Based on 2026 cost of living data, here's how much you need to earn (before tax) in Old Town (Stare Miasto), Krakow, Poland — from bare minimum to living well.
Sponsored
Send money internationally at the real exchange rate. Save up to 6x vs traditional banks.
Try Wise for Free →We start with actual monthly costs in Old Town (Stare Miasto), Krakow: rent for a 1-bedroom apartment, groceries, utilities, transport, and healthcare. For the "comfortable" tier, we apply the 50/30/20 rule — your essentials should be 50% of take-home pay, leaving 30% for wants and 20% for savings.
We then reverse-calculate the gross (pre-tax) salary you'd need, using Poland's progressive tax brackets and mandatory deductions. All figures are in PLN for 2026.
To live comfortably in Old Town (Stare Miasto), Krakow in 2026, you need a gross annual salary of approximately zł 162,767. This covers rent, groceries, utilities, transport, healthcare, and leaves 30% for wants and 20% for savings (50/30/20 rule). The minimum to get by is zł 73,204.
Monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Old Town (Stare Miasto), Krakow is approximately zł 2,757. Essential monthly expenses (groceries, utilities, transport, healthcare) add roughly zł 2,075. The effective tax rate is 28.8%.
zł 73,204 is the bare minimum salary to get by in Old Town (Stare Miasto), Krakow — it covers rent and essential expenses with very little left over. For a comfortable lifestyle with savings, you'd want at least zł 162,767.
See what your current salary is worth in Krakow — or any other city.
Open Salary Converter →