Moving to Netherlands from Poland

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What to Expect

Everything you need to know before relocating from Poland to Netherlands — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.

If you moved from Poland to Netherlands, you would find that Netherlands is 82.3% more expensive than Poland overall. A PLN290,000 salary in Poland would need to be roughly €120,000 in Netherlands to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Dutch.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

What to expect for your wallet after moving from Poland to Netherlands.

What does your salary buy?

PLN290,000 → €120,000

To maintain the same standard of living in Netherlands

Calculate with your salary →

Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day

Restaurants

pay 90.8% more

Groceries

pay 67.0% more

Transportation

pay 86.2% more

Housing

pay 98.3% more

Childcare

pay 2.6 times more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 61.0% more

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 PLN = 0.2279 EUR (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.

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 Netherlands cost about 58% more than cities in Poland.

Netherlands

Rotterdam 68%
Arnhem 63%

Compare cities head-to-head

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

How many people actually move from Poland to Netherlands, based on official data.

Moved in 2023
25,298 ↓ 4% vs 2022

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

Who's moving to Netherlands?

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

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Poland to Netherlands.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2023

per 100,000 people per year

PL
0.8
NL
0.7
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

PL
6.5
NL
3.4

Netherlands performs significantly better than Poland across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

PL
$3,939
NL
$8,195
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2023

affects wait times and access to care

PL
40.3
NL
38.8

Netherlands 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

PL
41.0
NL
13.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

PL
7.5t
NL
6.6t

Netherlands performs significantly better than Poland across all environment metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

PL
25.4
NL
43.0
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

PL
32.5%
NL
16.7%

Netherlands performs significantly better than Poland across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

PL
3.0%
NL
3.9%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

PL
$28,420
NL
$73,684

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

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

PL
78.4 yrs
NL
82.0 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

PL
3.6
NL
3.4

Netherlands performs significantly better than Poland across all family life metrics.

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Ministry of Finance, Poland (2016), Tax and Customs Administration - Belastingdienst (2016). 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

Amsterdam Rain: 30.7 in/yr (780 mm)
56° / 43°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Warsaw Amsterdam
Jan–Mar 38°/26°F (3°/-3°C) 45°/34°F (7°/1°C)
Apr–Jun 66°/46°F (19°/8°C) 61°/45°F (16°/7°C)
Jul–Sep 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) 69°/53°F (21°/12°C)
Oct–Dec 44°/33°F (7°/1°C) 50°/40°F (10°/4°C)
View all months
Month Warsaw Amsterdam
Jan 33°/24°F (0.7°/-4.4°C) 42°/33°F (5.4°/0.5°C)
Feb 36°/25°F (2.1°/-3.9°C) 43°/32°F (6.0°/0.2°C)
Mar 44°/30°F (6.9°/-0.9°C) 49°/36°F (9.2°/2.4°C)
Apr 57°/38°F (13.9°/3.6°C) 54°/39°F (12.4°/4.0°C)
May 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) 63°/46°F (17.1°/7.8°C)
Jun 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.6°C) 67°/51°F (19.2°/10.4°C)
Jul 76°/57°F (24.6°/13.7°C) 71°/54°F (21.4°/12.5°C)
Aug 75°/55°F (23.9°/13.0°C) 71°/54°F (21.8°/12.3°C)
Sep 65°/48°F (18.4°/9.0°C) 65°/50°F (18.4°/10.2°C)
Oct 55°/40°F (12.8°/4.7°C) 57°/45°F (14.1°/7.0°C)
Nov 43°/33°F (5.9°/0.5°C) 49°/39°F (9.2°/3.9°C)
Dec 35°/26°F (1.6°/-3.1°C) 44°/35°F (6.5°/1.9°C)

Data: Institute of Meteorology and Water Management Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

Visitor Visa Requirements

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

Poland passport

Poland passport holder visiting Netherlands

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

Netherlands passport holder visiting Poland

Visa Free
Netherlands passport holders can enter Poland 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 Netherlands than Poland?

No — Netherlands is on average about 82% more expensive than Poland. City-level variation matters.

How much money do I need to move to Netherlands?

Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly €30,000 in Netherlands on a PLN290,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).

Can I work remotely from Netherlands?

Internet is rarely the blocker — Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.

Is Netherlands safe for expats?

Netherlands performs significantly better than Poland across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Netherlands is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.8 in Poland.

How is healthcare in Netherlands compared to Poland?

Netherlands generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Poland leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Netherlands, compared to 40.3 in Poland. Netherlands scores 85 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Poland: 82).

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

The average high temperature in Amsterdam is 56°F, compared to 55°F in Warsaw. Amsterdam receives around 30.7 in of rainfall per year, while Warsaw gets 20.9 in.

What language do they speak in Netherlands?

The official language in Netherlands is Dutch. In Poland, the official language is Polish.

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At a Glance

PL NL
Population 36,435,861 18,087,633
Currency Polish Zloty (PLN) Euro (€)
Languages Polish Dutch
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +48 +31
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112