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Poland is doable if you stay out of major cities. You can rent a studio for $300 (incl. all utilities). Food, if you cook, will cost you $200-$250 ($300-$400 if

Poland is doable if you stay out of major cities. You can rent a studio for $300 (incl. all utilities). Food, if you cook, will cost you $200-$250 ($300-$400 if you don't cook and want to eat out only). Wired Internet and cell phone will be around $20. State-provided health insurance is about $120 per month (this is "socialized medicine", so it provides everything with no deducible, up to treating cancer etc.), but can possibly be gamed - there are loopholes that de facto allow you to pay insurance only once you need it (may be too hard to navigate for someone who's not a native speaker though). Btw the health insurance is "free" if you get any kind of job, even working couple hours a week. Also, Poland should be a great place to actually run your game studio company from, as the tax on "IT innovation" (should not be hard to include games in this category) is only 6% - everything after that ends up in your pocket (i.e. no further dividend tax etc is required). Assuming you won't be getting a car, public transit and Uber/taxis are affordable as well - a 5 km trip via Uber should perhaps be around $4. I suspect other countries in the region should have similar numbers. Healthcare system and tax incentives should definitely be the biggest differentiator.

vorpalhex 5y ago
Is car ownership pretty affordable overall? (Insurance, fees, etc)
- burntoutfire 5y ago
  Yes, very affordable. Yearly mandatory insurance, without any discounts for crash-free driving (as I doubt they'd honor insurance histories from foreign countries), is perhaps about $300. Mandatory yearly checkups are $30. Cars themselves are a bit pricier than in US - mostly due to VAT being higher than US's sales tax I guess. But, maintenance is way cheaper - there's plenty of cheap and skilled mechanics who will improvise fixes using scavenged second-hard parts (which they themselves will provide). Rebuilding an engine will cost you perhaps under $400 in labor, while I suspect it's in thousands of dollars in US. Gas is currently $5.5 per gallon. Most people drive cars with low fuel consumption, so they're easy to get on second-hand market. Also, if one is particularly stingy about fuel costs, it's popular to own cars fueled by LPG. LPG is currently $2.5 per gallon.
  - xkqd 5y ago
    > if one is particularly stingy about fuel costs, it's popular to own cars fueled by LPG. I’ll add that it’s been popular for the last decade, up to 15 years. So don’t think it’s going anywhere, anytime soon!
- kolinko 5y ago
  It is, but you don't really need a car. Public transport and Uber/Taxis work very well in most cities. Most of my friends don't have cars, around half doesn't have a driver's license. They can afford a car easily, but just don't see a need.
rich_sasha 5y ago
As a Pole myself, I’d add two things: it is generally a lovely country, lots of beautiful countryside etc. Less “spectacular”, more “cozy” etc. People are a bit uncertain of new things (eg foreigners in a new town) but generally warm and helpful eventually. That said, I’d you’re not white and straight, small towns could be very unwelcoming, from people staring, to telling you to go, to physical violence. Rare but true.
- peakaboo 5y ago
  I find myself thinking the last part sounds great, well aware of how unacceptable that opinion is today. Its interesting how people think it makes you an evil person to want a more homogenous society instead of the multicultural one.
  - makeworld 5y ago
    >very unwelcoming, physical violence >"I think that sounds great!" >"Oh no why do people think I'm an evil person"
- bruceb 5y ago
  non pole here, knew a guy who wasn't white or European, not living in biggest cities, loved it there. sure its safer than many places.
  - rich_sasha 5y ago
    Well I love it, and many places and people will give non-white non-straight people no issues. But hand on heart can I say to someone outside that narrow blueprint it’s definitely fine? Nope.
    - fhood 5y ago
      Haven't been, so I wonder how it compares with rural US, where, at least in some of the places I've been, people are quite intolerant in abstract, but almost universally friendly in person.
pzduniak 5y ago
That 6% tax is... complicated. Bug fixes are not innovation IIRC - I just end up paying 19%, which isn't that much anyways.
- deleted 5y ago
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- tomwojcik 5y ago
  Exactly, its almost impossible to use the R&D tax relief. Also, starting with 2021, we will pay more than 19% in taxes but the gov cant make up their mind on the changes so we dont know the details yet.
wtk 5y ago
regarding that 6% tax for innovation in IT - be warned, our governing idiot party is about to introduce a bunch of new laws, including a de facto increase of that 19% to 28%.
hdjjhhvvhga 5y ago
> should not be hard to include games in this category You better put aside the remaining 13% for 5 years, just in case the inevitable happens.
bingohbangoh 5y ago
It should be said that you will need to make some effort to learn the local language. People will know enough English for you to get by, but it will feel very isolating. Learning just a little bit of Polish will make a world of difference, especially if you need to talk with a plumber or doctor (they're very unlikely to know much English).
