Living in Košice, Slovakia
Košice is a smaller inland city in Slovakia (under 250,000 people in the city proper). It has a cool climate, averaging 10°C over the year with about 613 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,547 a month to live centrally, and Slovakia sits in our low to medium tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Slovakia is possible, with conditions.
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- Est. cost
- €2,547
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 10°C
- 613 mm rain a year
- Size
- Smaller
- under 250,000 people
- Safety
- 74/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~90 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- outside free-movement blocs
What stands out about Košice
- Colder than 90% of the cities we track
Climate
Košice averages 10°C across the year with about 613 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 10% of the 1225 cities we track.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Slovakia has no passive-income or retirement visa; realistic self-funded routes are a temporary residence permit for business (sole trader or LLC managing director) or sponsor-based skilled employment (EU Blue Card / single permit), with EUR converted at 1.16 USD as of 2026-06-03.
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Slovakia:
- Investment: about $11k (Temporary residence for business (sole trader/zivnost, cheapest variant) requires proving liquid funds across two accounts: personal 12x subsistence minimum (EUR 3,409.56) plus business 20x (EUR 5,682.60), total EUR 9,092.16 held as a deposit; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Healthcare
Slovakia scores 62 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 31% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Slovakia.
Safety and stability
Slovakia scores 74 out of 100 on safety, safer than 67% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Slovakia. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,547 a month to live centrally in Košice, 7% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 66% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Language and culture
Main languages: Slovak. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 68 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Slovakia runs at about 90 Mbps, faster than 36% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Taxes
Slovakia sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Košice in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Questions couples ask about Košice
Is Košice a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Košice scores well on English. Expect a cool, moderately wet climate (10°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Košice and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Košice?
We estimate about €2,547 a month for a couple living centrally, 7% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Košice?
Slovakia is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Košice in their results.
Can foreigners live in Slovakia long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: possible, with conditions. Slovakia has no passive-income or retirement visa; realistic self-funded routes are a temporary residence permit for business (sole trader or LLC managing director) or sponsor-based skilled employment (EU Blue Card / single permit), with EUR converted at 1.16 USD as of 2026-06-03. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $11k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Košice?
Košice averages 10°C across the year with about 613 mm of rain, which makes it cool and moderately wet. It is warmer than 10% of the cities we track.
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