Moving to Belarus from Poland

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What to Expect

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

If you moved from Poland to Belarus, you would find that Belarus is 37.5% cheaper than Poland overall. A PLN290,000 salary in Poland would need to be roughly BYN141,000 in Belarus to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Belarusian and Russian.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

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

What does your salary buy?

PLN290,000 → BYN141,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Belarus

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 30.3% less

Groceries

pay 17.4% less

Transportation

pay 43.6% less

Housing

pay 56.2% less

Childcare

pay 46.4% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 38.4% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 PLN = 0.7767 BYN (October 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.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

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

Living there in 2020
470 ↓ 2% vs 2015

people born in Poland live in Belarus · UN DESA

Who's moving to Belarus?

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

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

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

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

PL
0.8
BY
2.4
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

PL
6.5
BY
7.4

Poland performs better than Belarus across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

PL
$3,939
BY
$2,194
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

PL
40.3
BY
47.2

Belarus generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Poland leads in health coverage index.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

PL
41.0
BY
68.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

PL
7.5t
BY
5.9t

Poland generally does better on environment, though Belarus leads in co₂ emissions per capita.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

PL
25.4
BY
36.3
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

PL
32.5%
BY
4.7%

Belarus generally does better on infrastructure, though Poland leads in electricity per capita.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

PL
3.0%
BY
3.4%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

PL
$28,420
BY
$10,279

Poland generally does better on employment & economy, though Belarus leads in top income tax rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

PL
78.4 yrs
BY
74.4 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

PL
3.6
BY
1.8

Belarus generally does better on family life, though Poland leads in life expectancy.

Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Ministry of Finance, Poland (2016), Ministry for Taxes and Levies of the Republic of Belarus (2017), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

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

Avg. annual high / low

Minsk Rain: 26.7 in/yr (677 mm)
50° / 36°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Warsaw Minsk
Jan–Mar 38°/26°F (3°/-3°C) 29°/18°F (-1°/-8°C)
Apr–Jun 66°/46°F (19°/8°C) 62°/44°F (17°/7°C)
Jul–Sep 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) 68°/51°F (20°/11°C)
Oct–Dec 44°/33°F (7°/1°C) 39°/30°F (4°/-1°C)
View all months
Month Warsaw Minsk
Jan 33°/24°F (0.7°/-4.4°C) 24°/14°F (-4.2°/-9.8°C)
Feb 36°/25°F (2.1°/-3.9°C) 28°/16°F (-2.5°/-8.9°C)
Mar 44°/30°F (6.9°/-0.9°C) 36°/23°F (2.4°/-4.8°C)
Apr 57°/38°F (13.9°/3.6°C) 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.8°C)
May 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) 65°/46°F (18.4°/7.6°C)
Jun 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.6°C) 70°/52°F (21.3°/11.1°C)
Jul 76°/57°F (24.6°/13.7°C) 72°/55°F (22.3°/12.6°C)
Aug 75°/55°F (23.9°/13.0°C) 71°/53°F (21.7°/11.7°C)
Sep 65°/48°F (18.4°/9.0°C) 62°/46°F (16.5°/7.8°C)
Oct 55°/40°F (12.8°/4.7°C) 50°/38°F (9.9°/3.3°C)
Nov 43°/33°F (5.9°/0.5°C) 38°/30°F (3.1°/-1.3°C)
Dec 35°/26°F (1.6°/-3.1°C) 29°/21°F (-1.5°/-6.2°C)

Data: Institute of Meteorology and Water Management Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Republican center for hydrometeorology, control of radioactive contamination and enviromental monitoring Republican center for hydrometeorology, control of radioactive contamination and enviromental monitoring

Visitor Visa Requirements

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

Poland passport

Poland passport holder visiting Belarus

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

Belarus passport holder visiting Poland

Visa Required
Belarus passport holders need a visa to enter Poland.

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 Belarus than Poland?

Generally yes: Belarus runs about 38% cheaper than Poland on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

How much money do I need to move to Belarus?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a PLN290,000 comparable salary, that's around BYN35,250 in Belarus for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Belarus?

With 36.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Belarus can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Poland and Belarus.

Is Belarus safe for expats?

Poland performs better than Belarus across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Belarus is 2.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 in Poland.

How is healthcare in Belarus compared to Poland?

Belarus generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Poland leads in health coverage index. There are 47.2 doctors per 10,000 people in Belarus, compared to 40.3 in Poland. Belarus scores 79 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Poland: 82).

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

The average high temperature in Minsk is 50°F, compared to 55°F in Warsaw. Minsk receives around 26.7 in of rainfall per year, while Warsaw gets 20.9 in.

What language do they speak in Belarus?

The official languages in Belarus are Belarusian and Russian. In Poland, the official language is Polish.

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At a Glance

PL BY
Population 36,435,861 9,085,991
Currency Polish Zloty (PLN) New Belarusian Ruble (BYN)
Languages Polish Belarusian, Russian
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +48 +375
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112