Accommodation

When looking for accommodation you need to be prepared, and know where to look in order to find something quickly. You may rent a room in a house or flat share. Prices for rooms in a shared flat or house depend on the living conditions and location. The nearer to the centre, the higher are rents. They vary between 500 PLN to 1000PLN (125 – 250 €) for a room.

Take a look at the map of Cracow: http://www.mapakrakow.pl/ and public network maps: http://www.mpk.krakow.pl/en/network-maps/ to become familiar with the main roots and timetable of Cracow public transport: http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/index.php, when deciding on location.

There are a many websites where you can search for house or flat shares in Cracow:

• http://www.myerasmus.pl/krakow/flats
• http://www.gumtree.pl/fp-pokoje-do-wynajecia/krakow
• http://olx.pl/nieruchomosci/stancje-pokoje/krakow
• http://dom.gratka.pl/pokoje/krakow/wynajem
• http://otodom.pl/wynajem/pokoj/krakow
• http://www.ogloszenia.krakow.pl/pokoj.wynajme
• http://krakow.dlastudenta.pl/stancje
• http://www.szybko.pl/Krak%C3%B3w/pokoje/na-wynajem

Be very careful when contacting a landlord and always ask for a written contract. Note that many private flat shares require you to pay a deposit equal to one month’s rent (you receive it back at the end of your contract).

Transport

You will find getting around Cracow fairly easy. Although Cracow has no underground, it has a dense public transport system that consists of tramways and bus lines.

Public network maps are available at: http://www.mpk.krakow.pl/en/network-maps/ .

Study the timetable of Cracow public transport at: http://rozklady.mpk.krakow.pl/index.php .

Check on current prices of tickets in public transport here: http://www.mpk.krakow.pl/en/prices-of-tickets/ .

Being a student entitles you to 50% discount on ticket prices. Remember that you must have a valid student card to be able to use the discount.

But if you are going to stay in Cracow longer than for two weeks, it is worth buying Cracow City Card (“KKM” in Polish). To decide on the type of the card you need go to:

http://www.mpk.krakow.pl/pl/bilety2/cenniki-biletow-okresowych/ .

The card can be purchased at special Ticket Centers (“Punkt sprzedaży biletów” in Polish). The are a few of them in Cracow:

• 3/5 Podwale St. – from 9 a. m. to 7 p. m.
• 8a Krowoderskich Zuchów St. – from 9 a. m. to 7 p. m.
• 13 Św. Wawrzyńca St. – from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m.
• 6 Powstańców Wielkopolskich St. – from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m.

Meals

As students can’t afford much time for cooking, most of them dine in “milkbars’ (“bar mleczny” in Polish) – a kind of a canteen serving traditional food for low prices. For a dinner at a milkbar you will have to pay 12 PLN (3 €). If you like international cuisine, you can enjoy a variety of Chinese, Turkish, Italian, Georgian restaurants. One of students’ favourites is kebab which will cost 10 PLN (2,5 €). So, the overall monthly cost of meals is 450 – 600 PLN (110 – 150 €).

All in all, the average cost of living comprise:

• accommodation: 700 PLN/month (175 €)
• transport: 50 PLN/month (12 €)
• meals: 500 PLN/month (125 € )
• other expenses: 150 PLN/month (40 €).