Warsaw - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
We had an apartment south of downtown Warsaw. My commute was about 30 minutes by bus, and I thought it was very convenient and easy to navigate. We had a European-style apartment which generally was roomy with decent storage. However, we had two new children during our stay and the apartment was very cramped by the time we left. - Oct 2021
Housing is really nice. In my opinion, there are a few duds in the mix but overall most are nice large houses and large apartments. Houses in the middle living area and houses further out all have gated yards. Some yards are smaller but nonetheless they were all fenced. - Jan 2021
Housing was provided by the embassy. Many diplomatic families live in houses in a commuter district of Warsaw. From the city center, it's a 20-40 min drive (depending on traffic), 40-min bus or 30-min bike ride. Younger and/or single diplomats may prefer to live in an apartment closer to the city center.. There are many new/modern condo-style apartments available. Housing is generally larger and newer than what you would expect in most other European capitals (a consequence of Warsaw being completely destroyed in WWII and therefore "recently" rebuilt). - Sep 2019
Best housing in six overseas assignments! Sunny, spacious, well-built townhouse with good storage. Zero complaints! Some neighborhoods (e.g. Wilanow) had older homes with more infrastructure issues, but most housing in Ursynow and Konstancin were newer construction with fewer issues. The commute on public transportation was a stress-free 25-30 minutes door-to-door. Traffic when driving was usually pretty painless, too. Some rush hour congestion, but not too bad. The garage in our house was a little narrow for our SUV, so I had to "suck it in" when getting in and out of the car when it was in the garage, but is that really a complaint? - May 2018
A townhouse. Solid construction. Gated compound with a small yard, but plenty of room in the residence. Mix of expats and Polish families. - Apr 2018
Many apartments here. Singles live in apartments. Many people like to live near public transportation.
We live in an average single family-size house near the American School of Warsaw so my children walk to school. The drive is about 1/2 hour to the US embassy. You can get a bigger home in Ursynow, but it is duplex-style and the kids have to commute to school. - Dec 2016
Diplomats and other expats are spread out, mostly from the center of the city going southward to the suburbs of Wilanow and Konstancjin. The American school is located in Konstancjin, so many families live there, although that is not the only school that expats use, by any means. The houses are big out in that area.
We live in Srodmiescie, very close to the American embassy. It is a ten-minute walk for us. If you live Konstancjin, I hear the commute by car can be up to 45 minutes each way. It really is a long way outside the city. Public transportation is good, but takes longer than driving because it is primarily buses going out to the suburbs.
Other popular suburbs for families (Mokotow, Wilanow, Sadyba, etc.) are basically located between Konstancjin and the city center. Singles and couples tend to live closer in, as we do, in apartments.
In general, there are a lot of options for housing, even for American embassy families, so you just have to balance factors like commutes, yards, size of the houses, etc. and figure out what works for your family.
- Mar 2016
Some downtown apartments (some within walking distance of the embassy), but most are in housing compounds farther from the city center. Houses and apartments are spacious by European standards and accessible by public transportation. House have small yards. - Sep 2015
Warsaw housing mostly consists of apartments and townhouses, with a sprinkling of single-family homes in the outer suburbs where a lot of expats live. You have the whole spectrum to choose from. Yards/gardens are generally small though since space is at a premium. There are many great apartments in the central part of the city, though they tend to be on the smaller side and don't offer a lot of closet space. If you want bigger you must be prepared to pay for it. As mentioned, most expats (typically those with families) choose to live in the outer suburbs such as Wilanow, Ursynow and Konstancin since it's closer to the American School. Traffic can be heavy during peak rush hours in the morning or evenings but otherwise it's not too bad. I've had to live with much worse traffic in the Washington, DC area and New York City! - Nov 2014
The Embassy provides nice housing. They have a mix multi-level townhouses, single family homes, large apartments. They can be choppy layouts with little closet space, but they are comfortable. If your housing is not provided by your employer be aware Warsaw is one of the most expensive cities in Europe for real estate. Apartments are small and expensive. - Feb 2012
Lots of apartment complexes, befitting an eastern European city. Some duplexes or single families in a few upscale areas around town (Mokotow, Wilanow, Konstancin). Commutes are usually pretty reasonable (within 45 min) for most areas of town via bus, metro, or car. - Nov 2011
Townhouse. 20-30 minutes commute. - Aug 2011
I love the city centre where I have a rather nice large apartment. The commute to work is about 20 minutes or so, which is perfect. I can walk to work as well, which is also nice. - Aug 2011
A lot of common-wall housing (like townhouses in the US). - Mar 2011
Houses are townhouse styles. The U.S. Embassy community has different styles from apartments to full houses. - Jan 2011
Accommodations range from smaller, new apartments in the centre of town, to larger, older-style houses farther out. Communte time really depends on whether you want to be closer to town or farther away, but it's not a big city, and for most it would be less than 20 minutes. Generally the standard of accommodation for internationals is excellent. - Dec 2010
Embassy housing varies. Many couples and singles have great apartments in or near the center but others get stuck out in the suburbs. Most families are either in a compound in Ursynow or near the American School in Konstancin. - Feb 2010
Housing ranges from modern apartments in the center of town to multi-level townhouses (for those with kids) on the outskirts of town near the school. Singles and couples without kids tend to have apartments. Of all the places we have served, we have found our housing here to be the best we ever had. - Aug 2009
Housing is very generous, in my opinion. It is a mix of townhouses and large apartments. All are solidly made and in great condition. They have very small yards for the most part. Housing is located in Ursynow and Wilanow for families with kids and in Centrum for singles and couples. Commute times vary and lots of embassy folks ride their bikes when the weather is fine. - Jun 2008
Singles and couples without kids normally get apartments within a 10-minute bus ride from the Embassy. Families with children tend to get housing further away near the International School. - Apr 2008
Housing is big (several stories) for families and small for singles. But both are nice and modern. Many singles live downtown and families farther out, near the school, ASW. - Feb 2008
