Rent or buy a flat in Poland?
Choose a city, the size of the flat and your savings. We show after how many years buying with a mortgage pays off more than renting, and whether buying makes sense now.
Cash for the down payment and purchase costs. If you rent, it stays in your account and earns interest.
Per month, together with the person you would borrow with.
Assumptions change them if you like
Your wealth: buying with a mortgage vs renting
Break-even point for buying
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- Flat price
- Purchase costs
- Down payment
- Mortgage
- Wealth after 10 yearsbuy / rent
Free of charge. A KNF-registered expert compares offers from 14 banks for this flat.
Prices: data: wycenowo.pl (notarial deeds, Property Price Register). Rents: rental data: Rentier.io, median of listings in October 2026 (CC BY 4.0).
Representative example (in Polish):
Przykład reprezentatywny: 520 000 zł na 30 lat, rata 3021 zł, RRSO 5,97%, całkowity koszt 579 096 zł, do zapłaty 1 099 096 zł. Szczegóły
Przykład reprezentatywny na 6 listopada 2026: całkowita kwota kredytu 520 000 zł, okres 30 lat (360 równych rat po 3021 zł), oprocentowanie zmienne 5,71% (WIBOR 3M 3,89% (fixing 6.11.2026) + średnia marża rynku 1,82% (AMRON-SARFiN, II kw. 2026)), RRSO 5,97%, całkowity koszt kredytu 579 096 zł (odsetki 567 696 zł, wycena nieruchomości 600 zł, ubezpieczenie nieruchomości 30 zł miesięcznie: 10 800 zł, prowizja 0 zł), całkowita kwota do zapłaty 1 099 096 zł. Zabezpieczenie: hipoteka na nieruchomości o wartości 650 000 zł, wkład własny 20%.
Ryzyko zmiany stopy. Przy oprocentowaniu zmiennym rata zmienia się razem ze wskaźnikiem (WIBOR, od 2027 r. w nowych umowach POLSTR). Gdy wskaźnik wzrośnie o 3 p.p., rata z przykładu wyniesie 4076 zł, czyli o 1055 zł więcej.
Kalkulator jest szacunkiem poglądowym, nie ofertą w rozumieniu Kodeksu cywilnego ani decyzją kredytową. Oprocentowanie, marżę, prowizję, ubezpieczenia i RRSO ustala bank po ocenie zdolności kredytowej.
Your figures stay in your browser. We do not save them and do not check the credit bureau (BIK).
Buying and renting year by year
Net wealth in both scenarios with the same assumptions.
| After | Buy | Rent | Difference |
|---|
Rent or buy in the largest Polish cities
A 50 m² flat on the secondary market at a typical price, a 20% down payment plus purchase costs, a 30-year mortgage at an average rate of 5.71%, prices and rents rising 3% a year, the renter’s savings earning 4%. Click a city to open the calculator with its figures.
| City | Price of 50 m² | Instalment | Rent | Buying wins (prices rising) | Buying wins (prices flat) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Łódź | PLN 389,000 | PLN 1,810 | PLN 2,600 | after 2 years | after 3 years |
| Szczecin | PLN 473,000 | PLN 2,200 | PLN 2,900 | after 2 years | after 4 years |
| Bydgoszcz | PLN 394,000 | PLN 1,830 | PLN 2,550 | after 2 years | after 4 years |
| Katowice | PLN 405,000 | PLN 1,880 | PLN 2,500 | after 2 years | after 4 years |
| Opole | PLN 459,000 | PLN 2,130 | PLN 2,700 | after 2 years | after 5 years |
| Zielona Góra | PLN 432,000 | PLN 2,010 | PLN 2,600 | after 2 years | after 5 years |
| Olsztyn | PLN 455,000 | PLN 2,110 | PLN 2,650 | after 2 years | after 5 years |
| Lublin | PLN 493,000 | PLN 2,290 | PLN 2,650 | after 2 years | after 7 years |
| Toruń | PLN 453,000 | PLN 2,110 | PLN 2,400 | after 2 years | after 8 years |
| Gdańsk | PLN 661,000 | PLN 3,070 | PLN 3,350 | after 2 years | after 9 years |
| Wrocław | PLN 633,000 | PLN 2,940 | PLN 3,200 | after 2 years | after 9 years |
| Gdynia | PLN 591,000 | PLN 2,750 | PLN 3,050 | after 2 years | after 9 years |
| Poznań | PLN 568,000 | PLN 2,640 | PLN 2,900 | after 2 years | after 9 years |
| Rzeszów | PLN 505,000 | PLN 2,350 | PLN 2,500 | after 2 years | after 10 years |
| Kielce | PLN 434,000 | PLN 2,020 | PLN 2,150 | after 2 years | after 10 years |
| Warszawa | PLN 823,000 | PLN 3,830 | PLN 3,950 | after 2 years | after 12 years |
| Białystok | PLN 485,000 | PLN 2,250 | PLN 2,250 | after 3 years | after 14 years |
| Kraków | PLN 740,000 | PLN 3,440 | PLN 3,200 | after 3 years | after 17 years |
Prices: data: wycenowo.pl (notarial deeds, Property Price Register). Rents: rental data: Rentier.io, median of listings in October 2026 (CC BY 4.0).
How to read the result
- Break-even point. The number of years after which your wealth when buying (the flat’s value after selling costs, minus the debt) overtakes your wealth when renting (the savings a renter invests instead of paying a down payment and instalments). If you plan to stay for a shorter time, renting comes out ahead.
- Purchase costs. Buying in Poland costs extra at the start: 2% PCC tax on the secondary market (not on a first home), the notary’s fee with VAT and land register entries. That is why renting usually wins over a few years.
- The renter saves the difference. To keep the comparison fair, the renter invests the savings and the monthly difference when the instalment is higher than the rent. If you would not actually save that money, renting looks better here than in real life.
What is different for foreigners
- Down payment. Banks usually want at least 10–20% of the price, and some ask foreigners for more. If you do not have enough yet, the calculator shows how long it takes to save it.
- Buying property as a foreigner. Citizens of the EU and EEA buy flats freely. Others can buy a flat without a permit if it lies outside the border zone; a flat in the border zone and a house with land usually need a permit from the Ministry of the Interior (MSWiA).
The result is a simulation with fixed assumptions, not a price forecast or investment advice. It does not include tax on selling within 5 years, insurance or rate changes.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to rent or buy a flat in Poland?
It depends on the city, the price, the rent and how long you will stay. Buying costs money at the start (PCC tax, notary, registry fees), so renting usually wins in the short term. Over time you repay the principal and the flat may gain value, so after several years buying usually comes out ahead. The calculator shows this break-even point in years for your city.
Where do the prices and rents come from?
The price per m² is the typical price from notarial deeds in the city (data: wycenowo.pl, Property Price Register). The rent is the median of rental listings in the county (rental data: Rentier.io), multiplied by the flat size. If there are too few listings in the county, we use the regional median. You can enter your own rent in the assumptions.
Can a foreigner buy a flat in Poland?
Yes. Citizens of the EU and EEA buy freely. Others can buy a flat without a permit if it lies outside the border zone (municipalities along the land border and the sea coast); a flat in the border zone and a house with land usually need a permit from the Ministry of the Interior (MSWiA). For a mortgage, banks look at your residence status and income in złoty: see our guide to mortgages for foreigners.
Are service charges and utilities included?
No, because you pay them both as an owner and usually as a renter. We compare the landlord’s rent with the mortgage instalment and repairs.