Suwałki topped the ranking of Polish cities with the lowest current expenses, while Grudziądz came in second. The top ten also included Toruń, Łódź, Łomża, and five other cities. This ranking can help compare cities for those choosing where to live in Poland. This was reported by InPoland.
Which Polish Cities Made It to the Ranking
The summary covers 66 cities with county rights. The expense index in Suwałki was 87.5, in Grudziądz it was 88.2, and in Toruń it was 91.1. The value of 100 corresponds to the average for all cities in the sample, so Suwałki's index is approximately 12.5% lower than the average.
The top ten also included Łódź, Łomża, Biała Podlaska, Skierniewice, Chełm, Białystok, and Kielce. The ranking was based on data from GUS, but it was published by the Znane Dane service. The index reflects current expenses on food and utilities: food prices account for 67% of the estimate, while utility costs account for 33%. Housing prices are calculated separately and are not included in the index.
Thus, a lower index does not mean that all goods and services in the city are cheaper by the same percentage. For example, the availability of an apartment and everyday costs are different components of the budget. Earlier, Inkorr compared the cost of renting housing in Poland.
Where Are Apartments, Food, and Daily Expenses Cheaper
Grudziądz stands out with more affordable apartments. According to the summary, the average price per square meter in the secondary market there was 5046 zlotys, and in the primary market it was 7016 zlotys. The city also ranked second for the current expense index. The median gross salary in Grudziądz was 6760 zlotys, the lowest among the top ten.
When comparing food prices, regions were evaluated rather than individual cities. The lowest level was reported in the Podlaskie Voivodeship: prices were 7.3% lower than the average for the sample. In the Lublin Voivodeship, they were 5.7% lower, in the Łódź Voivodeship 5.3% lower, and in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship 1.5% lower.
The index itself does not show where residents have the greatest purchasing power. This is also influenced by salaries: the summary referred Suwałki, Łomża, Chełm, Skierniewice, and Białystok as cities with the best combination of expenses and income. For those choosing a city also based on employment opportunities, a ranking of Polish cities for work may be useful.