Cost of Living in Prague

Czech prices are growing, but there's no real increase in salaries. Many people see an effective YOY decrease in salaries and combined with the general xenophobia, unwelcoming and unpleasant behaviour of many Czechs (+ that many of them have a severe need for basic hygiene lessons) there's not really any point in staying longer for immigrants.

It looks like the prices are coming down a bit now in 2023. Salaries went up too from january.

It's still a vibrant, welcoming city with great people all around.

ChrisR: I am an American that lived in Prague for 10 years. You will enjoy the experience. Yes, you will always be considered an outsider, but as long as you have something to offer, things will be ok for you there. Prague is soft on top, but hard and corrupt under the surface. Try to see other areas of CR also, such as Karlovy Vary.

Yes, you can live comfortable on 83,000czk net in Prague, especially if you don't buy a car and use public transportation instead.

I pounded out lots of nice, young, tight Czech girls for many years in Prague. Great memories.

15,740.37 Kč for an apartment in city centre and an average salary of 38,149.41 Kč?

This city became too expensive. Probably the worst rent/salary ratio in Europe.

Arrogant people like Eric are not welcome. I hope you left

As a Czech i hate english speaking expats and tourists, they act like arrogant uncivlized idiots

Eastern European countries such as Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Russia and Slovenia are painfully expensive for many people. It is not your Slavic cheap heaven like Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and

If you are a standard Germanic guy German, Canadian (Quebecians are Latin/Romanic, but nevermind) and American, then Czech Republic is normal journey for you. There are many Eastern Europeans working in USA, Canada and Germany.

To PragueJobSeeker, you should be prepared to pay around 17-20k CZK for 50m apt., utilities included. There was a good period when Covid struck with prices going down a bit and you could find sth nice below 15k (utilities inc.) but now it is long gone and I don't see you could find a 50m place for below 15k anymore.

Generally Czechs really dont like foreigners - Brits and Americans, and they really hate muslims and black...

I agree with some comments below,I travel frequently around Europe for work and I can confirm that Prague is now as expensive as any other major cities in Europe and in some cases even more for certain things. It is still a charming and beautiful place to live and it still offers a lot of benefits in terms of safety, cleaness and overall quality of life but if you think you can come and have an amazing life with 30/40K per month you will have to reconsider. Obviously each circumstance is different and if you are young and looking for a first job abroad, it would still makes sense to give it a try and compromise on those type of money but for people with good work experience, this place should not be on top of your list - many better options around Europe.

Some of the comments below make me lough like 80K gross salary is fine for a family of 3.
Prague is not a cheap place and it is in many aspects more expensive than any average German city including Berlin,(supermarket food and groceries, real estate, going to restaurants etc) and the cost of living is very comparable with top cities like Wien, Frankfurt etc.
Coming to the point of 80K gross for a family of 3 which means 63/4K net per month, in my opinion you will be in survival mode at the best as you will have the following expenses every month:
>renting a low end 3KK will cost you at least 20/25K czk per month + 5/6K in bills and probably more with new electricity prices etc. If you want to consider a more realistic price for a decent 3KK, I would estimate 30K czk going up. People saying that are paying way less than that, it is because they are on old renting contract but now these old prices do not exist anymore.
> Food and groceries for 3 people will costs you at least 12K per month on a very basic diet. If you eat a vegetables rich diet and fish be prepared to increase your budget by 50%/100%.
> Public transport costs are cheap. I do not remember but it should cost 500/600 Czk per person.
> After just all basic expenses you will be left with probably not more than 20/22K per month which in my view is not enough for building some financial savings, unexpected expenses, going out once a week with a family and have some good time, save money for holiday etc.
To summarize, with that salary you will have a very simple life.

Hello there. If you are finally looking at this page which is pretty precise the please analyze it also. I am reading questions about 80.000 CZK, if this is ok for a company of 2 or family of 3. Please be aware that a top management salary starts at 100.000 CZK, a board member is sometimes around 150.000 CZK. What i want to say is that 80.000 is a very comfortable salary.

Prague is a fantastic city to live - i am comparing 27 years living in Germany. There's 0% (!) unemployment rate in Prague, the public transportation is working and in Prague the most people are speaking better English than e.g. in Stuttgart/Germany.

Prague is full of culture, activities, definitely anything else then boring. It's a small country but hat's the plus: in 1 - 1,5 hours from Prague you are in some mountains, there's relatively plenty of water, lot of green. There's a reason why some areas are compared with Italy's Tuscany.

Ok, you might get 40% more salary in Germany or Austria but potentially 60% higher cost of living. Just compare the figures.

What is a good amount to live comfortably in Prague? We are a family of 4 - 1 is infant and we also have a kid of 8 yrs. How much money wohld enough for a decent living with a decent saving?