- bobthechef 5y ago
  Doctors?
  - randycupertino 5y ago
    Generally most people over ~35-40yo won't speak English as it wasn't added to school curriculum until after the fall of the Soviet block.
    - pelasaco 5y ago
      People over ~50-60yo maybe. 35-40 yo, spent not more than 10 years under Soviet control. Add to that, that Poles live quite often abroad and a lot of them spent years in Ireland/UK. We have even numbers to support that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-s... ... Poland in the top 20.
      - isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago
        There's ability to speak English, and willingness to speak English in a professional setting - a doctor with no professional training might refuse to use English just in case they misunderstand something. Same with officials (who if they knew English well in the first place, would work in a corporation of some sort).
mathgenius 5y ago
I'm an Australian in Krakow & I'd recommend it. Plenty of people understand English, and it's a small enough city that the vibe is fairly relaxed. Places like this will help with a visa for a more extended stay so you can run your "startup": https://twojstartup.pl/ https://twojstartup.pl/
randycupertino 5y ago
I would also add that air pollution is something to consider regarding living in Poland long term: https://notesfrompoland.com/2020/11/25/poland-has-eus-worst-air-pollution-shows-new-report/ https://notesfrompoland.com/2020/11/25/poland-has-eus-worst-... https://www.sustainability-times.com/clean-cities/battling-the-scourge-of-air-pollution-in-poland/ https://www.sustainability-times.com/clean-cities/battling-t... Also, if OP enjoys smoking pot, that might be an issue as per family who lives there it will be a big change vs coming from California. Personally when traveling in Krakow and Warsaw I've found more racism against brown people lately vs 10 years ago... random cabbies and bartenders going on unprovoked rants against immigrants. Not sure if that's been one-off but that was surprising for me at least.
soared 5y ago
Visit Poland before making a decision. As an American their social culture can come off as very cold and rude.
- bobthechef 5y ago
  That's because Europeans come across as cold and rude because Americans have a perpetual smile plastered on their faces. This causes Americans to come off as mentally deficient to Europeans.
  - xkqd 5y ago
    Thanks for the chuckle! Yep. European’s view the perpetual grin dimly, and doubly so in Poland where direct communication is how things are done. It’s honestly nice because in general people there mean business and don’t care to save face. don’t think you’ll be catching west coast vibes from anyone!
  - 8bitsrule 5y ago
    Here in the US, radio stations treated citizens to decades of Tony Bennet singing the song "Put On a Happy Face". It was from a 1960 musical called 'Bye Bye Birdie'. By some magical coincidence, just a year later the black-on-yellow 'Happy Face' (Smiley) was introduced by the 'Good Guys' on NYC radio and used on badges for an insurance company. Because it's early in the morning, I also wonder if there are other countries where the phrase "wipe that smile off your face" means you're in danger.
- xkqd 5y ago
  As far as working culture goes, it’s refreshing because there’s little tolerance for indirection and common corporate “colloquialisms”. Certainly no song and dance to the way they do business.
dandigangi 5y ago
Would happily live there! Great country, people, and the 4 to 1 exchange range is amazing. Just outside of Krakow would be great. :)
adekmm 5y ago
@41209 look at this: https://pl.usembassy.gov/abct/ https://pl.usembassy.gov/abct/ I live in Żary (Tier-3 City), which is near Żagań. Quick overview: - small city is quite cheap. Prices said by @burntoutfire are right - there are around 2000 US soldiers hanging around here. So you won't be alone :) if someone told you that small cities in eastern europe may be intolerant (or unsafe or unwelcoming) for travelers - it's not here. Here Everyone thinks that every American met is a soldier with combat training ;) - internet is cheap and stable. mobile is cheap and stable (comparing to US or western Europe). In almost every place you can pay using credit card. - ecommerce is working great here. Delivery takes 1 working day. Parcel lockers are on every corner of Poland already :) - it's close to Germany (10 miles to border, 100 miles to Berlin) so you can get two cultures in one visit. - people in Poland are... mentally somewhere between Russians and Germans ;) - most of the people <40yo understand english. But many of them have no practice and are just afraid to speak. The younger people you meet the bigger chance to speak english you have. - it's the region with a lot of forests (like 70% of area). So the air quality is decent comparing to any large city. - covid is not an issue here right now. We had 6 new cases in last 24h per 1 million people. There is no "next wave" coming. You should wear a mask in closed space, but except visits at hospital/doctors no one cares.
deleted 5y ago
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vorpalhex 5y ago

