Hello,
My husband is being offered to move to his company's Warsaw office for 2-4 years. We currently live in New York area but we used to live in London for his work for 3 years a few years back so the expat thing is not completely new to us. However, neither of us speak Polish so this move would probably prove to be a bit more challenging... I am planning to start learning Polish as soon as this whole thing is confirmed but it's unlikely that I'd have any command of the language soon....
We have two kids, 3 and 7 yo. I have my own business which I will try to run remotely from Poland...
Here are my questions:
1. How easy/difficult is it to get around and get by in Warsaw without being able to speak Polish?
2. Are there English speaking doctors/hospitals?
3. What are the best/safest/convenient to the American school areas to live in? Preferably, with not too bad of a commute to Srod-Miescie (city center) area for my husband's job... How much should we expect to pay for a 3 bedroom apartment there?
4. Do most apartments for rent come furnished or unfinished?
5. Would we need to buy a car to get around?
And lastly, to be able to afford a decent size apartment in a nice area and to pay 2 private school tuitions plus obviously have enough left for everyday purchases, groceries, enough left for travel and kids activities, what would you estimate the monthly income should be? Would 20,000 PLN be enough? 30,000? I understand of course that it's all relative for different people but i am just trying to understand the cost of living in Warsaw and to ballpark the amount necessary for us to maintain the same lifestyle as in NY...
Sorry for so many questions, this has just came up and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this... Would really appreciate any help, especially from those with kids who had to make the similar expatriation recently...
Thank you!
American family moving to Poland - looking for advise!
Hi Ann77,
Welcome to Expat.com! 
Thank you for this introduction.
All the best,
Christine
.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp
Please find hereby some information which could help you :
1. How easy/difficult is it to get around and get by in Warsaw without being able to speak Polish? With English you can get already lot of things done, it's really not that bad
2. Are there English speaking doctors/hospitals? Depends, if you choose to go to public (I really don't recommend)English will not be possible. I have private insurance(Medicover), but there are lot of similar private doctors/hospitals
3. What are the best/safest/convenient to the American school areas to live in? Preferably, with not too bad of a commute to Srod-Miescie (city center) area for my husband's job... How much should we expect to pay for a 3 bedroom apartment there? I think in Ursynow is a good area to find a school, but I don't have experience. However concerning safety, Warsaw is very safe in my opinion (compared to Brussels which is completely not)
4. Do most apartments for rent come furnished or unfinished? Mixed
5. Would we need to buy a car to get around? Really depends, I think the metro line is really good, but like for shoppings a car is more practical
6. Cost of living : I can not really judge, have no children. But maybe this website can help you for comparison :.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp
About Polish language, indeed it is difficult, but it is also possible of course to learn, don't be afraid to make mistakes
I'm here for 10 years, and it's nice here.
Best regards
Koen
Unable to give you very specific advice, I'd just suggest to you and your family that you look forward to enjoying a pleasant city and great country. From my experience many people willingly speak English in Warsaw, to the point where it can be difficult sometimes to practise the Polish you learn. On the other hand, any "survival Polish" will be invaluable.
Doctors are so used to dealing with foreigners here, privately but competently and relatively inexpensively, that the government is promoting "medical tourism". The dentist I go to (granted, outside of Warsaw), at under $50 a visit, is as capable as any I've encountered.
When it comes to controlling costs, it's worth shopping around for services and goods -- much more so than in London or New York. It's not that many people will rip you off (everywhere, a few do) but sometimes you may feel that you're being obliged to pay for something expensive you haven't really asked for. I wouldn't order wine at a seemingly moderately-priced restaurant without being very clear about the price; otherwise, you'll be billed for 200 zl/bottle when you would have been happy with two glasses of house wine at 12 zl. each. Do not let a travel agent sell you first-class train tickets (sometimes an advantage, sometimes not really) unless you tell them to. However, most things are good value, and not just value for money.
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