What a well-known vlogger discovered in the country that everyone gives as Romania's model: “I was terribly wrong”

The vlogger Cosmin Avram wanted to find out what Poland has in addition to Romania in order to always be given as an example. A visit to Krakow demonstrated to him that Poland's much higher figures also translate into reality.

Krakow is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. PHOTO: Unsplash

Poland and Romania gained their independence in 1989 and subsequently had to go through a difficult period of transition. The Poles, as well as the Hungarians and Czechs, fared much better, as the numbers showed. And if in the meantime Romania has recovered from the gap, the differences are still large at the macroeconomic level, where Poland is much more balanced.

The well-known Romanian vlogger Cosmin Avram has half a million followers on You Tube and has visited the whole world. The Romanian wanted to see with his own eyes what Poland has and Romania still lacks. On the streets of Krakow, the Romanian discovered why Poland is a model for Romanians and is given as an example every time.

Lower prices than in Romania

In the first few minutes of the clip, he presented a less beautified side of Krakow, noting that he wanted to show the reality, not just the tourist areas. Then he arrived at a local market, he was surprised by the cleanliness and the affordable prices.

“I made the mistake of getting fruit from the supermarket last night, it looks much better and cheaper here” was his conclusion, after which he gave some examples of prices. Tomatoes cost between 4 and 6 zlotys, eggplants (10 zlotys), peppers (13 zlotys). Also here, the Romanian also mentioned that the zloty is roughly equal to a Romanian leu. For comparison, in Romanian markets, a kilogram of quality tomatoes reaches 28 lei, and eggplants up to 20.

A charming city

Then followed the charming old center of Krakow, renowned. Here he also remembered Auschwitz, the place where Hitler's Germans trampled on everything that has human dignity and killed millions of Jews, Roma, and other people.

“The train from Auschwitz was late, even though it was new. But their infrastructure is far beyond what we have, you can see where the European money went“, added the Romanian.

In the Central Square and the Cloth Hall, and from here in the “Rynek Główny”, Cosmin was impressed by what he saw.

“This is the largest medieval market in Europe“, he pointed out, after which he passed several people, gathered in a silent protest for Ukraine.

Wawel Castle was revealed to him in all its beauty, and on this occasion he explained the role of the Polish kings and the legend of the dragon. Also in the area, he also found the statue of Pope John Paul II and explained its close connection with Krakow given the fact that he studied here.

He found the Kazimierz (Jewish) Quarter much less beautiful, where young people filled the buildings with graffiti.

“It doesn't look very good, it's full of graffiti and facades that are about to fall down”he also stated and explained that this was the heart of the Jewish community, and the unkempt areas are sometimes kept that way to preserve the historical atmosphere of the location where “Schindler's List” was filmed.

It was also here that he arrived at Oskar Schindler's factory, now turned into a museum, and paid 72 zlotys for two tickets, together with his partner

“I was expecting to see the factory itself, but it's more of a museum about the Nazi occupation. People don't learn from history, we see that some things are repeated today in other areas,” he said sadly.

“Poland is a top country”

Then, it was time for the first conclusions, as he walked along the banks of the Vistula: “Poland is a top country. In my mind, I thought they were below us, but I was sorely mistaken. They are way ahead in terms of roads, trains and civilization“, added the Romanian.

And because it was time for dinner, Cosmin stopped in a mall and ordered goulash, chicken with mushroom sauce, potatoes, cabbage salad and pirogi (coltunasi).

Final price – 111 zlotys (about 125 RON) for two huge portions (700g of food each) It seemed to him as reasonable as possible. “It tastes very good, much better than we expected”, he then stated, after which he came up with some conclusions saved for the end,

“People are educated, you don't see a cigarette butt on the floor,” he then referred to Poland's infrastructure. “It can be seen that massive investments have been made from European funds, the stations and railways are impeccable”Cosmin Avram pointed out.

What do the official figures say?

Since joining the EU in 2004, the growth of the Polish economy has averaged 4% per year. According to Deustche Welle, the Polish economy is currently going through a particularly favorable period. Its stock market is growing and the optimism that it will succeed in becoming one of the most robust and dynamic economies in the EU seems well-founded.

Unlike Romania, Poland has a population of 37 million people, almost double. Poland is the fifth largest in the European Union. From the perspective of the Gross Domestic Product, the economy of this country is among the top 20 in the world, a performance that Romania cannot even dream of. Prices are generally much lower than in Romania, evidenced by the fact that in supermarkets in the country there are many products, especially food, imported from Poland.

According to Economedia.ro, Poland was the biggest beneficiary of EU membership among the eastern member states that joined the EU bloc starting in 2004. During this period, its economy also recorded the third fastest growth among all 27 countries in the Union.

Poland's real GDP – a measure of economic output adjusted for price changes – doubled between 2004 and 2022. This was more than any of the other Central and Eastern European countries that joined the EU. Practically, according to ZF.ro, Poland is the champion of Europe in terms of economic growth.

Compared to Romania, Poland's economy is doing much better. Poles are not going through a period of austerity, and inflation is much lower and economic growth is higher. For comparison, in Romania the annual inflation rate reached 9.69% in December 2025, compared to the same month in 2024, according to data published on Wednesday, January 14, by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). In Poland, annual inflation is now below the central bank's target of 2.5%, which is four times lower than in Romania.

The well-being of Poles, something that Romanians can only dream of, is also due to the absorption of European funds. In 2022, Poland overtook Spain in the EU household wealth index, which takes into account differences in price levels between countries (known as purchasing power parity, or PPP).