Cost of living in Katowice, Poland

Hello guys,

I am moving to Poland at Katowice city in IBM. What is the Cost of living in Katowice for a couple ?

We need only 1 room studio apartment. Thanks!

If you use the forum's search function you will find there is already a lot of information about this e.g:

https://polishforums.com/work/living-katowice-programmer-pln-enough-68348/

That is helpful. Thank you Pam! :)

Hi ..

Are you from IBM ? I heard you are moving from IBM ? Even am moving i have sent request on linkedin please accept need your help please.....

Hello,

I am also planning to move to IBM poland...please help me to findout the same. I am from India

one thing thats a bit weird for me is setting up these shared service centres in Poland and then staffing them with Indians. Why not just build them in India in the first place? is there some kind of tax break or other business reason for doing that ?

- different time zone
- sometimes servers should stay in EU, because of the law
- easier access to people speaking European languages in Poland. it can be cheaper to bring few IT people to Poland, than multilingual IT staff to India

- tax incentives for investments
- salaries are not much higher in Poland comparing to India ( 2 x higher ? What do you think rajeshwas? )
- lower cultural differences between Poland and western countries
- IBM will have bigger chance, when competing for public projects, as an investor
- cheaper and faster travel costs to European cities
- it's apparently easy to employ Indians in Poland

Merged: 9000 PLN Gross for couple in Katowice

Hello,

Is 9000 PLN gross enough for a couple in Katowice?

Thanks a lot in advance.

Enough for them to do what?

Have you checked older posts?

Thanks Monitor and Harry for your answers.

I asked this because I have read many different opinions and got confussed.

Doing my math, this is an estimate of what I think will be my monthly expenses for me and my wife:

Expense Cost PLN
Food 500
Public transport 252
Rent 1200
Internet+TV 55
Cell plan x 2 114
Misc 300
Housing Services 400

Is my math OK?

By the way... I'm Venezuelan and I've heard about racism, but I read on some posts that this is only seen in some zones over Katowice.

Thanks a lot to everyone.

Greetings.

Is that for one person or for you both?

For both of us... Is this OK?

What about the other expenses?

Thanks JollyRomek

That means 250 each per month or 62.50 per week. I would say that it is possible, but you may want to take up some good medical cover to visit the doctor more frequently. With 250 zloty per month, you won't be getting much of the essentials your body needs. Of course it will be enough for Tesco Spaghetti with Ketchup every day.

I would at least calculate 500 zloty each per month for food and even that would still be very little.

In your 1200 for rent, is electricity and other bills included already? Or are those bills the 400 "Housing costs"?

At least 1800 for a decent place in a reasonable area.


More like double that.


If that is supposed to include clothes, entertainment and medical expenses, you are in for a massive shock. I see you don't believe in taking holidays for a start.

This includes services???


I'll working with IBM, so they'll cover my wife and I with medical and life insurance... so 300 zloty will be ok?


The housing costs are electricity, water, heating, etc.

For rent, administration charges (cleaning common areas, roof and pipe maintenance, etc), electricity, water, hot water, heating, gas and electricity for a decent flat in an area where there's a good chance you won't get hassle for not being white, you won't get a lot of change out of 2,000zl per month. Add on another hundred for internet and TV.


Private health care or Polish state care? Polish state care will be close to impossible to use without a Polish speaker on hand. Private will run to 300zl per month for a basic package for you and your wife.


I sure as hell wouldn't want to try it. 300zl is a three course meal in a fairly good restaurant with their cheapest bottle of wine and a taxi home afterwards. But you want that to be your entire budget for entertainment, clothes, medical etc?! A decent pair of winter boots will cost you 600zl and your wife will go through at least one pair every two winters. A decent winter coat is also 600zl and will last about the same time. So you're spending between you 1,200zl per year on just winter boots and coats: that is a third of your annual entertainment, clothes, medical etc budget gone. Want to go away for a weekend somewhere like Wroclaw? Train there and back will be 300zl for the two of you, two nights in a basic hotel 300zl more, three fairly basic meals for two another 100zl per day so 200zl in total: that's 1,000zl gone.

Hi Harry,

Thanks for your wide explanation.

About healthcare:


It will be Private Health Care... This insurance is paid by me or by IBM?

Thanks again for everybody for your kind help.

Regards.

That's going to be a question for your prospective boss.

You also need to ask what basis you'll be employed. If you're an employee, 9,000zl gross will net you about 6,000zl. However, if you are officially self-employed, your tax rate goes down to 19% (less deductions, such as half your rent) and for the first two years you pay only 250zl ZUS (national insurance), meaning you'd have a bit more than 7,000zl per month in your pocket.

If part of your benefits package states "Medical care" then it is covered by IBM and most likely to be either Medicover, Luxmed etc.

If you are Venezuelan then this option is unavailable for you.

Have you already compared prices here?
numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?country1=Venezuela&country2=Poland&city1=Caracas&city2=Katowice


and average salary in Katowice is double than in Caracas.
Is it true?

