But Poland's local economy is so cheap that I don't even count that as a factor. There are few comfortable places to live where you can buy bread for .30 USD a loaf, and Poland is one of them.

I'm also Russian and a lot of Polish food looks familiar to me. That's why it's a in my top three.

Polish cuisine feels great for my Russian stomach, though sometimes it's too spicy. But definitely much better than in SF =)

Biased, but try Bulgaria. IMHO currently only Bucharest can (somewhat) compete as a SW/startup hub in the region. HW is generally weak throughout the Balkans, though.

I've been working in Bucharest for a while, this place is toxic if you plan a start a family or long-lasting relations.

I can recommend it to anyone who's single, Balkan girls look great. Unfortunately, I'm married with kids =(

Why do you find it toxic for starting a family or long-lasting relationships? :/