Cost of living in Krakow

1. Tips for studying abroad in Krakow - Study abroad in Krakow
2. Cost of living in Krakow
3. How to get to Krakow - Getting to Krakow by plane, train, bus or car
4. Krakow neighborhoods - The most important districts of Krakow
5. Accommodation for students in Krakow - Top tips and advices
6. Nightlife in Krakow - Nightclub guide and going out in Krakow
7. Where to eat in Krakow - Best restaurants in Krakow
8. Polish cuisine - The gastronomy of Poland and traditional dishes
9. Public transport in Krakow - Getting around Krakow
10. Top Krakow attractions - The best things to do in Krakow
11. Day trips from Krakow - Places to visit and excursions around Krakow
12. Festivals in Krakow - Festivities and celebrations calendar
13. Krakow In 3 Days - What to see in Krakow in 3 days

Whether you’re just coming to spend a couple of days in Krakow or you’re coming to do your Erasmus exchange, remember that despite being a part of the European Union, Poland is not in the Eurozone. The currency used in Poland is “Zloty”, therefore the cost of living may seem relatively cheap for those coming from one of the Eurozone countries.

Accommodation

Accommodation prices in Krakow, in general, are rather low. You can expect to pay around 600 and 800 zloty (150 - 200 euros) for a single room around the city centre and university faculties, and about 200 zloty more (50 euros) if you are looking for something in the centre. Bills are usually not included in the price.

Food

For a meal in an affordable restaurant you’d pay around 20 to 30 zloty (5 - 7 euros). Beer normally costs 7 zloty (2 euros) and if you are going grocery shopping, be ready to spend around 50 or 60 zloty (10 - 15 euros).

Public transport

If you are planning on traveling around Krakow a lot, which would mean using public transport every day, you may want to buy yourself a transport card which costs around 15 euros per month. For more information on prices please check (Public transport section).

Mobile phone

For those who would like to buy a Polish SIM card, you should check out one of these companies: Heyah and Play. Heyah is quite good but you have to pay extra for Internet: 1GB costs 10 zl (2.50 euros) and lasts a month. Otherwise, without any add-ons, you’d pay 5-9 zl for 5 days. 10 - 19 zl for 10 days. 20 - 49 zl for 1 month.

Play is the same as Heyah, but it does include Internet. You pay 5zl for the SIM and then you just need to go back to the shop and top it up with 50 zl or less.

Save money in Krakow - Tips for living in Krakow on a student budget

For us students and people who like to save an extra penny on their meal or a night out, it’s important to know where to look for great deals. Most cities offer lots of student discounts and there are a lot of bargains, especially for those who enjoy visiting museums or want to see as much as possible. Krakow is one the best budget destinations in Europe, so if you want to save some extra money, make sure that you follow some of these tips.

Student card

If you are a student (under 26), make sure that you have your Student Card with you. There are two types of student cards that are internationally recognized: ISIC card and Euro26. With one of these two cards, you will be able to get lots of discounts on public transport, cheap cinema and museum tickets and even a cheaper beer.

Krakow Tourist Card

If you’re only going to spend two or three days in Krakow, if your family or friends are coming to visit you or if you just feel like exploring the city over the weekend, you should definitely think about getting this card. With the Krakow Tourist Card you get:

• Admission to more than 40 museums and attractions,

• Unlimited public transport,

• Other transport.

There are three different Tourist Cards that you can buy online or at any Tourist Info:

• Krakow Tourist Card - 2 days: this one costs 100 zloty (25 euros) and includes unlimited public transport, transport to and from the airport and Wieliczka Salt Mine, admission to museums and other attractions.

• Krakow Tourist Card Students - 3 days: this one costs 60 zloty (15 euros) and includes admission to museums and other attractions.

• Krakow Tourist Card - 3 days: this one costs 70 zloty (17 euros) and includes admission to museums and other attractions.

• Krakow Tourist Card - 3 days: this one costs 120 zloty (30 euros) and includes unlimited public transport, transport to and from the airport and Wieliczka Salt Mine, admission to museums and other attractions.

Public Transport Card (KKM - Krakowska Karta Miejska)

If you are staying in Poland over the weekend or for a longer period of time and you are planning on commuting by transport quite often, instead of buying a ticket each time you take a bus or a tram, you should get yourself a public transport card or one of the short-term tickets (see Ticket prices and Public transport card).

Rent a bike

Krakow is a city that is small enough in order to get everywhere on foot or by bike with the Wavelo company. There are more than 1,500 bikes and 150 stations throughout the city available to anyone who would like to use them. There are 4 payment plans available, however, unfortunately there are none if you are staying in Krakow only over the weekend and want to rent a bike.

• For 60 minutes per day you have to pay 19 zloty/month (around 5 euros) and 179 zloty/year (around 45 euros).

• For 90 minutes per day you will have to pay 24 zloty/month (around 6 euros) and 224 zloty/year (around 55 euros).

In order to start using Wavelo bikes you just have to register on their website (available in Polish and English).

Museum free admission days around Krakow

Most of the museums in Krakow have one free admission day every week. So if you are planning to visit some of them and want to save an extra zloty or two, make sure that you check out the exact days. Here’s the list of some of them:

Monday

• Schindler Museum
• Old Synagogue
• St. Wojciech Church

Tuesday

• Market Square Underground
• Jagiellonian University Museum
• MOCAK
• Polish Aviation Museum

Wednesday

• Zwierzyniecki House

Thursday and Friday

• Amber Museum

Sunday

• National Museum
• Sukiennice Museum
• Jan Matejko Museum
• Wawel Castle

Street food

If you are craving some food or just a snack but don’t know where to go, you should definitely try one of these two famous Polish specialities:

• Zapiekanka - it is made of half a baguette or another kind of long bread roll with different toppings of your choice for example cheese, mushroom, ham and of course, ketchup. You can get zapiekanka almost everywhere, but you should try the ones in the Kazimierz District or any small milkbar which also sells kebabs, burgers, etc. It’s a must and it costs only 6-10 zloty (2-3 euros)!

• Obwarzanek (also called Precel) - it’s a bagel-shaped-bread made from two pieces of dough sprinkled with poppy seeds, salt or sesame. You can get them from literally anywhere in Krakow, just look for the small wheeled cart stalls. One obwarzanek costs only 1.50 zloty (0.30 euros).

If you’re thirsty after having your zapiekanka or obwarzanek, keep in mind that water in Krakow is potable, so fill your water bottle with tap water wherever you want.

• Continue to How to get to Krakow - Getting to Krakow by plane, train, bus or car
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