✦ Compare
Vienna vs
Warsaw
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Vienna, AT vs Warsaw, PL at a glance — Warsaw, PL is 25% cheaper than Vienna, AT overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $900/mo versus $1,150/mo. Top income tax: 32% vs 55%.
To keep the same standard of living in Warsaw, PL, you'd need
$55,911 / year
Warsaw, PL is 25% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Warsaw, PL vs Vienna, AT)
- Housing-31%
- Food & groceries-26%
- Transport-21%
- Utilities-9%
- Healthcare-19%
- Goods & services-26%
◎ How Vienna, AT and Warsaw, PL compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Vienna, AT | Warsaw, PL | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 97 | 72 |
| Housing | 105 | 72 |
| Food | 95 | 70 |
| Transport | 70 | 55 |
| Utilities | 110 | 100 |
| Healthcare | 80 | 65 |
| Goods & services | 100 | 74 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,150/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $850/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,200/mo | $1,700/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $8,500 | $4,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,035 | $1,388 |
| Inexpensive meal | $15 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | $55 | $30 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 55% | 32% |
| VAT / sales tax | 20% | 23% |
| Corporate tax | 23% | 19% |
| Capital gains | 27.5% | 19% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,400/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $78,301✓ | $49,074✓ |
| Minimum wage | — | $1,297/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $56,505✓ | $28,420✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3%✓ | 3.8%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 50 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 80 | 67 |
| Safety index | 78 | 68 |
| Healthcare index | 88 | 72 |
| Pollution index | 30 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 180 Mbps | 150 Mbps |
| Walkability | 85 | 80 |
| Public transport | 90 | 82 |
| Family-friendly | 80 | 68 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 82 yr✓ | 78 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +1 °C | -2 °C |
| July avg | +20 °C | +19 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 190 | 90 |
| Rainfall / year | 620 mm | 550 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1.5 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Austria vs Poland. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Vienna vs Warsaw — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Vienna
Imperial grandeur, coffee-house culture and famously the world's most liveable city year after year — world-class public transport and healthcare, at rents below most Western-European capitals.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 180 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 78/100
- Climate
- ❄ 1°C · ☀ 20°C · 190 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Neubau · Leopoldstadt · Mariahilf · Josefstadt
Good to know before you move to Warsaw
Central Europe's fastest-rising business hub — modern, safe and affordable, with cold winters.
- Currency
- Polish złoty (zł PLN)
- Languages
- Polish
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 68/100
- Climate
- ❄ -2°C · ☀ 19°C · 90 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- E · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Śródmieście · Praga · Mokotów
Plan your move to Vienna
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Warsaw
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Vienna to Warsaw: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Vienna to Warsaw, your cost of living will be roughly 25% cheaper. Warsaw’s cost-of-living index is 72 versus 97 for Vienna (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Vienna cheaper than Warsaw?
Warsaw is about 25% cheaper than Vienna overall — its cost-of-living index is 72 versus 97 for Vienna.
Which is more expensive, Vienna or Warsaw?
Vienna is more expensive than Warsaw. Its cost-of-living index is 97 vs 72 (US = 100) — about 35% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Vienna or Warsaw?
Rent is cheaper in Warsaw — about $900/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,150 in Vienna.
How much do you need to earn in Warsaw to live like in Vienna?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Vienna is worth about $55,911 in Warsaw. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Vienna or Warsaw?
Poland has the lower top income-tax rate — 32% versus 55% in Austria.
◷ More comparisons from Vienna
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.