Pros and Cons Of Living In Poland

Poland is in the very center of Europe. It borders Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia. It has access to the Baltic Sea from the north and the Carpathian Mountains from the south. Is it a dreamland, or a place to stay away from? Let’s explore the pros and cons of living in Poland.

Pros Of Living In Poland

Pros -Affordable Accommodation In Poland

Accommodation in Poland is cheaper than in most Western European countries. There is an extensive variety of available flats, from small studios called “kawalerka” to exclusive high-end apartments. Even after the recent price increase, rentals are affordable, especially in smaller towns.

The real estate market is well established, with online platform listing offers from all regions. And the realtors are professionals with foreign language skills.

Pros -Low Cost of Living

The cost of living in Poland is low. Grocery, clothing, furniture, and transport are often less than half the value compared to other countries in the region. To top this advantage, most of the food and products are of very good quality.  So, a family with an average earning can live off a good standard.

Pros – Good Job Opportunities

The employment opportunity in Poland ranks really well, especially in fields requiring high specialization.  Here the salary is not much lower than in other developed countries, but considering the low cost of living, one with a such job can live on very high standards.

Here are the segments offering highly paid jobs:

  • IT
  • Finance and banking
  • Architecture
  • Engineering

Pros – Poland Has Got The Most Beautiful Places To See

And this really is not an overestimation. The countryside with its views is breathtaking in all parts of the country.  The National Parks, forests, lakes, and mountains give you something to do and are close to nature, regardless of the time of the year.

Also, polish cities are must-see places. Krakow, Warsaw, Gdansk, and Zakopane are world-famous tourist destinations.  So many places that have seen the greatest world battles, castles where kings lived, and many proofs that wars did not spare this country, The same goes for smaller towns and villages hidden among the overflowing greenery.

Pros – Climate In Poland

Poland is in the temperate climate zone, and thanks to that we have all 4 seasons. In Poland, you will enjoy the snowy winters, beautiful green and blossoming springs, hot and full of warmth summer, and finally -all fall with its all-beautiful colors. Golden fall -Złota Jesnień, this is what Poles call the season of leaves falling, changing colors.

Pros – Delicious Cuisine

With all the traditional dishes, Polish food is one of the best in the world. Coming to Poland, whether it is for a visit or to relocate, you will not get bored of polish flavors. And although it might seem a bit heavy at first, you will easily get used to delicious flavors.

The most famous are:

Transportation In Poland

I would actually place this as both pros and cons of living in Poland. Do you want to know why?

Pros

Poland is a country where you don’t need a car if leaving the city. Public transportation is organized and affordable. Children, pensioners, and people with needs hold special discounts on tickets. City buses get really crowdy during rush hours, but this is something that big cities deal with all over the world.

The railway is of good standard. It is not best with sticking to the timetable, but the quality of Railway stations and wagons is good.

Also, the aviation infrastructure is high. There are 14 international airports across the country, and you can travel from Poland to nearly any place in the world.

Cons

At the same time, roads in Poland are underdeveloped, especially in the eastern part. A lot has been done to meet Western Europe standards. However, there has been a big improvement since joining the EU community, and new highways were built, so there is progress in this sector but is too slow to keep up with the expectations and needs.

So if you only move around the city or between them by public transfer it is definitely easy and straightforward. But if you are planning to move around in by car, you might find it difficult. This is why I see transport as the pros and cons of living in Poland.

Helpful People

When visiting Poland, you might experience that people on the street are serious most of the time, minding their own business, in rush and they don’t pay attention to what is going on around them. But this is just the surface. Ask anyone on the street for directions, and you will always be guided and advised on the best way to get to wherever you need.

If your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, there will always be someone who will stop and ask if everything is ok. And maybe you notice, Poles always say “goodbye” and “thank you” when getting off the bus or leaving the store.  Poles are always among the first to offer help when a catastrophe happens in another country. If you would like to learn more about Polish humanitarian help, visit Polska Akcja Humanitarna, or WOŚP.

Rich Culture And History

The culture in Poland is very rich and diverse. There is always an event worth going to, and everyone can find something interesting, from theatres, concerts, live music, exhibitions, and festivals. Some of the events are free, but even with tickets you still get world-class performances for a fraction of the price in comparison to other countries.

Studying In Poland

Polish Universities are open to foreign students, and the tuition fees are very affordable among other EU countries. Student grants and loans are also available.

Cons Of Living In Poland

Cons – Small Flats And A Hard Time Buying A Property In Poland

Flats in Poland are generally small, and it might be surprising that a whole family can live in it, however, Poles are used to it.

Another downside of accommodation in Poland is that getting a housing loan here is very difficult, to the extent that government permission needs to be obtained (with some exceptions).

Cons -Low Average Salary

This is one of the big downsides of Poland. After the difficult history and bad politics that tore the country apart more than once, Poland is still building its wealth rather than taking advantage of it. Therefore, the salaries will not impress someone from more developed countries. But considering that the cost of living is very cheap, it is not still that hard to live a good life.

Cons -Bureaucracy

Inefficient customer service and bureaucracy is the worst part of dealing with governmental issues, however, there has been a lot of improvement, especially with the young generation getting into the workforce. A load of paperwork, forms, and ques can put a foreigner off when trying to register a Company or buy a property.

