I’d say spot on! I am an expat (from Bratislava) but have lived overseas for 13 years now (spent some time in the UK and now I live in Asia) ~ but from all the info I get from my brother (he’s in Bratislava) it’s a good estimate! I think he gets about €1100 after tax and both the rent and transport fee is as you mentioned. I’d also agree on the sentiment that Slovak people’s wage is okay but they definitely have to budget and plan ahead. I have been enjoying your videos a lot btw! It’s so rare to see foreigners living in Slovakia 🇸🇰
Hi @kn803x, that's awesome! It's really nice to see others living this kind of life too. Away from home, so to speak. I'm glad you've been enjoying the videos! I've been having a good time here in Slovakia :)
I think you nailed it perfectly. I can vouch for the prices you showed. Only difference is I think housing, since those numbers seemed to be skewed by the Bratislava region, where housing prices are a bit higher than in the rest of the Slovakia. While in Bratislava you can rent 1-bedroom appartment for yourself for around 550 euros, in Trencin where I live it could be for 400 - 450 euros and the more towards Košice you go, the cheaper it gets.
Nice! Glad to hear that what I said is accurate 😅 yeah that's something that I should've mentioned, is that overall in Slovakia, it's the most expensive in Bratislava, and that the further east/away from the capital you go, the cheaper it tends to get. Overall though, it's DEFINITELY more affordable than the states, especially California! Thanks for the comment!
Wow man ! I just discovered your channel, and the info are crystal clear. I may relocate to Slovakia soon and your channel content will definitely help. Keep going 👍 Regards from France 🇫🇷
having lived in Slovakia or Czech for over 30 years I can say cost of living is much less here. Two things better here than USA is family values are important and people make time for family. Also medical care is good and a small precentage of what would cost in USA. For less than $100 a month you can have full coverage and never see a medical bill. This is important for retirees especially.
That's definitely true, there is more emphasis on family values in Slovakia (good thing) compared to America, generally speaking. And yes healthcare in the U.S. can be outrageous.
I live in London but have been visiting Presov on a regular basis since 1998 and only last month the food shop in Presov was cheaper than a London shop but slowly the prices are creeping up. When Slovakia joined the Euro all the prices were rounded up to the nearest euro. Back in 1998 £1 was 70 crowns a beer was 12 crowns and coffee & cake was 39 crowns. Going to Starbucks in Presov is London prices and Slovaks are not earning UK wages so be very hard to get by.
I haven't been to Presov yet but that's very cool that you've been going there since '98. Surprising that ONLY last month that food shop has become cheaper...but yeah prices in Bratislava have been creeping up for months and months as well. Personally, I don't think being a part of the EU has all of these great benefits for Slovakia, I'm hoping someday that Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, and Hungary will leave and finally create their Visegrad Four! Maybe someday heh P.S. I would never recommend going to Starbucks for anyone in any country, imo it's overpriced crap coffee...there are plenty of cafes in Slovakia, many of which do to-go orders.
And just to add I’ve moved from London to Bratislava and Bratislava is full blown London prices and I dare to say groceries are same as in London considering the salaries here it’s mad to think this is reality.
Some things there like groceries are about the same as here in San Antonio Tx . Dozen eggs recently went up to about $3 potatoes are about $3 five pounds and milk 1/2 gallon best price $2 . Good premium beer brands in supermarkets here are much more like $10-11 a six pack. And the euro is kinda close to USD worth . Most kinds of meat are more expensive here. They start at that price depending on beef cuts. The ground beef cost about $4-5 a pound. Steak cuts are more like from $6-9 a pound. Pork can be had for much less like under $4 a pound. Chicken quarters can be very cheap at just over $1 a pound.
I go to Croatia every summer , prices of everything doubled after Croatia switched to Euro , it used to be very affordable , now not so much … gas is almost $9 per gallon, cigarets are $5 per pack , in the summer is even worse , one scoop of ice cream was about $4 last summer … Slovakia may be different, Croatia is big tourist destination, and they’re ripping off everyone left and right , especially in the summer on the coast …
Both prices and wages are higher than I thought, but especially prices. Those are almost the same prices as in Sweden, maybe not Stockholm, but pretty much the rest of the country.
