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Cost of Living · CH vs PL

🇨🇭 Zürich vs 🇵🇱 Warsaw: what everyday life costs

Monthly essentials: $3,208 in Switzerland vs $1,039 in Poland — 67.63% cheaper.

Biggest differences

Much cheaper in Poland

  • 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -72.21%
  • 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -72.21%
  • 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -72.21%

Closest to Switzerland prices

  • 👟 Running shoes (brand): -30.64%
  • 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -30.64%
  • 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -30.67%

The full basket (32 items)

Item Switzerland Poland Diff
Housing
🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center $2,413 $671 (2,522 PLN) -72.21%
🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center $1,931 $536 (2,018 PLN) -72.21%
🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center $4,413 $1,226 (4,612 PLN) -72.21%
Food out
🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant $23.17 $8.47 (32 PLN) -63.44%
🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range $96.54 $35.30 (133 PLN) -63.43%
🍔 Fast-food combo meal $13.84 $5.54 (21 PLN) -59.97%
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1L $1.32 $0.64 (2 PLN) -51.52%
🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g $3.84 $1.85 (7 PLN) -51.82%
🥚 Eggs, dozen $4.09 $1.97 (7 PLN) -51.83%
🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg $12.02 $5.78 (22 PLN) -51.91%
🍚 White rice, 1kg $4.81 $2.31 (9 PLN) -51.98%
🍎 Apples, 1kg $5.77 $2.77 (10 PLN) -51.99%
🧀 Local cheese, 1kg $14.42 $6.94 (26 PLN) -51.87%
💧 Water, 1.5L bottle $2.40 $1.16 (4 PLN) -51.67%
Drinks
🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) $7.72 $2.82 (11 PLN) -63.47%
🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle $8.77 $6.08 (23 PLN) -30.67%
☕ Cappuccino $6.44 $2.35 (9 PLN) -63.51%
🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml $2.76 $1.33 (5 PLN) -51.81%
Transport
🚇 Public transport, monthly pass $81.77 $32.76 (123 PLN) -59.94%
🎫 Public transport, one-way $3.46 $1.39 (5 PLN) -59.83%
🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) $5.15 $1.88 (7 PLN) -63.5%
🛣️ Taxi, per km $2.32 $0.85 (3 PLN) -63.36%
⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L $1.04 $0.72 (3 PLN) -30.77%
Utilities & comms
💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment $252 $101 (379 PLN) -59.94%
🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited $88.06 $35.28 (133 PLN) -59.94%
📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data $56.61 $22.68 (85 PLN) -59.94%
Lifestyle
🏋️ Gym membership, month $64.36 $23.53 (89 PLN) -63.44%
🎬 Cinema seat $18.02 $6.59 (25 PLN) -63.43%
💈 Men's haircut $38.62 $14.12 (53 PLN) -63.44%
👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) $60.29 $41.82 (157 PLN) -30.64%
👟 Running shoes (brand) $98.65 $68.42 (257 PLN) -30.64%
💻 Coworking hot desk, month $322 $118 (443 PLN) -63.44%

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 cheaper is Poland than Switzerland?
A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,039 in Poland versus $3,208 in Switzerland — 67.63% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
What does a beer cost in Poland?
A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.82 in Poland (≈ 10.61 PLN), versus about $7.72 in Switzerland.
How much is rent in Poland compared to Switzerland?
A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $671/month in Poland versus $2,413/month in Switzerland (-72.21%). 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.