A must or a luxury? How much do services cost in Poland?

TAILOR / DRESSMAKER
Sewing a suit can cost even 50 000 zl! A hand-sewn shirt costs about 300 zl. It’s a luxury. But if you need a wedding gown, you can have it cheaper from a dressmaker (about 1200 zl) than from a shop.

HAIRDRESSER
This is the most unfair and sexist service. A man spends about 20 – 30 zl to have his hair cut. The woman, to have her hair dyed (or with highlights) and cut has to spend 200-300 on average! And waste five hours! The prices can be even higher – when the hairdresser is called a stylist. They can be lower sometimes, too. It is possible to find a hairdressing salon in Warsaw offering highlights on long hair for 100 zl only! If you are afraid to pay too much, always ask before the service how much it will cost. And be careful: the cosmetics your hairdresser will offer are also expensive!

MOVING COMPANY
Moving is expensive and it usually depends on four things: the number of goods we have to carry, the distance, assembling and special conditions (for example the floor if there’s no lift). The price also depends on the number of people engaged. Example: a moving van + three men – 20 zl + 110 per hour, but not less than two hours. So if you have a few heavy pieces of furniture and you are not moving in to a flat nearby, it will cost you about 300 zl. Or more.

LAUNDRY
The price lists will differ, but washing and dry-cleaning becomes cheaper.
For example: dry-cleaning: a hat 7 – 8 zl, a cassock 15 – 25 zl, fur (short) about 35 zl, wedding gown 60 –120 zl. Ironing is usually half of the price of cleaning. Washing your clothes in a launderette is about 20 zl for 10 kilos of clothes. You might not know that but linen press still exists and costs about 3 – 4.5 zl/kilo. If you wash and press your bed linen, the price will be about 10 zl/kilo.

SHOEMAKER
A huge distance between the cheap shoemaker from the corner who will repair your heal for 5 – 10 zl and the famous Kielman shoemaker (since 1883!) who will make you the best shoes in the world for not less than 1900 zl. This price is for Polish veal leather. Extra charge for imported leather (e.g. France or Italy)
– 200 – 300 zl, ostrich leather – 700 zl, alligator – 2400, shark or ray
– 900, snake 400 (that’s cheap!). You’ll wait about 3-6 weeks.

CLEANING LADY
It depends. You can pay 10 zl/hour, or for example 50 zl to clean a flat and about 80 –100 zl to clean a big house.

LIBRARY
Fortunately this is still for free! The pleasure of taking three-four books and not paying for them is probably one of the best in the world.

 

Improve your vocabulary!

tailor – krawiec męski
dressmaker – krawiec damski
sew – szyć
gown – ubiór
cut – obciąć
dye – farbować
highlights – pasemka
move – przeprowadzka, przeprowadzać się
moving van – bagażówka do przewozu mebli
price list – cennik
assemble – montować
shoemaker – szewc
extra charge – dopłata
ostrich – struś
alligator – aligator
shark – rekin
ray – płaszczka
snake – wąż
dry cleaner’s – pralnia chemiczna
laundry – pralnia
launderette – pralnia samoobsługowa
wash – prać
dry-clean – prać chemicznie
fur – futro
cassock – sutanna
iron – prasować
linen press – magiel
press – maglować
watchmaker – zagarmistrz
heal – obcas