Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kharkiv and Sumy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kharkiv: $722 a month against $941 in Sumy, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Kharkiv, Ukraine
Sumy, Ukraine
Kharkiv
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$722
/mo nomad
Sumy
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$941
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kharkiv and in Sumy

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 Sumy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $722 per month in Kharkiv vs $941 in Sumy, rent included.

  • Kharkiv $722
  • Sumy $941

A couple spends around $1,072 per month in Kharkiv vs $1,610 in Sumy, rent included.

  • Kharkiv $1,072
  • Sumy $1,610

A family of three spends $1,421 per month in Kharkiv vs $2,279 in Sumy, rent included.

  • Kharkiv $1,421
  • Sumy $2,279

Kharkiv is about 23% cheaper than Sumy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kharkiv and Sumy are more affordable than the global median – Kharkiv 47% lower, Sumy 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.54 ₴298
$10.89 ₴496
-39.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.03 ₴1,367
$32.99 ₴1,502
-8.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.82 ₴219
$7.49 ₴341
-35.65%
Cappuccino
$1.64 ₴74.8
$1.80 ₴81.7
-8.89%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 ₴47.56
$0.78 ₴35.63
33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 ₴22.60
$0.53 ₴24.28
-5.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.96 ₴43.90
$1.33 ₴60.7
-27.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 ₴75.9
$1.94 ₴88.4
-13.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 ₴49.48
$1.27 ₴58.1
-14.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.68 ₴31.02
$0.84 ₴38.32
-19.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 ₴55.6
$1.42 ₴64.8
-14.08%
Eggs
$1.65 ₴75.0
$1.95 ₴88.6
-15.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.34 ₴380
$10.13 ₴461
-17.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.07 ₴185
$5.29 ₴241
-23.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.14 ₴325
$8.46 ₴385
-15.60%
Apples (1kg)
$1.33 ₴60.4
$1.18 ₴53.7
12.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.51 ₴68.8
$1.51 ₴68.6
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 ₴71.4
$1.81 ₴82.3
-13.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.10 ₴95.8
$2.69 ₴122
-21.93%
Potato (1kg)
$0.72 ₴32.88
$0.58 ₴26.53
24.14%
Onion (1kg)
$0.54 ₴24.72
$0.44 ₴20.12
22.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 ₴54.8
$1.48 ₴67.4
-18.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ₴27.26
$0.59 ₴26.89
1.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.72 ₴124
$2.85 ₴130
-4.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.32 ₴197
$5.47 ₴249
-21.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 ₴37.80
$0.85 ₴38.84
-2.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.19 ₴54.4
$0.96 ₴43.65
23.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.32 ₴14.42
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$9.23 ₴420
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.34 ₴61.1
$2.20 ₴100
-39.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 ₴14.52
$0.46 ₴20.95
-30.43%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.13 ₴97.2
$4.20 ₴191
-49.29%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 ₴82.0
$1.57 ₴71.5
14.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.3K ₴1.4M
$30.6K ₴1.4M
-0.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K ₴1.1M
$24.1K ₴1.1M
-1.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95.7 ₴4,358
$99.1 ₴4,510
-3.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.93 ₴270
$6.80 ₴310
-12.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.78 ₴309
$6.53 ₴297
3.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.11 ₴1,098
$30.27 ₴1,378
-20.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.50 ₴615
$20.95 ₴954
-35.56%
Cinema Ticket
$4.62 ₴210
$3.60 ₴164
28.33%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$274 ₴12.5K
$229 ₴10.4K
19.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,659 ₴121.0K
$15.0K ₴682.6K
-82.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.5 ₴2,525
$71.7 ₴3,262
-22.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.95 ₴1,910
$30.39 ₴1,384
38.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 ₴4,001
$94.6 ₴4,306
-7.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104 ₴4,738
$116 ₴5,264
-9.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$274 ₴12.5K
$544 ₴24.8K
-49.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 ₴8,538
$303 ₴13.8K
-38.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$496 ₴22.6K
$992 ₴45.2K
-50.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$206 ₴9,366
$822 ₴37.4K
-74.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,043 ₴47.5K
$1,081 ₴49.2K
-3.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$595 ₴27.1K
$845 ₴38.5K
-29.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kharkiv
Sumy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$516 ₴23.5K
$378 ₴17.2K
36.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.89
15.9
12.52%

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

Last update for Kharkiv: October 27, 2026

Last update for Sumy: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kharkiv
$188
Sumy
$303 61.6% $116
Groceries & Markets
Kharkiv
$159
Sumy
$185 16.6% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Kharkiv
$130
Sumy
$141 7.9% $10
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kharkiv
$108
Sumy
$112 3.6% $4
Eating Out
Kharkiv
$101
Sumy
$147 45.8% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Kharkiv
$33
Sumy
$37 12.4% $4.1
Getting Around
Kharkiv
$2.9 *
Sumy
$15 410% $12

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 $544 in Sumy. 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 37% 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 Sumy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $159 vs $185 – making Kharkiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇦 Kharkiv
🇺🇦 Sumy
🕒 Local time
13:39 1:39 PM
13:39 1:39 PM
Same time as Kharkiv
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,447,652
267,633
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 45.53 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.81 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kharkiv Sumy 140 km
From you
  • Kharkiv
  • Sumy

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 Sumy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kharkiv or Sumy?
Sumy costs about 30% more than Kharkiv, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kharkiv and in Sumy?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,083 per month in Kharkiv and $1,411 in Sumy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Kharkiv or Sumy?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kharkiv, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $544 in Sumy.
How do dining costs compare in Kharkiv and in Sumy?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Kharkiv and $33 in Sumy. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Kharkiv or in Sumy?
Groceries cost about 17% more in Sumy, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Kharkiv or in Sumy?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kharkiv, where all-in costs run around $722, than in Sumy at $941. In Kharkiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sumy it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Kharkiv or Sumy?
It depends on your priorities. Kharkiv has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $722 in Kharkiv to $941 in Sumy. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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