NavoyNostos

Kraków vs Łódź

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Łódź edges it, 67 to 67, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Kraków is stronger on nothing outright; Łódź on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 5.1 of 67 points (scores 46/100)Safety: 9.2 of 67 points (scores 83/100)Healthcare: 8.4 of 67 points (scores 76/100)Internet: 7.9 of 67 points (scores 72/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 67 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 9.3 of 67 points (scores 84/100)Climate: 2.8 of 67 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 8.0 of 67 points (scores 72/100)Quality of life: 9.4 of 67 points (scores 85/100)67
Kraków
out of 100

Poland's most walkable city, with a growing tech hub

Full Kraków profile →Where to stay in Kraków →
Cost of living: 5.5 of 67 points (scores 50/100)Safety: 9.2 of 67 points (scores 83/100)Healthcare: 8.4 of 67 points (scores 76/100)Internet: 7.7 of 67 points (scores 69/100)Visa ease: 6.7 of 67 points (scores 61/100)Getting there & around: 8.8 of 67 points (scores 79/100)Climate: 2.8 of 67 points (scores 25/100)Air quality: 8.6 of 67 points (scores 77/100)Quality of life: 9.4 of 67 points (scores 85/100)67
Łódź
out of 100

Post-industrial Polish city with cheap rents and film

Full Łódź profile →Where to stay in Łódź →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricKrakówŁódź
Cost of living4650 ✓
Safety8383
Healthcare7676
Internet72 ✓69
Visa ease6161
Getting there & around84 ✓79
Climate2525
Air quality7277 ✓
Quality of life8585

Cost

MetricKrakówŁódź
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city$1,435$1,300 ✓
Central one-bedroom rent$924no data

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricKrakówŁódź
Homicides per 100k0.680.68
Political stability (0–100)77.877.8
UHC service coverage (0–100)8282
Life expectancy75.4 yrs75.4 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricKrakówŁódź
Download39.7 Mbps ✓35.3 Mbps
Upload19.9 Mbps ✓16.7 Mbps

Visa

MetricKrakówŁódź
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passport90 days90 days
Entry, EU passportunlimitedunlimited
Entry, UK passport90 days90 days

Getting there and around

MetricKrakówŁódź
Non-stop airport destinations134140 ✓
Walkability (1–5, editorial)5 ✓4
Transit (1–5, editorial)44

Climate and air

MetricKrakówŁódź
Comfortable months per year33
Annual mean PM2.517.5 µg/m³15.2 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Kraków or Łódź?
Łódź is cheaper: about $1,300 per month versus $1,435 for one person.
Is Kraków or Łódź safer?
Kraków scores higher on safety (83 vs 83), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Kraków or Łódź?
Kraków: a measured median of 39.7 Mbps versus 35.3 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

More comparisons

Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.