Cost of Living · PL vs ES
🇵🇱 Warsaw vs 🇪🇸 Barcelona: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,039 in Poland vs $1,382 in Spain — 33.04% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Spain
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 9.72%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 9.8%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 9.82%
Closest to Poland prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +38.8%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +38.8%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +38.8%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Poland | Spain | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $671 | $931 (860 EUR) | +38.8% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $536 | $745 (688 EUR) | +38.8% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,226 | $1,702 (1,573 EUR) | +38.8% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.47 | $10.96 (10 EUR) | +29.4% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $35.30 | $45.67 (42 EUR) | +29.38% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $5.54 | $7.01 (6 EUR) | +26.53% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.64 | $0.77 (1 EUR) | +20.31% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.85 | $2.23 (2 EUR) | +20.54% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.97 | $2.37 (2 EUR) | +20.3% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.78 | $6.97 (6 EUR) | +20.59% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.31 | $2.79 (3 EUR) | +20.78% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.77 | $3.35 (3 EUR) | +20.94% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $6.94 | $8.37 (8 EUR) | +20.61% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.16 | $1.39 (1 EUR) | +19.83% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.82 | $3.65 (3 EUR) | +29.43% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.08 | $6.68 (6 EUR) | +9.87% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.35 | $3.04 (3 EUR) | +29.36% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.33 | $1.60 (1 EUR) | +20.3% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $32.76 | $41.41 (38 EUR) | +26.4% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.39 | $1.75 (2 EUR) | +25.9% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.88 | $2.44 (2 EUR) | +29.79% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.85 | $1.10 (1 EUR) | +29.41% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.72 | $0.79 (1 EUR) | +9.72% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $101 | $127 (118 EUR) | +26.39% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $35.28 | $44.59 (41 EUR) | +26.39% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $22.68 | $28.67 (26 EUR) | +26.41% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $23.53 | $30.45 (28 EUR) | +29.41% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $6.59 | $8.52 (8 EUR) | +29.29% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $14.12 | $18.27 (17 EUR) | +29.39% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $41.82 | $45.92 (42 EUR) | +9.8% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $68.42 | $75.14 (69 EUR) | +9.82% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $118 | $152 (141 EUR) | +29.38% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Spain than Poland?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,382 in Spain versus $1,039 in Poland — 33.04% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Spain?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.65 in Spain (≈ 3.37 EUR), versus about $2.82 in Poland.
- How much is rent in Spain compared to Poland?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $931/month in Spain versus $671/month in Poland (+38.8%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.