Cost of Student Living in Poland's Largest Cities 2026 — A Full Breakdown
Housing + food + transport + entertainment — what students really spend. Per city: Warsaw PLN 3,500/month, Kraków 3,100, Wrocław 2,900...
The question every newly admitted student asks themselves: how much does student life in Warsaw / Kraków / Wrocław really cost? A full breakdown with today's 2026 prices.
Expense categories
A student's real budget = 5 main items:
- Accommodation — rent + utilities + internet
- Food — groceries + restaurants + canteens
- Transport — a monthly pass / fuel
- Study materials — books, printing, photocopies
- Entertainment — cinema, clubs, trips, hobbies
Average costs per city 2026
Warsaw
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 2,000–2,800 |
| Food (groceries 80% + restaurants 20%) | PLN 1,000–1,400 |
| Transport (monthly student pass) | PLN 50 |
| Study materials + printing | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment (1–2× cinema, 1× club, hobbies) | PLN 300–500 |
| TOTAL | PLN 3,450–4,850 |
Kraków
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 1,800–2,500 |
| Food | PLN 900–1,300 |
| Transport | PLN 47 |
| Study materials | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment | PLN 300–500 |
| TOTAL | PLN 3,150–4,450 |
Wrocław
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 2,200–2,800 |
| Food | PLN 900–1,300 |
| Transport | PLN 47 |
| Study materials | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment | PLN 300–500 |
| TOTAL | PLN 3,550–4,750 |
Poznań
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 1,700–2,700 |
| Food | PLN 850–1,200 |
| Transport | PLN 40 |
| Study materials | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment | PLN 300–500 |
| TOTAL | PLN 2,990–4,540 |
Gdańsk
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 1,910–2,500 |
| Food | PLN 900–1,300 |
| Transport | PLN 49 |
| Study materials | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment | PLN 300–500 |
| TOTAL | PLN 3,259–4,449 |
Łódź
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 1,850–2,200 |
| Food | PLN 800–1,100 |
| Transport | PLN 42 |
| Study materials | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment | PLN 250–450 |
| TOTAL | PLN 3,042–3,892 |
Lublin
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 1,950–2,400 |
| Food | PLN 800–1,100 |
| Transport | PLN 42 |
| Study materials | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment | PLN 250–400 |
| TOTAL | PLN 3,142–4,042 |
Katowice
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 1,840–2,200 |
| Food | PLN 800–1,100 |
| Transport | PLN 35 |
| Study materials | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment | PLN 250–400 |
| TOTAL | PLN 3,025–3,835 |
Szczecin
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| PBSA dormitory (single) | PLN 1,800–2,500 |
| Food | PLN 800–1,100 |
| Transport | PLN 40 |
| Study materials | PLN 100 |
| Entertainment | PLN 250–400 |
| TOTAL | PLN 2,990–4,140 |
City ranking — cheapest first
- Łódź — from ~PLN 3,040
- Katowice — from ~PLN 3,025
- Szczecin — from ~PLN 2,990
- Poznań — from ~PLN 2,990
- Lublin — from ~PLN 3,140
- Kraków — from ~PLN 3,150
- Gdańsk — from ~PLN 3,260
- Warsaw — from ~PLN 3,450
- Wrocław — from ~PLN 3,550
The cheapest cities: Łódź / Katowice / Szczecin / Poznań (a difference of ~PLN 50–200/month at the minimum).
The most expensive: Warsaw / Wrocław.
How to cut your cost of living
1. Choose a Twin Studio (shared). The difference vs a Single Studio = PLN 300–800/month.
2. Cook for yourself. Groceries on your own, restaurants kept to a minimum. Savings of PLN 200–400/month.
3. A period / student pass. A 50% discount for students. An annual pass = savings vs single tickets.
4. Books from university libraries. Most textbooks are available for free.
5. City entertainment instead of commercial. Student cinemas (Multikino student ticket ~PLN 15), themed clubs, festivals.
6. A student card. Discounts at restaurants, shops, and museums (sometimes 30–50%).
A realistic "comfort" budget
For a student who doesn't want to scrimp:
- Premium Single Studio — PLN 2,800–3,400
- Mixed food (50/50 groceries/restaurants) — PLN 1,400–1,800
- Occasional Uber/Bolt transport — PLN 100–200 extra
- Entertainment — PLN 500–800
Total comfort: PLN 5,000–6,500/month in Warsaw / Kraków.
Work and student life
The average hourly rate for student part-time work in Poland in 2026:
- Restaurants/bars: PLN 18–25/h
- Call centre: PLN 22–28/h
- Junior IT / internship: PLN 30–50/h
- Tutoring: PLN 50–100/h
Working 80 hours a month (20h/week) at PLN 25/h = PLN 2,000/month. That's enough to cover the minimum cost of living in Łódź/Katowice, but not in Warsaw/Wrocław.
Conclusion
The real cost of student living in Polish cities in 2026: PLN 3,000–4,500/month (minimum to mid-range) or PLN 5,000–6,500/month (comfort).
A PBSA dormitory is the largest part of the budget (50–70% of spending). Your choice of operator and room type determines whether you land at PLN 3,000 or PLN 5,000.
Smaller cities (Łódź, Katowice, Szczecin) are about 15–25% cheaper than Warsaw / Wrocław — worth considering if your course is offered there.
