Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyiv and Secunda

For one person, living costs are similar in Kyiv and in Secunda: $1,009 and $1,027 a month, rent and utilities included.

Kyiv
🇺🇦 Ukraine
$1,009
/mo nomad
Secunda
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,027
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kyiv and in Secunda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,009 in Kyiv versus $1,027 in Secunda.

  • Kyiv $1,009
  • Secunda $1,027

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,576 in Kyiv versus $1,667 in Secunda.

  • Kyiv $1,576
  • Secunda $1,667

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,142 in Kyiv versus $2,306 in Secunda.

  • Kyiv $2,142
  • Secunda $2,306

Living in Kyiv costs roughly 2% less than in Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kyiv 26% lower, Secunda 24% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.05 ₴496
$6.20 R 102
78.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.49 ₴1,503
$30.52 R 503
9.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.72 ₴347
$5.22 R 86.0
47.89%
Cappuccino
$1.74 ₴78.2
$2.27 R 37.42
-23.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 ₴32.69
$0.81 R 13.38
-9.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₴26.63
$0.51 R 8.33
15.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.35 ₴60.8
$1.07 R 17.59
26.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 ₴90.9
$1.38 R 22.72
46.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 ₴60.4
$1.16 R 19.14
15.52%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 ₴39.81
$0.87 R 14.33
2.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 ₴64.3
$1.84 R 30.33
-22.28%
Eggs
$1.99 ₴89.3
$2.43 R 40.04
-18.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.15 ₴456
$8.53 R 141
18.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.40 ₴242
$4.88 R 80.4
10.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.95 ₴402
$7.11 R 117
25.88%
Apples (1kg)
$1.24 ₴55.7
$1.75 R 28.78
-29.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.55 ₴69.5
$1.68 R 27.69
-7.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 ₴81.6
$1.80 R 29.60
1.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.68 ₴120
$1.65 R 27.15
62.42%
Potato (1kg)
$0.63 ₴28.44
$1.12 R 18.50
-43.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.45 ₴20.10
$1.18 R 19.52
-61.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.50 ₴67.3
$1.24 R 20.38
20.97%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ₴29.24
$1.30 R 21.48
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.48 ₴156
$3.35 R 55.3
3.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.69 ₴256
$5.01 R 82.6
13.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 ₴41.62
$1.53 R 25.21
-39.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 ₴61.9
$1.92 R 31.66
-28.13%
🚌 Getting Around
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 ₴31.03
$1.37 R 22.65
-49.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.17 ₴502
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.21 ₴99.1
$0.29 R 4.74
662.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.45 ₴20.42
$0.76 R 12.51
-40.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.84 ₴217
$14.36 R 237
-66.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.76 ₴79.0
$1.57 R 25.85
12.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K ₴1.4M
$35.7K R 587.4K
-14.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.4K ₴1.1M
$35.5K R 584.4K
-28.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.5 ₴4,467
$156 R 2,569
-36.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.91 ₴310
$38.00 R 626
-81.82%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.67 ₴299
$37.12 R 612
-82.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.15 ₴1,623
$32.65 R 538
10.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.24 ₴819
$10.92 R 180
67.03%
Cinema Ticket
$5.54 ₴248
$7.33 R 121
-24.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$410 ₴18.4K
$91.7 R 1,510
347.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ₴675.1K
$5,457 R 89.9K
175.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.3 ₴3,378
$54.3 R 895
38.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.20 ₴1,805
$32.82 R 541
22.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.6 ₴4,246
$94.2 R 1,553
0.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 ₴5,264
$82.6 R 1,360
42.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$632 ₴28.4K
$403 R 6,638
56.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$342 ₴15.4K
$324 R 5,336
5.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,285 ₴57.7K
$708 R 11.7K
81.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 ₴28.0K
$841 R 13.8K
-25.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,707 ₴121.5K
$839 R 13.8K
222.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,118 ₴50.2K
$602 R 9,912
85.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kyiv
Secunda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$828 ₴37.2K
$1,466 R 24.2K
-43.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17.88
11.34
57.67%

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

Last update for Kyiv: October 18, 2026

Last update for Secunda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kyiv
$342
Secunda
$324 5.4% $18
Groceries & Markets
Kyiv
$192
Secunda
$191 0.6% $1.1
Eating Out
Kyiv
$149
Secunda
$106 28.7% $43
Clothing & Footwear
Kyiv
$147
Secunda
$119 19.4% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kyiv
$113
Secunda
$231 104% $118
Sport & Entertainment
Kyiv
$47
Secunda
$47 0.2% $0.1
Getting Around
Kyiv
$18
Secunda
$9.6 * 48% $8.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $632 in Kyiv and $403 in Secunda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Secunda pays 77% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $33.00 in Kyiv vs $31.00 in Secunda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $191 per month, with Secunda cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇦 Kyiv
🇿🇦 Secunda
🕒 Local time
19:05 7:05 PM
18:05 6:05 PM
1 h behind Kyiv
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,908,249 Capital
40,198
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 44.89 UAH (100 UAH = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 50.46 UAH (100 UAH = 1.98 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kyiv Secunda 8,560 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kyiv
  • Secunda

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
Kyiv vs Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Secunda cheaper than Kyiv?
Kyiv is cheaper overall, especially in leisure and utilities. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Kyiv or Secunda?
On paper, salaries run 77% lower in Secunda. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Kyiv and Secunda?
Rent for a central apartment: $632 in Kyiv versus $403 in Secunda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $410 in Kyiv versus $91.7 in Secunda. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Kyiv or in Secunda?
Dining out is cheaper in Kyiv – a meal for two runs $33.00 versus $31.00 in Secunda. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Kyiv or in Secunda?
At $1,009 in Kyiv versus $1,027 in Secunda, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kyiv but tight or insufficient in Secunda. The gap between the two cities makes Kyiv the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Kyiv or Secunda more family-friendly?
For families, Kyiv is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Secunda, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Kyiv gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Secunda. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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