Renting in Slovakia is quite pricey relative to wages but then renting isn't that popular as over 90% of Slovaks live in their own home and most of those people never had a mortgage so their monthly expenses aren't that high in the end. It's definitely much harder for regular Americans or Brits to afford housing than it is for Slovaks living in Slovakia. You won't see towns filled with homeless people in Slovakia but in many Western countries, this has been an issue for a while. Btw things like clothing/electronics are cheaper in the US than Slovakia. Also, land (that you can build on) is cheaper in the US where you have a lot more available space. The price per sq. ft to build a new house is higher in Slovakia. There are pros and cons on both sides :)
That's actually very insightful, I hadn't thought about that. I'm very much used to renting, as most people (35 or younger I'd say) rent a place instead of purchasing a home because, well, it's so expensive in the U.S. Homelessness is definitely a big problem in the urban parts of the U.S., 100% The issue with housing even started happening in my home area, Sonoma County. It was getting crazy for a while. I should've also mentioned electronics, that's something that I've noticed is more expensive here actually. I appreciate your comment! It's helping give me enough insights to consider doing a shorter pt 2 video sometime!
@@nicksterba Slovaks dislike renting so much that it's common for us to live with our parents until laste 20s sometimes even early 30s just to avoid renting while saving enough money to buy our own home, although this is more common in Eastern part of country than it is in the Western part. Yeah, the difference in prices of electronics can be quite big (the gap used to be bigger). I remember people flying to New York to get a new iPhone because it was still cheaper than buying it in Slovakia even when you included the price of plane tickets, haha
I would add, that the argument of "renting makes workforce be more mobile" is kinda screwed in here. Renting in itself is not such a bad thing, but main point is to own a home/apartment. When you need to go for year or more somewhere for a job, you rent your place, then you rent something there to have a place to live in. And if you decide to move to that place in the end, you can sell your current real estate and buy a new one, as your own will probaly appreciate in value too, so you are not getting screwed by inflation. Many people also own say 2 bedroom apartment, then kids happen, they sell apartment, take a mortgage and buy house. But since they have that starting point of already owning an apartment that appreciated, the mortgage is not that big.
I have never lived in a rented flat. We with my wife have been living in our own flat here in Bratislava since we married. Thanks to the help of our families, of course. As a young couple, we could not afford to buy a new flat from our own resources. And as our parents helped us, we helped our children with their own flats. So if you don't pay a mortgage, the cost of living in Slovakia is not too high. With paying a mortgage, the costs of living compared to renting a flat equals. The basic disadvantage of flat ownership is a decreased mobility. There are people having a flat/house in a region with high unemployment, but they prefer to stay than to move somewhere where they would get a job immediately, like e.g. in Bratislava...
you must be in bratislava or kosice, most of (eastern, to include kosice) slovakia is on minimum of 400-500 euros per month. the prices you are saying are double what they are reporting. also finding a job in slovakia is extremely difficult even as a native. ive known people looking for a job for 2+ yrs that are native/ and native speaker and they still cant find a job even at the most basic level
Hey@@DeryantonioSimbolon , it depends on your lifestyle, and what kind of place you will live in (having roommates is cheaper obviously) but imo 1500€ a month is plenty. That would be enough for rent, food, and going out here and there. Wish you the best man 🤙
The prices in Bratislava are definetly more than it shows in thenlist 🙂.And normaly u will get a kid porsion of food at the restaurant...Today I got at vietnamesse porsion for 40 kg kid and paid 8 euro...so ok prices are maybe halp but the amount of food is also halp 🙂many times.Here seems to be cheaper but amany times u eill find behind it something.Like the kid porsion of food or menu dor 45 kg woman for 7 euro 🙂If i want to eat as a 85 kg man i have to buy at least double...
Well we Americans know full well that Cali is notoriously much more expensive than much of the rest of America. Stop scaring Slovakians 😂. Here in San Antonio Tx rent could be for one person much less than $1500 like less than half that . Meal like dinner or lunch can be lil more expensive than there starting at $8-12 per person. Without drinks . 🍹 gas or petrol can be vary a lot depending on location and the market fluctuations anywhere from very low $2.25 to almost $2.70 a gallon.
Yeah, I couldn't stand it anymore in California, hence why I left! Someday when I come back to the U.S., I will be seriously considering moving to Texas. Sounds more affordable than Cali that's for sure!
Please I want to study in Slovakia and I am in search of financial aid and scholarship. Kindly help me with any information to enable me study as I cannot afford it.
I will look into it and will do a video on education & finacial aid opportunities in Slovakia, though I have a few videos planned first. It may be a little while before I do this education video, but it will come out. Stay tuned :)