Moving to Poland

A strategic location for trade, Poland’s relatively low cost of living, breathtaking scenery and rich history come together to make this central European nation an attractive prospect for expats. Poland has also seen an increase in work opportunities for enterprising foreigners, and new arrivals usually find work in industries such as IT, finance, human relations, manufacturing and English-language teaching.

Poland may lack the diversity found elsewhere but expat populations are growing in major urban centres such as Warsaw and Krakow, contributing to an increasingly cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Polish isn’t the easiest language to learn, but knowing some basic phrases will make expat life easier. Despite the cold winters, the Poles are warm and welcoming towards new arrivals, which will certainly help you settle in.

Weather in Poland is dominated by bitterly cold winters from November to March, when temperatures can fall to as low as -6 °C (-21 °F) in mountainous regions of the country.

The length of the season varies according to the winds, but snow can sometimes fall even as late as April. Summers in Poland are moderate, and extreme heat is rare, with the heaviest rains falling during the summer months.

• Hello Cześć
• Good evening Dobry wieczór
• Goodbye Do widzenia (formal) / Pa (informal)
• How are you? Jak się masz?
• Thank you Dziękuję (formal) / Dzięki (informal)
• Yes Tak
• No Nie
• Do you speak English? Czy mówi pan/pani po angielsku?
• Can you help me? Czy może mi pan/pani pomóc?
• Sorry Przepraszam

Shipping goods to Poland is easy and cost effective. However, the major ports of Gdansk and Gdynia are poorly connected to Poland’s major cities, which can delay the process. Transporting your belongings by air is more expensive, but considerably faster than shipping items by sea.

See what people responding to our Expat Explorer Survey think about living in Poland.