Worth knowing
The monthly cost of living of a student in Poland (accommodation, food, other expenses) is PLN 2000-3500. Monthly rent for a room in a dormitory is approx. PLN 410-620, in a private flat it varies from 1000 to 2000 PLN.
Average prices of everyday products
bread 500g: PLN 4-8
milk per litre: PLN 2-5
butter: PLN 5-9
eggs (10 eggs): PLN 10-12
water 1.5l: PLN 2-3
water (restaurants, pubs): PLN 10 (the minimum)
coffee in a café: PLN 15 (the minimum)
kilogram of apples: PLN 3-5
kilogram of potatoes: PLN 2-5
kilogram of tomatoes: PLN 10-20
a litre of orange juice: PLN 4-5
kilogram of white sugar: PLN 4-6
chicken breast 1 kg: PLN 15-20
Other sample costs
Electricity and gas per month: PLN 120
monthly ticket: PLN 117 (regular), 58,50 (dicount)
single ticket for bus or tram: PLN 4,80 (regular), PLN 2,40 (student discount)
single ticket form SKM from Gdańsk to Sopot: PLN 5,50 (regular), PLN 2,69 (student discount)
cinema ticket with student discount: PLN 16-30
haircut (men): PLN 40-60
haircut (women): PLN 60-120
lunch in a restaurant: PLN 30-50
Shop opening hours
Markets (Lidl, Auchan, Carrefour, Biedronka, Piotr and Pawel) open between 6am and 9am and close between 9pm and 10pm. Expect shorter opening hours in smaller, local shops and at the weekend. Shopping centres open at 10am until at least 10pm, 7 days a week. During public holidays all markets and shopping centres are closed. Food markets are also closed on Sundays. Petrol stations are open non-stop (some have a technical break around midnight) and you can usually buy the most necessary food and cosmetic products. Banks are usually open between 10am and 6pm.
There are several markets in Gdansk where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables (one of them is even near the University and the dormitories, on ulica Wyspiańskiego It is good to have cash with you, because you can't pay by card everywhere.
Other shopping needs can be met at the two main shopping centres in the Tricity - Galeria Bałtycka (Baltic Gallery) in Gdansk and Riviera (Riviera) in Gdynia. In Gdańsk, you can also go to Galeria Handlowa Madison in the centre (Gdańsk Główny), CH Manhattan in Wrzeszcz or Alfa Centrum in Przymorze. If an urgent need to buy something surprises you in the middle of the night, you can go to Tesco, there are also several 24-hour pharmacies in the city.
