Poland’s economic progress is undeniable (albeit the same applies to much of Eastern Europe), but, unfortunately, so is the cost of living. According to IMF purchasing-power-adjusted figures, Polish workers have roughly the same spending power as their Belarusian and Russians counterparts. All three are ahed of the likes of Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and Slovakia, but considerably behind France, Spain, Italy and Germany. It's important to remember that nominal wages are only half the equation, because if wages rise 5%, in a given year, and inflation is 7% (for example), there's obviously no net gain for the ordinary person.