I Figured Warsaw would be a decent place for fireworks over the New Year… I didn’t know the city itself wasn’t going to do a show. The people stepped in though, and put on one hell of a show! I was lucky to have an issue with the first place I booked and had to change things up at the last minute. I say lucky because it lead me to book a hotel in a highrise where I was given a room on the 26th floor with a great view. Then it was raining in the evening on NYE which drove me into the room where I ended up in a great position to see fireworks going off as far as the eye could see.

Overall, I like the apartments available around Poland more than hotels, so when I decided to extend the stay in the city I moved over to one, also in the Mirów neighborhood; great neighborhood by the way. There are a lot of highrise buildings, great food options, and just a good vibe. From there some things came up and I ended up jumping around from one apartment to another, all in the same area.

Even with this being over the NYE period the costs were pretty avg for this time I’ve been in Poland. I don’t believe things are anywhere near as busy as they would normally be, but restrictions are pretty minimal and I do see tourists, so take this as you will.

This was a 28-night stay…

• Accommodation –  $1,614.69* (additional information below)
• Getting around locally – $13.56 (metro passes – 2x 24hr 2 zone 26 PLN each & 1x 24hr 1 zone 15 PLN)
• Living expenses – $479.44 (groceries and eating out)
• Activities – $0
• Mobile phone/data  – $69.34 (I use Google Fi which provides service in most countries. If you’re interested, and based in the U.S., you can use this paid link to sign up, which will give me a referral fee at no extra cost to you)
• Medical insurance – $64.50 (I’m using SafetyWing; rates are determined by age, and mine is slightly above the base. If you’re interested there is a paid link/banner on the right side of the page)

Total $2,241.53 / 28-nights = $80.05 per

*Hotel info

• The first 5 nights, including NYE, I booked a room at Leonardo Royal Hotel Warsaw through Booking.com. The total price was 1,360.80 zł ($336.63). Overall pretty good for a hotel. Mini fridge, electric kettle, coffee maker, and a great view!

• Next was 7 nights at Golden Apartments Pereca ONZ through Booking.com. The cost for these 7 nights was 1,703.50 zł ($423.58). Comfortable place, a good location, a full kitchen, and a washing machine, but the layout wasn’t so great for me; it just felt cold.

• I extended the stay at Golden Apartments Pereca ONZ for 2 nights again through Booking.com for 484 zł ($121.16). One thing I wasn’t too pleased with is they didn’t give any discount for this being an extension (no cleaning or restocking required), I had to pay the same rate as a new booking.

• Next was 7 nights at Apartament metro rondo Onz through Booking.com for a total of 1,431.62 zł ($358.50). It turned out to be a great find; nice decor, great location, well, equipped, and the host let me check in early!

• Because the previous apartment was booked already, my final booking with Warsaw Night Apartments Menica through Booking.com for a total of 1,482.18 zł ($374.82). A newer place in a great location with a nice design. Clean and comfortable full studio with a washing machine. The way the windows are open to adjacent units isn’t exactly ideal, but it didn’t look like there were even people across from me, so it wasn’t an issue during this stay.

Transportation to and from varies too much, so I’ve left it out of the above breakdown along with most incidental/one-time personal costs. All other standard day to day expenses are included to give an idea of how much basic living costs in the area are. Groceries will sometimes include basic personal care items (i.e. toothpaste, deodorant, etc.).

** I try to use Rakuten whenever it’s an option; why not take the money. It works as a browser add-on, and there is also an app. Note from their site “Stores pay us a commission for sending our members to their websites, and we share it with you. It’s that simple!” If you haven’t signed up yet, and are interested, please consider using this referral link to help support me, and get a signup bonus. I use it regularly and recommend it, but take a look for yourself to decide if it’s right for you. When you sign up using the link, use it spending $, we each get $! The $ varies which I’ve recently seen at $40 and $30. They state “Offer may be modified or canceled anytime.” Payments are made by PayPal or you can have a check sent to you.

*** At the time of writing the currency varied; accommodations and some daily purchases were entered using the rate at the time of the transaction, but for some general purchases a basis of 4,05 PLN = 1 USD has been used.

**** Since I’m doing this as a living situation, I don’t go out to top-rated restaurants, or paid entry tourist attractions too much. I do eat out a lot, but not anything very special; I try to be cost-conscious, eating as a local would; a broke college guy that is LOL! I’ll try to note any differences to this above.

I’m continuously trying to figure out how best to provide the most useful information, so if you have any ideas please let me know; you can comment/DM on social media, below, or send me an email (MeanderingMax@gmail.com). I appreciate your support!