Poland can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Norway and Poland.

Is Poland safe for expats?

Norway performs better than Poland across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Poland is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Norway.

How is healthcare in Poland compared to Norway?

Norway generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Poland leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 33.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Poland, compared to 51.7 in Norway. Poland scores 82 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Norway: 87).

What's the weather like in Poland compared to Norway?

The average high temperature in Warsaw is 55°F, compared to 49°F in Oslo. Warsaw receives around 20.9 in of rainfall per year, while Oslo gets 30.0 in.

What language do they speak in Poland?

The official language in Poland is Polish. In Norway, the official languages are Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Sami.

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At a Glance

NO PL
Population 5,553,840 38,093,101
Currency Norwegian Krone (NOK) Polish Zloty (PLN)
Languages Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Sami Polish
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +47 +48
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112