Moving from Canada to Poland, need all the help I can get

Last activity 03 June 2012 by LaKenyane

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rafaelzNew member01 June 2012 04:35:36

My post in Canada is ending and am being assigned to Poland, Warsaw to be specific.

I will be moving there for 2 years and need general advice on what to do. I am a Polish citizen and do speak/read/write in Polish. I have never lived in Poland and was wondering a few different things.

One, where should i live in Poland and how much should i pay? I would like to keep the cost down and do not mind a small commute to work, >30 minutes. I would be interested in a 1 bedroom apartment and i get confused when i try and do searches. I have a feeling my definition of an apartment is different to that of a poles.

Two, what should my method of transportation be. Is purchasing a car in poland a good idea? purchasing one is a neighboring country? or should i import my own.

Three, what is the cost of living? What should i expect to pay a month in Warsaw? Food, housing, transportation, general expenses? How does that compare to canada and the us?

Last but not least does anyone know about the gun laws in Poland? I have been a gun owner/enthusiast all my life and would like to continue that in poland, what are the laws on owning/carrying a gun?

I am researching this as much as possible and would like to thank you for any advice you may have, it means alot. Thank you

AurélieViP01 June 2012 05:17:52

22735

Hello rafaelz.

Welcome to Expat.com!

In meantime, for the accommodation, you can try to post an advert in the housing in Warsaw section.

Hope members will be able to give you some informations concerning the cost of living in Warsaw.

Thank you.
Aurélie

LaKenyaneNew member03 June 2012 19:35:54

Means of transport: If you don't mind crowded buses, trams and metros then public transport is the cheapest way to travel. You can buy a travel card valid for either 1/3/6months which you can use as many time as you want till it expires then once it expires you can always recharge it
I am a car person so I travel by car the trick is you just have to leave earlier for work and later for home not to get caught up in the traffic but it isnt that bad....traffic moves....totally depends on what how far you live from the CBD. I live 11min from the CBD the longest I've been stuck in traffic was 20mins....my buddy lives quite far from the CBD....30 min drive but she is always stuck in traffic for over 90mins!
Guns:
You have too be filthy rich, the police, or a politician to own a gun in Poland. They don't give licenses that easily.

Cost of living: I shop at Piotr I Paweł which is slightly more expensive than Carrefour or Tesco and I spend between 150-200zl per week on food and personal defects. As for clothing I can't help you much coz I'm a shopaholic and spend thousands on clothes

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