🇮🇹 Italy vs 🇵🇱 Poland
Side by side on the data that actually changes your life: prices, taxes, climate, air, safety. Every number has a source and a date.
Climate (capital)
Open-Meteo historical weather
Jan 10° · Jul 27° · Rome
Jan 2° · Jul 20° · Warsaw
Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
335 days / yr
253 days / yr
Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 25 · Good
AQI 52 · Moderate
Prices vs EU average
Eurostat price level index, EU27 = 100
−3% (2025)
−27% (2025)
Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$7.05
$6.25
Living costs · single, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$800–$1,150 / mo
—
Living costs · family of four, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$2,750–$3,650 / mo
—
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~46% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
~35% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
Inbound workers regime (impatriati) · 7% flat tax for foreign pensioners
Return relief & lump-sum option
Avg advertised salary
Adzuna job listings, local currency
€22,364 / yr (June 2026)
zł 146,784 / yr (June 2026)
Inflation
World Bank
1.5% / yr (2025)
3.8% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
6.4% (2025)
3.0% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~90 Mbps
~130 Mbps
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
moderate
high
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
No known issues
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions
Population
World Bank total population
58.9M (2025)
36.4M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
199 / km² (2023)
120 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
11.0% of population (2024)
4.5% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
82 yrs
75 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
EUR
PLN
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+2
UTC+2
Legal
Legal
Short-term gains
33%
19%
Long-term gains
33%
19%
Long-term holding period
—
—
Staking income
43%
—
Mining income
43%
—
General rates, not personal tax advice.
Climate, inflation and life expectancy verified 12 July 2026. Prices, taxes and air quality verified 7 July 2026. Sources shown per row.
Bottom line: which should you choose?
Pick 🇮🇹 Italy if you want
more sunshine.
Pick 🇵🇱 Poland if you want
lower day-to-day costs, lighter employment taxes and a stronger safety rating.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport — build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is Italy or Poland cheaper?
Poland is the cheaper of the two on our comparable cost measure (cost index 45 vs 65 (USA = 100)). Your real cost depends on the city and lifestyle — see the full table above, then generate a free plan for a budget matched to your exact move.
Should I choose Italy over Poland?
On the data we track, Italy comes out ahead for more sunshine, while Poland wins on lower day-to-day costs, lighter employment taxes and a stronger safety rating. Every figure has a source in the table above.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
🇮🇹 Italy
50% of employment income tax-exempt up to ~€600k · 5 years
Verified June 2026 · Agenzia delle Entrate
🇮🇹 Italy
7% flat tax on all foreign income · up to 10 years
Verified June 2026 · Agenzia delle Entrate
🇵🇱 Poland
PIT exemption up to ~PLN 85k/yr · 4 years (returnees)
Verified June 2026 · podatki.gov.pl
Numbers are half the story
Your visa route, paperwork and deadlines depend on where you hold a passport. Get a free checklist personalized to your exact move.