Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kharkiv and Poltava

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharkiv: $722 a month against $786 in Poltava, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Kharkiv
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Kharkiv Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Poltava
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Poltava Living Index

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Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$722

/mo nomad

Poltava

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kharkiv and in Poltava

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kharkiv and in Poltava actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $722 per month in Kharkiv vs $786 in Poltava, rent included.

Kharkiv $722
Poltava $786

A couple spends around $1,072 per month in Kharkiv vs $1,005 in Poltava, rent included.

Kharkiv $1,072
Poltava $1,005

A family of three spends $1,421 per month in Kharkiv vs $1,225 in Poltava, rent included.

Kharkiv $1,421
Poltava $1,225

Kharkiv is about 8% cheaper than Poltava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kharkiv and Poltava are more affordable than the global median – Kharkiv 47% lower, Poltava 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.54 ₴298

$5.39 ₴246

21.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.03 ₴1,369

$32.94 ₴1,502

-8.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 ₴220

$7.71 ₴352

-37.48%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₴75.0

$1.70 ₴77.7

-3.53%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 ₴47.63

$0.72 ₴32.82

44.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₴22.64

$0.54 ₴24.48

-7.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₴43.96

$0.95 ₴43.52

1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₴76.0

$1.99 ₴90.9

-16.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 ₴49.56

$1.12 ₴50.9

-2.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 ₴31.07

$0.75 ₴34.29

-9.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ₴55.7

$1.44 ₴65.4

-15.28%

Eggs

$1.65 ₴75.1

$2.04 ₴93.0

-19.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 ₴380

$9.55 ₴435

-12.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₴186

$5.28 ₴241

-22.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.14 ₴326

$6.50 ₴296

9.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.33 ₴60.5

$1.21 ₴55.3

9.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 ₴68.9

$1.49 ₴67.8

1.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₴71.5

$1.78 ₴81.0

-11.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ₴95.9

$1.34 ₴60.9

56.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 ₴32.93

$0.42 ₴19.22

71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 ₴24.76

$0.27 ₴12.44

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ₴54.9

$1.44 ₴65.5

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₴27.30

$0.61 ₴27.77

-1.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 ₴124

$3.30 ₴150

-17.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.32 ₴197

$4.81 ₴219

-10.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₴37.86

$0.79 ₴36.02

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₴54.5

$1.36 ₴62.1

-12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₴21.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.07 ₴1,326

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ₴61.2

$2.16 ₴98.4

-37.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₴14.54

$0.45 ₴20.70

-28.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.13 ₴97.3

$4.68 ₴214

-54.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 ₴82.1

$1.42 ₴64.7

26.76%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.3K ₴1.4M

$30.1K ₴1.4M

0.66%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.7K ₴1.1M

$24.4K ₴1.1M

-2.80%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$95.7 ₴4,365

$60.6 ₴2,764

57.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$5.93 ₴271

$4.97 ₴227

19.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.78 ₴309

$4.66 ₴212

45.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.11 ₴1,099

$28.05 ₴1,279

-14.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.50 ₴616

$7.30 ₴333

84.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.62 ₴211

$3.00 ₴137

54.00%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$274 ₴12.5K

$279 ₴12.7K

-1.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,659 ₴121.2K

$14.8K ₴673.7K

-82.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 ₴2,529

$62.4 ₴2,847

-11.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.95 ₴1,913

$39.59 ₴1,805

5.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 ₴4,007

$64.5 ₴2,940

36.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 ₴4,745

$84.3 ₴3,842

23.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 ₴12.5K

$303 ₴13.8K

-9.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 ₴8,551

$265 ₴12.1K

-29.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 ₴22.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$206 ₴9,381

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,043 ₴47.5K

$1,202 ₴54.8K

-13.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$595 ₴27.1K

$826 ₴37.7K

-27.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$516 ₴23.5K

$416 ₴19.0K

24.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.89

17.88

0.06%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kharkiv: October 27, 2026

Last update for Poltava: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Kharkiv

$188 26%

Poltava

$265 33.8% 41.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Kharkiv

$159 22%

Poltava

$167 21.3% 5.1% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Kharkiv

$130 18%

Poltava

$113 14.4% 13.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kharkiv

$108 15%

Poltava

$70 8.9% 35.2% $38

Eating Out

Kharkiv

$101 14%

Poltava

$101 12.8% 0.3% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Kharkiv

$33 4.6%

Poltava

$34 4.3% 2.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Kharkiv

$2.9 * 0.4%

Poltava

$35 4.5% 1103% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Kharkiv versus $303 in Poltava. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Kharkiv, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Kharkiv versus $33 in Poltava. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $159 vs $167 – making Kharkiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇦 Kharkiv

🇺🇦 Poltava

🕒 Local time

18:24 6:24 PM

Same time as Kharkiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,447,652

297,600

💱 Currency

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 UAH = 2.19 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

100 UAH = 2.19 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kharkiv Poltava 130 km

From you

Kharkiv
Poltava

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kharkiv vs Poltava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Poltava costs about 9% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,083 per month in Kharkiv and $1,178 in Poltava. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kharkiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $303 in Poltava.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Kharkiv and $33 in Poltava. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Poltava, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Kharkiv has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $722 in Kharkiv to $786 in Poltava. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.