We spent two weeks traveling through Poland in August 2019. Overall, we found the country to be very affordable. We visited Poland’s major three cities (Krakow, Gdańsk and Warsaw) with day trips, as well as some smaller towns in between (Wrocław and Toruń). Gdańsk was the most expensive city we visited; it’s located on the Baltic coast, and coastal destinations tend to be more expensive, so this was to be expected. For a detailed breakdown of every zloty we spent in Poland, continue reading.
Poland: $2,351.24
Transportation: $164.91
Most of this amount was train or bus travel between the different cities we stayed in. For example, our train from Krakow to Wrocław to $25.53 for both of us, and our train from Gdańsk to Warsaw was $45.72. We also took some shorter train rides for day trips, including from Krakow to the Wieliczka Salt Mines and from Gdańsk to Malbork Castle and Sopot. Average: $11.78/day.
Lodging: $808.90
Oh man. Our hostel room in Gdańsk really upped our accommodations spending in Poland. We didn’t book a room until we were on our way to Gdańsk, and we didn’t realize there was a festival going on, so private rooms were very hard to come by. We ended up paying $111/night for a private room with a shared bathroom. If it weren’t for this room, our lodging in Poland would have averaged closer to $36/night (all our other rooms cost between $27 – $40/night). Average: $57.78/night.
Eating out: $590.98
We usually ate out for three meals a day in Poland, including big American-style breakfasts on occasion. You can find pretty much any cuisine you can imagine in Poland’s biggest cities, and you can find restaurants at any price point. For affordable meals out, visit a bar mleczny (“milk bar”): a cafeteria-style eatery with good prices and hearty food, commonly found throughout Poland. The above picture is our lunch from a milk bar in Warsaw. Average: $42.21/day.
Treats: $212.83
Beginning in Poland, I started tracking our “treats” (coffee, dessert, alcohol) separately because I was curious how much those items were affecting our food budget. I only track “treats” separately if they were ordered separately from a meal (i.e. if we visited a coffee shop but didn’t get breakfast, or if we went to a bar just for drinks or stopped for ice cream on the street). Any alcohol or coffee enjoyed with a meal is still included in our “eating out” budget above. Our “treats” in Poland usually totaled less than $10/day, but we did treat ourselves to two alcohol splurges in Poland (a bottle of champagne in Sopot and a whiskey flight in Warsaw) that drove the overall average up a bit. Average: $15.20.
Groceries/household items: $54.30
Most of this was bus/train snacks and breakfast items from local grocery stores. Average: $3.88/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $419.11
We did quite a few paid activities in Poland. There is so much to see! In addition to our typical free walking tours (which we joined in Krakow, Wrocław, Gdańsk and Warsaw), we splurged on a food tour in Krakow ($66.21/person) and also made day trips to Auschwitz-Birkenau ($51.59/person for transport and guided tour) and Wieliczka Salt Mines ($25.85/person for guided tour). While staying in Gdańsk, we visited Malbork Castle ($11.69/person–a great value for the impressive audioguide) and the Museum of the Second World War ($7.27/person). Finally, we attended a Chopin piano concert in Warsaw ($15.60/person). Average: $29.94/day.
Gifts & souvenirs: $2.56
Postcards and stamps. Average: $0.18/day.
Travel insurance: $86.66
We have travel insurance through World Nomads for $6.19/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.
Other: $10.99
This category covers all miscellaneous costs, including public bathrooms or when we lose money on a currency exchange. (We really do track every cent we spend!) Average: $0.78/day.
Total: $167.94/day = $83.97/person* per day
*Did you know we have a new page on the blog completely dedicated to Money & Budgeting? Check it out! We also list our country-specific costs on this page, but those numbers might differ a bit from the numbers shown here. The numbers in our detailed budgeting posts (like this one) are a true reflection of what we personally spent on our trip. The numbers on the Money & Budgeting page are meant to reflect what a typical tourist traveling at our comfort level can expect to spend.
Of course, you can always spend far less (or far more) than the numbers listed here or on our Money & Budgeting page. These figures are provided as a loose guide to help you plan travels within your budget range.
Featured image: The Great Armoury in Gdańsk
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