Salary expectations in Poland

I'm on something similar after tax/zus- but also don't do much teaching at the moment - just a few companies that I've taught at for years. Plus a few private lessons for friends and their kids, for cash which isn't included in the 6000 - I don't charge much because I only do privates for people I know already. Translations are a useful extra, but some months I'm swamped with them and other months there are just a few. I have a few teachers who work for me; this makes up about a third of my taxable income - was more than that, and should be again soon :-)

I pay 1800 rent for a flat - it has three bedrooms and I sublet two to help with the rent and for company. Bills are quite low - just electricity gas and internet. Heating and water are on ryczałt and included in the rent. I don't live in centrum - that would be much more expensive for a flat this size, but here in Wola, I'm only 4 bus stops from Metro Ratusz, and walking distance to the Klif shopping centre.

Food - hard to say because I eat out a lot - shopping (including pet food) probably comes to about 1000, maybe a little less, but to my shame, I don't really keep track of it. Things like tea and coffee and non-foods etc, I buy at Makro on an invoice, since I can put these through the books.

I don't drive, so probably spend too much on taxis, but thankfully I can deduct some of these against tax.

My impression is that at small cities,villages people make about 300-400 euro per month and in big cities about 600-700 euro per month on average.Probably wages are higher in Warsaw.

This is for sure an overestimation, I can guarantee that.

In Warsaw, you are looking at 2500 zloty per month.

That's not a particularly good salary for a Pole with marketable skills and some experience, living in the capital, and much less than half the amount that an expat from a 'western' country would expect.

There are no jobs for expats unless teaching English. Most people I know get 2500zl in the capital with University degrees.

There are still plenty of expats here in Warsaw; most working in international companies or doing business. Go to the Hotel Sobieski Bar when France is playing in a rugby international, or to Jimmy Bradley's. Or walk down Nowy Świat when the expensive restaurants have tables outside and eavesdrop on some of the conversations.


I only know a few people who earn that. Most either civil servants or other state-sector employees (who often have other sources of income) or young people in their twenties working in ok-ish jobs.

Sure...it would be interesting to find out the cost/wages living in a small country town etc..

Thanks everyone who contributed I think people interested in living in Poland may have a idea of what to expect if living in Poland.

We still need more input from folks working for foreign companies and local people working for a foreign company.

One thing I forgot to mention was hours of work, are you able to work flexi hours, sick and annual leave entitlements and how much does the employer contribute to your superannuation. Penalty rates when working week end, public holiday and night shift.

Sorry but I think that a lot of what is being written on this thread is rubbish. If someone who is thinking about moving to Poland is reading this and feeling good then think again.

People who say they are earning 3000zł a month to hand and claiming this is enough in major cities are talking c**p.

OK if you are here for a year and you have no responsibilities in your life fine you might scrape by on that but if you want something more it is not nearly enough.

Trust me (someone who has tried it) from 3000zł a month you won't have any money to save and pay for all those little extras that pop up you will be counting every grosze.

You will be drinking (occasionally) in very student orientated pubs and a nice meal out will blow your budget to bits, that's before you start thinking about paying for flights back home for visits or Christmas present etc etc etc.

sorry if this sounds harsh but I invite anyone who earns 3000zł per month to tell me that they do anything more than scrape by and don't struggle

A true Expat already has a job here by definition (they're sent over here by foreign companies).

I came over here as an expat in the late '90s and was earning about 16K month nett. Plus free accomodation, transport costs etc. But that wasn't a 'true expat package'

The full deal was House in Magdalenka , school fees for your children , company car plus approx 30K USD month

Unfortunately I was one step too low on the ladder for that kind of deal, but it gives you an indication on what some of the expat deals are.

I stayed on over here after my contract finished and started working for a polish company
for a lot less money (plus last year I took a volountary 30% pay cut because of 'the crisis').

I'm an engineer, and good experienced engineers in Poland can find well paid work. Where I work a graduate mech. eng. with 2-3 years experience gets about 3K in the hand. Senior engineering managers with experience can earn approx 8 - 10K in Poland.

Experienced production managers can also earn BIG salaries.

On the down side skilled and semi- skilled workers earn a pittance 1200 - 1800 per month

Costs depend on whether you're single or you've got a family.
I live and work in a small town.

I pay about 2000 month for mortgage etc. 1500 for shopping, 500 for the car (very low annual mileage and not including depreciation) and another 600 for phone, TV and energy bills.

I don't feel that I live a particularly extravagent lifestyle, how people manage to live off the lower incomes I've no idea!

A lot of people earn more than 3000zl and if partnered they could be getting around 6000zl per month. The question is then posed is that how can people afford living in the new estate and renovated buildings around Warsaw, and who is driving all the new cars packed around Warsaw.

@ Bolek, sorry I don't get your point.

I'm simply saying that someone who say's they are earning 2000-3000zł and getting by quite nicely is misleading people.

Yeah of course people live in nice flats and drive nice cars, expats included but they earn more than that like you said so once again I don't get your point.

