Getting up to the mountains had been on my mind for a while, but I was starting to think it wouldn’t happen during this time in Poland. But after doing all I could to take care of some things in Warsaw, I still couldn’t leave Poland yet, but didn’t see a point in staying in Warsaw… so I guess you could say; luckily, things worked out and I was able to see this beautiful town. Zakopane has a little bit of a South Lake Tahoe feel. A great place I hope to return to.

This was a 7-night stay…

• Accommodation –  $361.96* (additional information below)
• Getting around locally – $0 
• Living expenses – $127.15 (groceries and eating out)
• Activities – $0
• Mobile phone/data  – $17.41 (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 – $16.13 (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 $522.65 / 7-nights = $74.66 per

*Hotel info

• This one was a little tricky… there are a lot of pricey options around, but too pricey for me. So I first found what looked like a great option, but at the end of the booking process I realized it was cash only which I really didn’t want to do for a few reasons. So I scrambled (I had already booked my train ticket and it was only a day away) and found a nice little apartment just a short 5 minute walk from the main street and big park in middle of town. It’s a house that has been separated into multiple units, and was a great find. Though I had a little scare the first night because I wasn’t given Wi-Fi info and went back to the listing to find it say “no internet access”… I was bummed, but it was in the listing so I figured I had no choice but to deal with it; but the next morning I woke up to a message apologizing for not giving me the info earlier. The host was really great and the apartment was clean and comfortable! The total for the 7 nights was 1,455.30 zł ($361.96)

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. In this particular case though, I took a PKP Intercity train from Warsaw Central directly to Zakopane; the seat was in 1st class and cost 105 PLN ($26.12). 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!