Con- Poles Like To Complain A Lot!

Poles will always have a good reason to complain about. And most of the time it is the weather. It is never good. Too hot, too cold, too windy, too cloudy, too sunny. We also complain about prices, politics, kids, work, holidays, neighbors, and basically anything.

Cons – Language Barrier

Although more and more people in Poland speak English, it might be challenging to communicate in places like shops, petrol stations, and post offices. It would be best for an ex-pat planning to live in Poland to learn at least the basics of polish, it will make life much easier.

So, like all the countries there are pros and cons of living in Poland. Poland offers some things, culture, and landscapes that are hard to find anywhere else. But at the same time, there are difficulties that people must deal with on a daily basis, like bureaucracy, and difficult weather.

18 Responses

  1. Hi …Thank you for all the information. We have been travelling to Poland for over 30 yrs now .Have alway enjoyed the country. My wife’s father was polish .He came to the UK after ww11.My wife still has lots of family living in poland cousins aunties ect .We are actually moving to poland next month We have bought a house there with land .Something we have always wanted to do.
    We have both retired from work early .Really looking forward to enjoying the polish lifestyle…
    Many thanks
    Glenn …

    1. My father was Polish and we’re hoping to move to Poland ad soon as I get my citizenship. Could you explain the house buying process to me please. Thanks.

  2. All of my grandparents were from Poland. I came to Poland for the first time two years ago and visited the areas they were from. I based my nearly month long stay in Warsaw. I loved Warsaw so much that shortly after returning to the States, I bought a flat in Warsaw on the Wisła Rive. I come here three to four times a year and hopefully will spend the summers here. I have studied Polish with a private tutor for nearly three years now and it is not an easy language to learn. BUT… even the basics help for sure. Everytime I am in Poland my confidence grows. Poland is a very clean and safe country.

  3. We lived in Warsaw for 8 years from 2008-2016 and absolutely loved it. My entire family is Polish – one side from the Warsaw and surrounding areas and the other from the Rzeszow area. Unfortunately, there aren’t anymore living that I am aware of. Things definitely changed a lot from the time we arrived to the time we left – more and more English speakers, which made it difficult to practice and learn Polish because everyone wanted to practice English! We attempted a multi-cultural church so met people from all over the world and of all colors. Polish people are serious, curious, and always willing to help. I never felt unsafe even taking public transport at all hours. We did not have a car but did have a motorcycle and used friends cars periodically or rented when needed – it was very easy to get around whether in town or going to other towns. Food was inexpensive for the most part, as was clothing and most household items. As far as rent, it really depends on what you’re looking for. We lives in 2 different places over the eight years and neither was inexpensive, but my husbands work was such that we could afford it. However, it was our experience that most people could only afford a small apartment. We also had friends (from different countries) who purchased homes without a problem. The language was very difficult. We originally thought we would I’ll be there a couple years and traveled for work a lot of the time so we did not focus enough on the language. I regret it as I could have gotten dual citizenship because of family heritage but at the time I had to speak Polish fluently. That is almost impossible in just 3 years! We will definitely be back to visit friends and see parts of Poland we did not get to see while there. I miss our life there every day!!!

  4. Sorry for all my typos! I forgot to say a few things: in our experience, medical was not a problem because we paid for private insurance. There were aspects of the medical system which were very good and then some not so good. We did experience the social medical system when we first got there and were very disappointed. We also heard many many negative experiences from our Polish friends. Taxes were kind of a pain and after messing them up the first year, we hired someone to do them after that! One of my favorite things is that I got to collect a TON of Polish pottery while there – and with the exchange rates, it was fairly inexpensive to buy while there! We sure enjoyed Chopin in the Park; eating out (also pretty inexpensive); and visiting other cities to explore!

  5. We visited poland 2weeks ago and loved it so much we are thinking about moving there. What is the most common used website for property listing?
    Barbora from Slovakia

  6. Ich lebe seit 32 Jahren in Deutschland, arbeite in Modebreich in Hamburg.
    Jedesmal wenn ich nach Polen was mein Zuhause ist komme muss ich mich zusammen reißen und bin traurig wenn ich zurück fahren muss.Das Leben hier ist sehr schwer und einfach.Wenn es 3 Tage regnet Habe ich Wasser im Keller und manchmal geht das Licht aus.
    Sie heizen mit Kohle und Holz.Um warm zu bekommen muss Du erstmal Feuer machen.
    Das schönste hier ist die Einfachheit.
    Die wilde Natur und die Freude an jede Kleinigkeit.
    Ich liebe meine Familie und bin hier Zuhause.
    Das Gefühl ist unbeschreiblich schön ❤️

  7. Thank You for this article, it’s very informative. I’m Krakowian through my parents, and visited Krakow for the first time in 2023. I fell in love with the people and the city that I’m planning long term stays, and possibly renting a flat while I’m there. Krakow feels like home!

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My name is Karolina, I was born and raised in Poland. I love my homeland. Even though I’ve been to 50+ countries in the world I’ve never hesitated to make Poland my base!

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