Is car ownership pretty affordable overall? (Insurance, fees, etc)

burntoutfire 5y ago
Yes, very affordable. Yearly mandatory insurance, without any discounts for crash-free driving (as I doubt they'd honor insurance histories from foreign countries), is perhaps about $300. Mandatory yearly checkups are $30. Cars themselves are a bit pricier than in US - mostly due to VAT being higher than US's sales tax I guess. But, maintenance is way cheaper - there's plenty of cheap and skilled mechanics who will improvise fixes using scavenged second-hard parts (which they themselves will provide). Rebuilding an engine will cost you perhaps under $400 in labor, while I suspect it's in thousands of dollars in US. Gas is currently $5.5 per gallon. Most people drive cars with low fuel consumption, so they're easy to get on second-hand market. Also, if one is particularly stingy about fuel costs, it's popular to own cars fueled by LPG. LPG is currently $2.5 per gallon.
- xkqd 5y ago
  > if one is particularly stingy about fuel costs, it's popular to own cars fueled by LPG. I’ll add that it’s been popular for the last decade, up to 15 years. So don’t think it’s going anywhere, anytime soon!
kolinko 5y ago
It is, but you don't really need a car. Public transport and Uber/Taxis work very well in most cities. Most of my friends don't have cars, around half doesn't have a driver's license. They can afford a car easily, but just don't see a need.

rich_sasha 5y ago

As a Pole myself, I’d add two things: it is generally a lovely country, lots of beautiful countryside etc. Less “spectacular”, more “cozy” etc. People are a bit uncertain of new things (eg foreigners in a new town) but generally warm and helpful eventually. That said, I’d you’re not white and straight, small towns could be very unwelcoming, from people staring, to telling you to go, to physical violence. Rare but true.

peakaboo 5y ago
I find myself thinking the last part sounds great, well aware of how unacceptable that opinion is today. Its interesting how people think it makes you an evil person to want a more homogenous society instead of the multicultural one.
- makeworld 5y ago
  >very unwelcoming, physical violence >"I think that sounds great!" >"Oh no why do people think I'm an evil person"
bruceb 5y ago
non pole here, knew a guy who wasn't white or European, not living in biggest cities, loved it there. sure its safer than many places.
- rich_sasha 5y ago
  Well I love it, and many places and people will give non-white non-straight people no issues. But hand on heart can I say to someone outside that narrow blueprint it’s definitely fine? Nope.
  - fhood 5y ago
    Haven't been, so I wonder how it compares with rural US, where, at least in some of the places I've been, people are quite intolerant in abstract, but almost universally friendly in person.

pzduniak 5y ago

That 6% tax is... complicated. Bug fixes are not innovation IIRC - I just end up paying 19%, which isn't that much anyways.

deleted 5y ago
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tomwojcik 5y ago
Exactly, its almost impossible to use the R&D tax relief. Also, starting with 2021, we will pay more than 19% in taxes but the gov cant make up their mind on the changes so we dont know the details yet.

wtk 5y ago

regarding that 6% tax for innovation in IT - be warned, our governing idiot party is about to introduce a bunch of new laws, including a de facto increase of that 19% to 28%.

hdjjhhvvhga 5y ago

> should not be hard to include games in this category You better put aside the remaining 13% for 5 years, just in case the inevitable happens.

bingohbangoh 5y ago

It should be said that you will need to make some effort to learn the local language. People will know enough English for you to get by, but it will feel very isolating. Learning just a little bit of Polish will make a world of difference, especially if you need to talk with a plumber or doctor (they're very unlikely to know much English).

