Warsaw budget slow travel cost breakdown

Ever wonder what it costs to live in Warsaw, Poland?

Neither did I — until we were there doing it.

As I said in my recent “Kortn’s Crib” video tour, we kinda ended up in Warsaw by default.

Nonetheless, below is the budget breakdown for our time in Warsaw; another pleasant, interesting, and historic location — and part of our 10th year of continuous global wandering.

As always, these figures are taken directly from our “Spending Tracker” cell phone app which we update daily to reflect all spending.

Warsaw budget slow travel cost breakdown

$1,073 —- Lodging

$317 —- Charity/Gifts

$266 —- Health

$230 —- Supplies

$220 —- Travel

$185 —- Restaurants

$181 —- Groceries

$93 —- Local transit

$74 —- Beer

$72 —- Entertainment

________________________

$2,711 total : 2 persons, 29 days

Overall, we found Warsaw to be a pretty good deal for a European capital. But there are a few factors which definitely affected our spending.

Perhaps the biggest: my wife Ellen injured her lower back on day 18 of our stay. As a result, we greatly curtailed our activities — and our spending. We basically spent the last 10 days in Warsaw hanging around our apartment; Ellen resting and convalescing.

Good news! Her back did improve after receiving medical care and prescription pharmaceuticals. The ‘Health’ category above reflects the payments related to her Warsaw hospital ER visit and medications. Under the Polish health system, we were charged $202 after six hours of medical tests and diagnoses (blood work, x-rays, CT scan).

Of course, we normally would not go to an emergency room for back pain. But Ellen’s history of cancer, kidney stones, the intense increasing pain, and fact that it was a Polish national holiday weekend left us with no options. Now, three weeks later, she is 90%+.

The “Supplies” category is elevated this month — due to a new cell phone purchase. My previous cheap Samsung Galaxy was lost in a taxi in Budapest, Hungary. I finally gave up all hope for recovery and purchased a new one at the mall Samsung store in Warsaw. Galaxy A16: cheap, latest Android OS, decent camera — $160.

The “Travel” total includes train tickets to and from Warsaw. We came from Krakow, Poland and departed to Berlin, Germany. Obviously, travel expenses vary based on distance and mode of conveyance.

One thing to note regarding Warsaw tourism: many museums have weekly ‘free days’. (Each museum has its own listing for free admission information.) And before the back problem, we made almost daily free visits (sometimes there are lines). We saved hundreds of bucks! Warsaw/Poland certainly has a long and storied history – much of it dealing with WWll and the Jewish Holocaust.

Lastly, we continue to fund causes and people that are special to us. As you can see, the charity donations totaled about 12% of our Warsaw spending. This category could easily be adjusted up or down. But we feel blessed to make such contributions.

In closing, $2,700 for a month in Warsaw seems to be a reasonable monthly base spend for anyone. In this case, our unique circumstances shifted some costs from one category to another. Further, undoubtedly, a different ‘lifestyle approach’ could easily cost $2,700 for just one week – or less.

Our standard qualifier: we offer these expense breakdowns for those interested in ‘slow travel’ and ‘living like a local’ in various places around the world.

As always, be thankful and generous, happy trails & more beer.

Life is NOW!