Cost of Living in Bydgoszcz, Poland

Updated On May 10, 2022

How Much Does It Cost to Live In Bydgoszcz?

Bydgoszcz is the capital city of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voidship in Poland: it is, actually, a major industrial, cultural and educational hub of the region.

This city is often underestimated as a tourist destination, but it’s actually quite interesting with gorgeous nature and many historic venues.

The city of Bydgoszcz is in the same price range as what is considered to be the average for Poland.

The most expensive aspect of living in Bydgoszcz is accommodation, and if you want to rent an apartment while on a tight budget, you’ll have to look somewhere outside of the city.

Cost of Living Index:
38.54
* Based on Research & User Data
Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

The town square in Bydgoszcz has a variety of good restaurants that are quite reasonably priced. You can eat in posh restaurants if you have the means – no doubt about it, and if you want to have a decent meal in an inexpensive restaurant, you can eat for around 5$. There’s always street food too as well as international fast food chains.

Markets

MARKETS

You can easily find healthy, non-processed, tasty and cheap food there, both in supermarkets as well as in open markets, directly from the farmers because Poland is to a large extent agriculture-strong. If you want, you can also go to one of many small stores – this way you can better support local economy.

Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

The city has a well developed bus and tram system. Public transport, in general, is very well organized and affordable for all. For example, a one-way ticket for public transport costs less than a dollar, while a monthly pass costs around 25$. Traveling from Bydgoszcz to other cities is very easy too due to this excellent organization of public transport.

Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

As far as utilities go in Bydgoszcz, your bills won’t be exactly small, but the prices are not through the roof either. It mostly depends on the size of your apartment and how much electricity you spend. Basic utilities like electricity, water, gas and garbage services in an apartment of 85m2 will cost you around 160$. During winter, the bills might go up because of the heating.

Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

Bydgoszcz is really full of family-friendly opportunities and is a good ground for social activities. There are obviously cinemas, theaters and similar facilities, but also a lot of sports grounds, places to exercise, and parks, large and small. A membership in a gym or a fitness club will cost you 25$, while a cinema ticket costs around 6$, depending on the seat and the day of the week.

Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

Bydgoszcz has many supermarkets and shopping malls, where you can buy clothes, sports equipment, books, shoes etc. Major shopping street is Gdańska street, although recently it hasn’t been as visited as usual due to competitions from shopping malls. For example, you can buy quality jeans for no less than 67$, and running sneakers of brands like Nike for over 70$.

Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

Rent is the single most expensive aspect of living in Poland, though it varies significantly, depending on where you want to live. Apartments in big cities are wanted, so don’t be shocked to see a studio for around 400$ per month. If you want to save some money, look for an apartment outside of the city, and your rent will drop to around 360$.

Cost of Living Averages Table for Bydgoszcz

*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.
Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant)$5.33
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter)$1.87
Water (0.33 Liter)$0.55
Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter)$0.77
Loaf Bread (500g)$0.80
Eggs (12)$2.27
Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket$0.80
Monthly Pass$23.98
Gasoline$1.28
Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling)$161.40
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local$0.10
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$13.65
Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$23.20
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour)$13.32
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release$6.66
Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable)$82.10
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...)$39.64
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range)$75.14
Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center$415.69
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center$335.31
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center$676.83

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Bydgoszcz?

People of Bydgoszcz spend most money on food, which is expected in most cities.

In those cities where rent is unusually high, almost the same percentage of one’s income goes on rent as it does on food, but that’s not the case here.

Namely, 10% more of one’s salary goes on food than it does on rent, but rent is definitely on the second place.

Apart from rent and food, utilities have a somewhat higher percentage than in most other countries, which means that electricity bills are higher than average.

Restaurants and transportation are also significant expenses for the people of Bydgoszcz.

Average Costs Breakdown

12.2%
32.2%
12.6%
9.7%
6.3%
4.3%
22.7%

Bydgoszcz: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

The trouble about most cities in Poland is that most people living in them earn less than what’s the average monthly salary.

For example, the average monthly net salary in Bydgoszcz is around 780$. yet most people earn only around 500$ or less, which is problematic because most of this money will get spent on food and accommodation cost.

The only way to live a comfortable life (not a luxurious one, mind you) – which means having enough for decent clothing, holidays abroad or a good car – is to have a high paying job.

In other words, for you to attain a standard of living that is easily achievable in the Western world, you need a very good job in Bydgoszcz.

Average Salary$781.65
Minimum Wage$603.2
Mortgage Interest Rate5.50%

Cost of Living by City in Bydgoszcz

CityCost of Living Index
Gdansk42.82
Gdynia41.22
Katowice37.48
Krakow (Cracow)39.53
Lodz37.13
Lublin36.12
Poznan38.99
Szczecin37.35
Warsaw42.32
Wroclaw40

Where to Next?

See these related locations:

Or, browse the country/city indexes:

Cost of Living - Country Index Cost of Living - City Index

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