bobthechef 5y ago
Doctors?
- randycupertino 5y ago
  Generally most people over ~35-40yo won't speak English as it wasn't added to school curriculum until after the fall of the Soviet block.
  - pelasaco 5y ago
    People over ~50-60yo maybe. 35-40 yo, spent not more than 10 years under Soviet control. Add to that, that Poles live quite often abroad and a lot of them spent years in Ireland/UK. We have even numbers to support that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-speaking_population https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_English-s... ... Poland in the top 20.
    - isbvhodnvemrwvn 5y ago
      There's ability to speak English, and willingness to speak English in a professional setting - a doctor with no professional training might refuse to use English just in case they misunderstand something. Same with officials (who if they knew English well in the first place, would work in a corporation of some sort).

mathgenius 5y ago

I'm an Australian in Krakow & I'd recommend it. Plenty of people understand English, and it's a small enough city that the vibe is fairly relaxed. Places like this will help with a visa for a more extended stay so you can run your "startup": https://twojstartup.pl/ https://twojstartup.pl/

randycupertino 5y ago

I would also add that air pollution is something to consider regarding living in Poland long term: https://notesfrompoland.com/2020/11/25/poland-has-eus-worst-air-pollution-shows-new-report/ https://notesfrompoland.com/2020/11/25/poland-has-eus-worst-... https://www.sustainability-times.com/clean-cities/battling-the-scourge-of-air-pollution-in-poland/ https://www.sustainability-times.com/clean-cities/battling-t... Also, if OP enjoys smoking pot, that might be an issue as per family who lives there it will be a big change vs coming from California. Personally when traveling in Krakow and Warsaw I've found more racism against brown people lately vs 10 years ago... random cabbies and bartenders going on unprovoked rants against immigrants. Not sure if that's been one-off but that was surprising for me at least.

soared 5y ago

Visit Poland before making a decision. As an American their social culture can come off as very cold and rude.

bobthechef 5y ago
That's because Europeans come across as cold and rude because Americans have a perpetual smile plastered on their faces. This causes Americans to come off as mentally deficient to Europeans.
- xkqd 5y ago
  Thanks for the chuckle! Yep. European’s view the perpetual grin dimly, and doubly so in Poland where direct communication is how things are done. It’s honestly nice because in general people there mean business and don’t care to save face. don’t think you’ll be catching west coast vibes from anyone!
- 8bitsrule 5y ago
  Here in the US, radio stations treated citizens to decades of Tony Bennet singing the song "Put On a Happy Face". It was from a 1960 musical called 'Bye Bye Birdie'. By some magical coincidence, just a year later the black-on-yellow 'Happy Face' (Smiley) was introduced by the 'Good Guys' on NYC radio and used on badges for an insurance company. Because it's early in the morning, I also wonder if there are other countries where the phrase "wipe that smile off your face" means you're in danger.
xkqd 5y ago
As far as working culture goes, it’s refreshing because there’s little tolerance for indirection and common corporate “colloquialisms”. Certainly no song and dance to the way they do business.

dandigangi 5y ago

Would happily live there! Great country, people, and the 4 to 1 exchange range is amazing. Just outside of Krakow would be great. :)

adekmm 5y ago

@41209 look at this: https://pl.usembassy.gov/abct/ https://pl.usembassy.gov/abct/ I live in Żary (Tier-3 City), which is near Żagań. Quick overview: - small city is quite cheap. Prices said by @burntoutfire are right - there are around 2000 US soldiers hanging around here. So you won't be alone :) if someone told you that small cities in eastern europe may be intolerant (or unsafe or unwelcoming) for travelers - it's not here. Here Everyone thinks that every American met is a soldier with combat training ;) - internet is cheap and stable. mobile is cheap and stable (comparing to US or western Europe). In almost every place you can pay using credit card. - ecommerce is working great here. Delivery takes 1 working day. Parcel lockers are on every corner of Poland already :) - it's close to Germany (10 miles to border, 100 miles to Berlin) so you can get two cultures in one visit. - people in Poland are... mentally somewhere between Russians and Germans ;) - most of the people <40yo understand english. But many of them have no practice and are just afraid to speak. The younger people you meet the bigger chance to speak english you have. - it's the region with a lot of forests (like 70% of area). So the air quality is decent comparing to any large city. - covid is not an issue here right now. We had 6 new cases in last 24h per 1 million people. There is no "next wave" coming. You should wear a mask in closed space, but except visits at hospital/doctors no one cares.

deleted 5y ago

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