As for medical insurance, the public is obligatory and payed from your gross salary. So when you read above that will get 6000zł net, then it's after paying for public insurer. But it's true that not many people speak English there, so you will need a good friend to help you or just pay some student pocket money whenever you are in hospital to translate you. IBM will probably cover costs of private health insurance too. Big corporations usually do that.

Your figures are way off

Double that for food.
Transport is about right, a tram/bus pass for a month is 110zl per month
Rent: you'll find places for that price, but a word of advice, avoid Załęże & Zawodzie and places around there, they are hell holes. You'd be better off in the city centre or in a place called Tysiąclecia

Internet, As Harry said, double it at least. If you want faster internet add even more. My Internet alone is 120zl, but I require all the bells and whistles for my work.

Cell plan, you'd be better off with credit phones for the first while. No cell company will give you a contract until you're lived here for 3 months.

9000zl is decent for 2 people, it's not great but you can certainly live on it. You won't save a ton of money and you won't be living the high life. TBH, I don't think I'd move so far to live on money that you could make in 1 or 2 weeks in London/Dublin/Paris/Madrid for the same job.

Regarding racism. You're South American, you'll be fine. For some reason, Africans are the target. It is getting better though.

If you won't be lucky to live in a building with access to local network provided and you need cable internet, then the cheapest country wide offer is 80zł (50zł internet + 30zł fixed for the line) for 10Mbit/s with 2 years agreement. For 10zł more you can get 80Mbit/s.

orange.pl/kid,4002009501,id,4002235565,title,Neostrada,article.html

Offers from local providers start from 40 - 50zł. Mobile internet 25 GB costs also 50zł in case that's enough for you. Public TV costs 63,70zł per year per apartment (kind of tax).

Oh good lord, are you living in the Stone Age! :D

Just did a speed test and I've got 48Mbps
And to be honest I could do with more, that's just the work I'm involved in though. Need huge bandwidth for uploading.

Problem though with getting an internet contract is many companies don't want to sign a contract with a person until they've lived here for a few months.

which company for example?

Orange wouldn't give me a contract until I had been living here 3 months, the same with UPC.

It's pretty standard though, I worked for Carphone W. many years ago and it was the same with them regarding foreigners.

Hello to everybody,

I'm very grateful for your kind answers guys... now, I have more doubts that I'd like to clear:

Monitor:


Yes, it's true... here in Venezuela we live under a dictatorship that is disguised as a democracy... government has full control of USD and nobody can use it freely... When we're going for a trip outside the country, we must ask for permission and also, we have limits on our credit cards so, we can't spend more than the governments states... if I convert my monthly salary to USD, I earn $140.... it's very awful what we are living on our country and the people doesn't do anything to change the situation...


Public TV has international channels? I was wondering if I could get access to western channels that I can understand, because I don't understand polish already xD.

Smurf:


I was looking Tysiąclecia and it seems like a nice place to live... kindly can you recommend me other places near the city centre?

Finally, I have more questions of my own If you all can help me:

- Can you tell me how many Zlotys should a couple spend montly for health and body products (shampoo, soap, etc.)
- Is there work opportunities to spanish speaker people on Katowice?

I really appreciate all your help on this, thanks a lot.

Regards

Merged: Katowice - Informations about living in city for foreigners

Hi all,

I'll move to Katowice in the next months to work and live with my wife (without kids).

I did researches about Katowice and now I have some doubts and I need help. My doubts are basically about living in the city.

1. What are the best areas to rent apartment and live in Katowice?

2. I am looking for apartments, however I have preference to live in a house (but at begin is my second choose). Where are the best areas of Katowice to find house to rent?

3. We have a dog (small Yorkshire) and how is the acceptance of dogs in the city and from landlords?

4. How is the public transport in Katowice, for two adults is necessary to have car?

5. How is the security of city in general? Some areas I should be avoided or is it not necessary this kind of worry in Katowice?

6. How easy/difficult is it to live in Katowice without being able to speak Polish? (I speak just basic sentences to have respect on approach).

7. Are there English speaking doctors/hospitals in Katowice?

1. Brynow/Ligota

2. As above

3. We have a dog (small Yorkshire)....

Not a problem with such a dog. DO NOT put your phone number on the dog's collar. The Yorkshire terrier is number one for dog thieves (no idea why!)

4. A car in Katowice is a must - your life will be a misery on public transport (conurbation very spread out)

5. How is the security of city in general? Some areas I should be avoided or is it not necessary this kind of worry in Katowice?

Zero problems, if you're a hard dude like me:)

6. How easy/difficult is it to live in Katowice without being able to speak Polish?
Ah.... depends..... Bureaucrats in Katowice do not (or refuse to) speak English. Make a start on Polish for business now.

7. Medicover is your friend

@Dougpol1

Thank you for all answers.


Serious?! Thank you for that.


LOL. I was thinking on my wife =)


I will have private healthcare from company and I believe it will work with Medicover =)