Too expensive, you don't get what you pay for, people have a strong aversion to forgeiners with the exception of Ukraine which is purely political right now, worst of all there's nothing to do you'll find yourself bored out of your skull real quick

@Ana
If you come alone, renting will take at least 10000-12000 czk. Food could be around 5000 czk in a month. You will end up having 8000-9000 free money for other things. For my opinion it is not worth for moving for Prague for that money.

Austria though has the same low amount of rainy days, but a bit warmer and sunnier. And also has low crime rates. Purchasing power is noticeably higher in Austria, but the economy is stagnating and has higher unemployment, comparing to growing Czechia. And many facilities are closed early in Austria

I can't understand why Ukrainian workers is a disadvantage. And there are another pros:
1. One of the lowest crime rates in Europe (For example Germany is overally safe, but assault rate is way higher)
2. Climate is better, than in UK, Germany, Netherlands or Belgium because of noticeably less rainy days. And of course way better than in any country of Northern Europe

Living in Prague isn't cheap I made good money but in Prague taxes are very high on everything. When a person rents apartment a luxury tax is imposed upon the renter.The amount of monthly tax depends upon which part of the city one lives.VAT starts at 16% and goes upwards from that depending upon how much things cost. Prague taxes anything and everything simply because CZ is a small country plus government is very corrupt. So before you take a job offer anywhere in CZ read the fine print on the employment contract. No employer will pay VAT taxes on rental apartments or rental houses and the taxes alone will eat into anything extra one makes remember that.

Hello, I got a job offer of 60k CZK per month gross. Is that enough for Prague? I'm a single guy and I don't need a car, I can cook and I don't smoke but I drink a lot of alchool

Hello, I have an offer for an IT position (NOC) with a salary of around 47000 net + 10% for the night shifts ( 7 per month).
We are a family of 2, and we have found a house with all included (heating, electricity, internet, etc) at 20000czk.
Is the rest of the salary enough for the supermarket, some savings for a vacation, and shopping for usual things when needed?
We also hope that my spouse will find a job in 2-3 months.

Hello.. I am currently negotiating a salary with an It company.
I was thinking of a salary 1600 euro after taxes Can I find a place in Prague for 15000czk? I was thinking of tje following expenses in euros:700 apartment, 300 food, 100 a pair of shoes or similar and I would be left with 500 euro to spend or save.
Does this sound reasonable?

How handicapped accessible is Prague? I use a power wheechair.

Hi my husband got job in prague,he is an it manager ,they offer 45000 net salary (after tax)..we want to move prague for the time being.we have 2 kids ..elder is school going ..is it ok with this salery.

Beautiful! After Bratislava and Vienna Prague was fantastic for my eyes. But it's not good for longer-term living. Too many hobos (one slept in our house hallway and I couldn't go to toilet as he begged on the door to be let in). Too many tourists, Russians and gun-carrying Americans. I suppose Brno and Plzen are better, less crowded and just as beautiful, esp. Plzen. Bratislava was more livable but too modern and industrial-looking.

Hello everyone,

What is the average cost of living for two adults and a child including rent in Euros?
I will be renting on the edges of Prague as the work isnt in the City center?
Whats the average net salary that if you have will be covering all your needs?

Thanks in advance

You would need minimum 100k to take care of your needs.

Ahhh great news CZ has totally been locked down infection and death rates up 78%.As a real-estate investor that's good news buying cheaply without living there.

Why move to Prague at all? It's just a rotten overpriced pigpen.

Czech citizens need to speak English to accommodate us Brits.

Hi.
I live in Prague for 1.5 year and just want to share my opinion.
I work in IT and earn 60k czk net salary and live alone, so one person it looks very good. I do not spend much money on restaraunts and cafes, so I can save from here. I pay around 16k czk for a studio with all utilities included.

The very big disadvantage of Prague and Czechia overall is local language. Without it, it will be really tough to live or going outside. Even buying smth. from shops can be problematic, cause shop workers will not understand you and more importantly they will start to treat you as a sh*t. Even Immigration Officers will not speak with you in English, where it is logical that, only foreigners will come to Immigration :(

I have been in post stores, shops, shopping malls, gym, cafes and most of them do not speak English, so it becomes very stressful to communicate with locals. As a advice, I suggest you, for the first period to choose apartment near some hotels. Cause hotels have their own barbershops, gyms, massage salons and etc. and most of personal speak English, so it can help you.

If you know Russian language, so it would also help you, cause here very large number of expats from Russian speaking countries like Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, so you will probably meet them on daily basis.

Overall, if it is your first move to abroad, it can be useful to move here, cause you can travel Europe cheap and fast and see other places. But personally I do not consider Czechia as permanent living place.

