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Gdańsk vs Kraków cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇵🇱 Gdańsk
🇵🇱 Kraków
At a glance
- Where Kraków is clearly cheaper: Massage (25%↓), Restaurant dinner (23%↓), Taxi (21%↓)
- Where Gdańsk is clearly cheaper: Transit (20%↓), Entry ticket (18%↓), Convenience store (17%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Gdańsk is easier to travel (1.4 vs 1.8). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Gdańsk 1 vs Kraków 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Gdańsk | Kraków | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | zł 45$11.5 | zł 42$10.8 | Kraków −7% |
| Street food1 item | zł 25$6.41 | zł 20$5.13 | Kraków −20% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | zł 110$28.2 | zł 85$21.8 | Kraków −23% |
| Coffeeone cup | zł 17$4.36 | zł 17$4.36 | similar |
| Beerone bottle | zł 18$4.62 | zł 19$4.87 | Gdańsk −5% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | zł 35$8.97 | zł 30$7.69 | Kraków −14% |
| Bottled water | zł 3$0.77 | zł 3.5$0.9 | Gdańsk −14% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | zł 5$1.28 | zł 6$1.54 | Gdańsk −17% |
| Taxi5 km in town | zł 28$7.18 | zł 22$5.64 | Kraków −21% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | zł 15$3.85 | zł 14$3.59 | Kraków −7% |
| Transitone ride | zł 4.8$1.23 | zł 6$1.54 | Gdańsk −20% |
| Scooter rentalper day | zł 50$12.8 | zł 50$12.8 | similar |
| Hotel night3-star | zł 400$103 | zł 340$87.2 | Kraków −15% |
| Studio rent (month) | zł 3,300$846 | zł 3,200$821 | similar |
| Laundry | zł 25$6.41 | zł 25$6.41 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | zł 25$6.41 | zł 25$6.41 | similar |
| Haircutcut | zł 70$17.9 | zł 55$14.1 | Kraków −21% |
| Massage1 hour | zł 200$51.3 | zł 150$38.5 | Kraków −25% |
| Half-day tourper person | zł 150$38.5 | zł 180$46.2 | Gdańsk −17% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | zł 33$8.46 | zł 40$10.3 | Gdańsk −18% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Gdańsk or Kraków?
Kraków is 15% cheaper than Gdańsk. Daily budget $196 vs $166; a month $3,671 vs $3,117.
Which is easier to travel, Gdańsk or Kraków?
Gdańsk is easier: Gdańsk 1.4/5 vs Kraków 1.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Gdańsk and Kraków?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Gdańsk is about $3,671 and Kraków about $3,117 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.