What Nobody Tells You About Living in Poland 🇵🇱

Key lifestyle/travel insights: “10 mistakes expats make moving to Poland”

Mistake #10: Moving/choosing when to arrive

• Don’t arrive at the “wrong” time. Poland has four seasons, but the speaker mainly frames it as:
  • Cold season vs warm season

Summer pros/cons

• More apartments available → usually less competition for housing stock
• But rent can be more competitive since more people are out and moving
• No AC in many buildings → it can get very warm

Winter pros/cons

• Fewer movers → rent can be less competitive

Best time to move: spring/fall

• Transition months offer a balance
• Fall (before school starts):
  • Good for securing an apartment
• Spring (roughly March–May):
  • Another good window

Weather adjustment (part of Mistake #10)

• The hardest adjustment may be short daylight, not only cold
• Example: settling into sunset around 3–4 p.m. takes time
• Suggested prep:
  • Prepare properly
  • Take vitamin C (speaker recommendation)
• Adjustment improves over time (speaker says their third winter is easier than the first)

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Mistake #9: Romanticizing Poland

• Travel content may be overly positive and not fully honest
• Many long-term content creators don’t speak Polish, leading to a more superficial experience
• Advice:
  • Don’t only live/socialize within expat circles
  • Interact with locals and/or learn the language

Positives the speaker emphasizes

• Poland is “on the rise,” with a strong złoty and a developing economy (as described)

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Mistake #8: Housing misunderstandings

• Housing options exist, but they may be not very foreigner-friendly
• Common housing types mentioned:
  • Regular apartments: sometimes unfurnished, though many are furnished
  • Co-living spaces
  • Airbnb (varies by length of stay)

Language dependence

• Some options depend on whether you can speak Polish or not

Advice

• If staying long-term as a foreigner, work with a real estate agent to handle details

Tradeoffs

• Leases are often 1 year or longer
• For shorter stays:
  • Co-living is recommended
  • Airbnb is an alternative
  • Hotels are mentioned as used by some people (speaker doesn’t recommend, but notes others like it)

Social/loneliness note

• Polish culture is described as less socially open, especially in winter
• If you’re coming from more social places (e.g., Latin America, Thailand, Philippines), winter loneliness/depression can be significant
• Co-living is framed as helpful because it includes social areas and community

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Mistake #7: Underestimating monthly costs

• Poland isn’t framed as “cheap anymore,” especially Warsaw

Key points

• Warsaw is expensive
• Food costs are rising
• A stronger currency helps overall value (speaker cites exchange rate change)

Advice

• Don’t assume Southeast Asia-level pricing
• Rent is a major expense (especially Warsaw)
• Groceries and public transport remain relatively cheap
• Many activities and restaurants can still be affordable

Budgeting caution

• Online rent listings may exclude utilities, trash, internet
• You may need basics upfront (e.g., cutlery, pots/pans)

City comparison mentioned

• Warsaw = higher costs
• Wrocław, Łódź, Kraków, Poznań = “way cheaper” (per speaker)

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Mistake #6: Arriving without savings

• Don’t move expecting to “figure it out” immediately
• Advice:
  • Bring at least 3–6 months of living expenses

Employment note

• If you don’t speak Polish, job competition can be extremely fierce
• Poland is described as having many highly educated locals, plus Ukrainians and other Russian-speaking communities, increasing competition

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Mistake #5: Not understanding Polish bureaucracy

• The speaker describes overall low corruption, but the process can be slow and requires doing things “the normal way”

Timeline variability

• Residency/card timing varies by office/city:
  • Some places may be slower or faster (e.g., Katowice mentioned as potentially slower)
  • Other cities like Poznań/Łódź mentioned as having backups
• Timelines mentioned: roughly ~1 year to ~1.5–2 years

Language barrier

• Some offices don’t speak good English
• Without Polish, doing it alone can be confusing

Important item: PESEL

• Needed for many tasks: doctor appointments, bank account, and more
• Getting PESEL requires a specific process
• Speaker claims they could do it themselves due to studying Polish, but warns complete beginners will struggle

Advice

• Use a professional to navigate bureaucracy if you don’t speak Polish

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Mistake #4: Waiting too long to legalize your stay

• Visa-free entry rules changed:
  • A bilateral agreement previously allowed some Americans to extend/renew stay timing in a way that bypassed Schengen limits (speaker describes a 90-day reset mechanism)
  • In October (recently, per speaker), that agreement ended

Result

• Friends who didn’t plan ahead had trouble figuring out next steps

Advice

• Apply for residency as soon as possible to reduce uncertainty and waiting time

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Mistake #3: Underpacking for winter

• Not having proper winter clothes reduced the speaker’s willingness to go out

Advice

• Plan ahead and build a winter wardrobe before the cold hits

Shopping reality

• The speaker says clothing quality/diversity may disappoint after a few months
• Warsaw has Uniqlo, which the speaker credits for meeting many needs
• Common fast-fashion brands mentioned: Zara, H&M, Pull&Bear, Bershka
  • Generally lower quality
• Finds it difficult to locate high-quality, timeless pieces locally

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Mistake #2: Ignoring culture and etiquette

• Advice framework:
  • Assimilate and learn the local culture
  • Learn the language over time

Cultural expectations described

• Poles are proud of their culture
• Friendly to outsiders, but have low patience for expats who refuse to learn/assimilate

Practical advice

• Don’t try to “import” your home culture in a way that tries to change Poland
• Reassurance example: immigrants of Polish heritage (second/third generation) returning may feel it more like “home”

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Mistake #1: Moving without speaking Polish

• The speaker says you can live in Poland without Polish (they cite people living 5–15 years), but you may remain a “glorified tourist” without deep integration

Advice

• You don’t need perfect Polish, but making an effort matters
• Polish is essential for many everyday tasks unless you live in very expensive, heavily gentrified areas:
  • Bank account
  • Doctor appointments
  • Supermarkets

Language learning note

• If you speak a related/language family (Portuguese, Spanish, Italian), grammar overlap can make it easier to reach a good level

Optional “next step” offered

• Mentions scheduling a strategy/consulting call for choosing city/housing and guidance on integration, dating, PESEL, legalization, and opening a bank account

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Notable locations/products/speakers mentioned

Countries/cities

• Poland; Warsaw; Kraków; Poznań; Łódź; Katowice; Wrocław
• Los Angeles; Philippines; Spain; Italy; Thailand; Colombia

Products/brands

• Uniqlo, Zara, H&M, Pull&Bear, Bershka

Currency/legal terms

• złoty, PESEL, residency card (“karta pobytu”), Schengen

Speaker/creator services

• “high-level consulting”
• An offered strategy call (name not provided in subtitles)