Good luck :)

I heared czech republic basic salary is 30000-35000 per month. but how??I saw lot of job postings even big foreginer companies offer 20000-25000 per month.

Hi everyone,

I will have a phone call interview on Thursday, for a job offer in Prague, for the position of Ecosystem Sourcing Specialist at Accenture. I have no experience in this particular field/job, but an overall experience of 11 years, of which 8 1/2 as assistant manager & marketing in English & French. What would be the right salary to ask (net), so that I can live decently there? PS: I also have a mortgage to pay for my apartment in Romania, which is about 300 € / month, so I should either earn enough to cover that one up, or rent it (which is highly undesirable), because I don't think I'll be able to afford paying a rent/mortgage in 2 places.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Prague is now more expensive than southern Spain without the good weather or the more western quality of service. It is become a poor deal. However even eastern Europe is not a great deal compared to Spain. While services are somewhat cheaper in Prague rents are so expensive at roughly 40 percent more than Zagreb (Croatia has the sea ) and about 400 to 500 percent more than Romania (has the Carpathians). Even Germany is a better deal for costs in relation to the medical care and social benefits.

Can a person earning 1450 euro net per month live comfortably in Prague?

Thanks for share great information with us. I like your blog.

Dears,
How much would be an ideal pay scale for a Solution Architect with 14+ year of IT experience in CZ-Prague?
What are the tax slabs.

Any inputs are highly Appreciated.

Hi! Plan to move in Prague with my family (wife and 2 kids (1 Yr old and 2 Yr old) what supposed to be the salary income to survive? Will 2k euro net is enough?

Hi! I have an offer of 2000 Euro net. Plan to rent an apartment on Prague 6 or Prague 8. Will I survive on 2k Euro?

@ Anonymous on Aug 02, 2019 :

Now I understand better. As you said it though, moving from DE to CZ, no matter how you look at it, is a step backwards in many ways, regardless of earnings. Germany has a much more advanced social system, health system, infrastructure, quality of education etc. And as you mentioned it, prices in Czech Rep. are heating up A LOT in all areas, much more so than in neighboring Poland for example that also is seeing a good growth period but without the big inflationary aspects seen here.

Especially if you have a family or considering starting one soon, Germany would be more adequate IMO, and if you really want a change of scenery rather consider places like Switzerland, Netherlands or the Scandies.

Hello! My Name is Petr, im from Ukraine,Kiev. Im a nuclear engineer, live in my own flat with like 1K$ netto per month.
Now, I have a proposal to go to Prague with 35000 brutto, with the following increase during the year to 40000-45000. I think to rent a one-room studio for 10 thousands, live on the rest (26,000 will be net, I think).
Help me please to decide, ist it okay? In general, aftrer 5-8 years, they proposing for me 50000-55000 brutto.
I would like to travel minimally, go to the gym.
What do you think about that?

Hi Anonymous on Aug 05, 2019!

It is approx 1455 eur after taxes. You can use: https://salarycalc.eu/en/

Hi everyone! Its interesting to ready everyone's experience. I hope everyone has settled well and enjoyed staying in Czech Republic. I will be moving to Prague end of this year with family ( 2 adults + 2 very young kidds). NET INCOME OF 4k USD per month is it enough to have a normal life? I plan to rent apartment 2+1 in district 5,6 or 7. Thank you in advance for an advice.

@ Anonymous ”I said no did I made a mistake ?”

What's the point of asking now after you already said no? Have no idea what you said no, what your fallback plan is, what your expenses are, whether you are single or with family, etc. etc. , but independently of that, 3000 EUR to have as a net income is not shabby at all, nor would it put you up there with those living in the lap of luxury, for that you would need I would say at least 5-6k EUR net per month, and of course upwards of that the sky is the limit. Same as in London you probably need 20k/month for a glimpse of luxury living.

Hi Joseph

If you are coming here to retire, you would of course not be tied to live within Prague or surroundings for that matter. There's plenty of places within 45min-1hr of a train ride from Prague, where you can live in a house on that money, including the rent, however it would be a frugal life at best, no luxuries. If you would buy a house up front, which would be pretty cheap outside of Prague, in a rural area (something between around 40-50 000 EUR 1-1.25mil CZK would buy you a fixer upper with a plot), but within Prague...forget about it. Even if you had to buy a flat outright, assuming you can afford to spend around 250 000 USD for a 70-80 sqm. flat, which is at the low-end so it would not be a new property but an older flat, that 800 USD to live on, assuming you would have to pay health insurance and many other things as a non-Czech, and probably non-EU citizen too?, you would have very little left to "live" one out of that $800. Sadly, we met multiple US retirees here at expat get-togethers who were in the process of sorting out their Czech "exit" and either return to the US of move to some other country, because their dream retirement place has in the meantime seriously deteriorated and the small pension or savings that they came with here, to boost their quality of life considerably at the time, nowadays barely affords them a decent life. One notable exception was an elderly lady we met who, along with her now gone husband had the brilliant idea in 2001 when they moved here to scoop up multiple flats with the proceeds of the house they sold back in the US when they relocated, and now those 3 flats she has, plus the one she lives in, all within "old" Prague, Petrská čtvrť area, I'm sure altogether it's worth at least 1.5mio $, maybe more, not shabby at all and probably 7-800% return as they bought each in a bad state and renovated it.