3000zl a month in hand is not a bad wage, a lot of people own there own houses and apartments and have no rent costs, for some people earning 6000zl a month is not enough. How many people living in England or the US are able to live the good life, they probally go out once a week and rely on there last dollar at the end of the month, no different in Poland. Some people think living in Poland is a life full of the good times, wine women and song, followed by plenty fine food, the reality is that they never had that where they had come from, why suddenly expect that in Poland?

It isn't exactly the peak of a glittering career either.


Give the number of expensive restaurants and bars etc, probably plenty.


Why emigrate and live a life full of the bad times, no wine women/men or song followed by a cheeseburger?


Some people certainly did. I was a special ed teacher in a state run secure unit, hardly hedge fund manager wages, and had a great deal more 'wine, women and song' than here.


Suddenly?

There are lots of people with a very high standard of education and experience who don't get 3000zl a month.


Sure, I'm talking about the majority of people who get average income. Lets agree that in every country there are people who enjoy the good life day in day out, but the majority struggle week by week. the percentages ary from country to country.


Well what attracts you living in Poland, I'm sure your Polish partner would jump at the chance of living elsewhere? and enjoying a better lifestyle

Sure, but a lot of people on that level of income bump it up by other sources and have the kind of fringe benefits that make it worthwhile. And though there are certainly middle-aged people with qualifications and experience who get that, especially in the state sector, they would probably consider themselves to be seriously underpaid.

Remember the nurses strike a couple of years ago when they were camped out in tents outside the Premier's residence for weeks.


"Arise ye workers from your struggle".


I've been here so long it would be a big change to move. I make enough to live well and the money is increasing slowly, I live somewhere nice, have a very good social life and am assimilated etc. Warsaw is home now, and I like it here. I originally planned to stay for a couple of years but found a partner and stayed partly because of him. We split 3 years ago after 5 years together, (he's thinking of moving to Holland at the moment, partly for money, partly for travel's sake), but I'm still here because by that stage I owned a business and was established here.

If my income fell to, say, below 4000, I'd very seriously think about moving on, if it went below 3000, you wouldn't see my arse for dust. It wouldn't be comfortable surviving in Warsaw with a reasonable quality of life at that amount.

thanks for your honest imput, mate the majority of poles struggle week by week, I must say that living in Poland you get something which money cannot buy, thats the whole secret why people like living in Poland.

This is very true. Even here in Warsaw there's something special.

Jonni it seems you are a good man, many a many people have told me you are blessed living in Poland, all those negative thoughts about Poland mean nothing, to live in poland you are truly blessed.

It's a nice place here on the whole. The income gap here is large though, especially in the provinces. Sometimes it seems there's a very primitive form of capitalism here - some people out in the sticks surviving on potato soup and others, businesspeople in large cities living a style of life so affluent it crosses a certain line and becomes very, very vulgar consumption.

PL has a low wage economy (though not so low as some of the posters here claim - GW publishes the official average salary figures each month and they should be findable on their website), but Warsaw has fairly low unemployment which forces salaries up here in the capital, and plenty of people have a second income, either from extra work or investments, often a second flat.

Old-age pensions are poor, there isn't the same sort of company superannuation as in the 'west' - just an 'otwarty fundusz' operated by private companies that you can switch some of your ZUS to. Many people's alternative to a private pension scheme is a mortgage on a second buy-to-let flat.

Excellent post, at long long last has somebody made a accurate statement about income in Poland... not forgetting that living in Poland is great because it is Poland.

Here's what I found about some prices, hope it helps
tefl.com/home/col_survey.html?ci_id=57&tefl_session=9fad1961fc581111f947e98b26b81f3d&x=1&y=1

I agree with you, if you want kids and you want to buy a house or apartment it's going to be very hard, even if you and your wife make 3000 zl a month. I am talking about Warsaw here. You need to both be making anywhere from 8000 to 10000 zloty a month if you want a decent apartment and kids here. Well I know people with law degrees and international experience and can only get offers that pay them around 2500 zl netto.

You could be as well talking about any large city in Poland.

Polish people who work in England, Germany are driving the new cars and buying new homes here.

This sounds right and how it is.

Just out of curiosity, are Poles working good jobs in the UK? I know the pay in Germany is crap for the service and labor jobs that most Poles are doing there.

yeah, that special stink in the air.

Isn't this partially due to the way that they need work permits for Germany still?

There's the wonderfully paradoxical situation in Frankfurt (O)-Slubice, where you can cross between the towns as much as you want without anyone caring, but Poles aren't free to walk into McDonalds (two minutes walk from the border crossing) and work there.

the TRUTH is that POLAND is dirt poor

property in many cities overpriced prices too high for ORDINARY PEOPLE to buy

Krakow - bubble - FACT
Warsaw - laundry money - FACT
Wroclaw - GERMANS - FACT

property will fall to 2000pln/sq by april in krakow - FACT

your just too stupid to see it right now - FACT