The conclusion...no, Prague is far from being a cheap retirement location..think Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia, over there you bucks will go the furthest and probably quality of life is better than here.

Hello Saad

To be honest, 90000 CZK (equivalent of 4000 USD) would be very less if gross, and if net, it would be barely manageable for 6 people to live on, as in you would be in a real struggle.

Things to consider in your budget:
- minimum 30 000 CZK would go on rent, and I would say this is a happy case if you find a 3 or 4 bedroom apt, which I would assume is quite small still for a family with 3 kids + a grandmother to live in. Forget about any houses with garden or anything like that, for a house you would have to pay that entire salary
- the other expenses, what they call poplatky here (water, heating, refuse, etc.), plus electricity, internet, mobile phones will run you at least another 10 000 I would thing for a family of 6.
- transport, basic food shopping, without any going out, I would say maybe 15-20 000 for 6 at a rather frugal level with cooking at home, taking home-cooked food to work/school, etc.
- health insurance costs, don't know what your employer might cover, but I'm quite certain they will not cover all 6 of you, so factor in probably at least another 7-8000/month, which by the way is mandatory in some cases (as in the visa of your family members will depend on health insurance contributions)

So as you can see, without adding and casual or luxury expenses. I assume if coming from UAE hopefully the time spent there and the better pay has afforded you the possibility to accumulate some savings, so if you just want to spend 1-2 years in Prague and see how you'll get along it might be a good experience, but definitely consider doing some hard negotiating to try to increase your pay. If your spouse has an in-demand degree/occupation, then of course things could be a lot easier, if she can get at least a part-time, well paying job, although I don't know if she would be willing to do so with 3 children.

If you have a chance to consider offers from other locations, such as Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Scandinavia, definitely look at other options too, as Prague is very quickly becoming very expensive for local pay, and even locals are starting to leave in droves due to the big cut in quality of life with all these hikes, mainly in property prices/rents, but of course many other services followed suit, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of relief anytime soon.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

I make 53k/month net. Rent and util are around 22500/month. I have to pay around 11000/month bank loan in my homr country. So i am left with 19.500/month. I dont who said that Prague is cheap when it comes to going out for a simple coffee let's say. They charge for the milk if you ask for it. It's like my home country in the 2000 wtf. Anyway i started this journey because i wanted to see how it is to work in another country so i am stuck for 2 years but i am not sorry. Advice for new people thinking about moving to Prague, get ready for the language barier, few people speak english, which was a surprise for me. If you go to Romania, that some people call it the sh**** country in Europe, even in the supermarket the cashier speaks some enghlish and on the streer people dont treat like a piece of sh*** just because you are a foreigner.
For a city break Prague is beautiful but thats it. If you expect people to respect you as a foreigner dont even bother.

3 bedrooms apt. for 22k CZK? Good luck with finding one, even completely empty (unfurnished)

Why are utilities so shockingly expensive in Prague? I've just moved here and while the rent is quite high, I was more surprised to see the costs of the utilities, because it's basically more than what I was paying in London and checking comparisons here on Numbeo with other cities, it seems its even higher than Zurich!

I'm renting a not-very-big 2+1 flat as they call it here, its less than 70m2 altogether including a decent sized balcony, in a newer building, and I'm paying 4150 expenses per month, which they told me is prepayments and that it should be lowered a bit maybe after 1 year, as I'm just one person and previously the flat was occupied by a couple. But still, 4150 CZK is close to 150 quid or about 165 EUR, which seems excessively much - mind you the flat has no gym, pool or any of those amenities. And of course I'm paying for electricity and internet separately. The amounts for these expenses seem to vary quite widely, but overall I haven't seen much lower amounts then 2.5-3000 CZK/month. So my question to somebody that lives here longer is: who pockets all this money? Are the developers somehow clawing back some more money via some nonsense charges, or how exactly can such amounts be justified? Being very well insulated as I can see so far, I don't think there's too much heating needed that could explain this huge amount for "poplatky".