Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kyiv and Ulyanovsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulyanovsk: $954 a month against $996 in Kyiv, rent and utilities included – about $500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Kyiv
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Kyiv Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
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Ulyanovsk Living Index

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Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$996

/mo nomad

Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kyiv and in Ulyanovsk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Kyiv versus $954 in Ulyanovsk.

Kyiv $996
Ulyanovsk $954

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,575 in Kyiv versus $1,464 in Ulyanovsk.

Kyiv $1,575
Ulyanovsk $1,464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,153 in Kyiv versus $1,975 in Ulyanovsk.

Kyiv $2,153
Ulyanovsk $1,975

Living in Kyiv is roughly 4% more expensive than in Ulyanovsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kyiv 27% lower, Ulyanovsk 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.78 ₴491

$8.53 ₽687

26.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.91 ₴1,499

$31.09 ₽2,504

5.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.54 ₴343

$6.57 ₽529

14.76%

Cappuccino

$1.81 ₴82.3

$2.30 ₽185

-21.30%

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

$0.76 ₴34.82

$0.89 ₽71.9

-14.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₴26.69

$0.36 ₽29.31

63.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 ₴60.9

$1.87 ₽151

-28.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₴90.7

$1.92 ₽154

3.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 ₴60.9

$1.07 ₽86.2

25.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 ₴37.70

$0.61 ₽48.87

36.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 ₴67.8

$1.07 ₽85.9

39.25%

Eggs

$2.03 ₴92.6

$1.47 ₽118

38.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.09 ₴460

$14.95 ₽1,204

-32.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 ₴233

$7.51 ₽605

-31.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.65 ₴394

$7.56 ₽609

14.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ₴55.2

$1.57 ₽126

-22.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₴71.1

$1.64 ₽132

-4.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 ₴83.9

$4.11 ₽331

-55.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 ₴123

$5.02 ₽404

-46.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₴26.22

$1.49 ₽120

-61.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 ₴20.45

$0.80 ₽64.2

-43.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 ₴67.5

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₴29.25

$0.58 ₽46.66

10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₴153

$3.02 ₽243

10.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 ₴247

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₴41.50

$1.13 ₽90.9

-19.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₴61.5

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₴31.24

$0.48 ₽38.50

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.38 ₴564

$29.80 ₽2,400

-58.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.21 ₴100

$3.73 ₽301

-40.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ₴20.69

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 ₴214

$3.77 ₽304

24.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 ₴82.7

$0.88 ₽70.5

106.82%

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

$30.9K ₴1.4M

$54.8K ₽4.4M

-43.50%

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

$25.2K ₴1.1M

$42.1K ₽3.4M

-40.18%

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

$96.8 ₴4,409

$146 ₽11.8K

-33.77%

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

$6.86 ₴312

$4.97 ₽400

38.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.30 ₴287

$14.51 ₽1,168

-56.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.13 ₴1,691

$37.11 ₽2,989

0.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 ₴821

$24.68 ₽1,987

-26.90%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 ₴255

$8.73 ₽703

-35.85%

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

$424 ₴19.3K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ₴688.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.2 ₴3,333

$31.46 ₽2,534

132.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.13 ₴1,781

$36.52 ₽2,941

7.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 ₴4,322

$98.6 ₽7,941

-3.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 ₴5,378

$61.8 ₽4,974

91.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₴29.5K

$373 ₽30.1K

73.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ₴15.3K

$251 ₽20.3K

33.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 ₴63.1K

$491 ₽39.6K

182.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 ₴29.7K

$439 ₽35.4K

48.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,590 ₴117.9K

$2,713 ₽218.5K

-4.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,160 ₴52.8K

$1,571 ₽126.5K

-26.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$820 ₴37.3K

$517 ₽41.6K

58.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.88

-22.26%

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

Last update for Kyiv: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kyiv

$337 33.8%

Ulyanovsk

$251 26.4% 25.4% $85

Groceries & Markets

Kyiv

$188 18.9%

Ulyanovsk

$210 * 22% 11.6% $22

Eating Out

Kyiv

$147 14.7%

Ulyanovsk

$134 14% 8.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Kyiv

$146 14.7%

Ulyanovsk

$103 10.8% 29.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kyiv

$110 11%

Ulyanovsk

$166 17.4% 50.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Kyiv

$48 4.9%

Ulyanovsk

$55 5.7% 13% $6.3

Getting Around

Kyiv

$20 2%

Ulyanovsk

$35 * 3.7% 80.9% $16

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 $647 in Kyiv and $373 in Ulyanovsk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kyiv pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $33 in Kyiv vs $31 in Ulyanovsk. Groceries flip the comparison at $188 vs $210, with Kyiv cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇦 Kyiv

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

23:36 11:36 PM

2 h ahead of Kyiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,908,249 Capital

627,705

💱 Currency

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to UAH – Ukrainian Hryvnia Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇦 Ukrainian Hryvnia (₴)

Ukrainian Hryvnia exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 45.53 UAH (100 UAH = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 50.84 UAH (100 UAH = 1.97 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 RUB (100 RUB = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.11 EUR).

USD to UAH in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kyiv Ulyanovsk 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Kyiv
Ulyanovsk

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 Ulyanovsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ulyanovsk is about 4% cheaper overall, especially in clothing and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Kyiv, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $647 in Kyiv versus $373 in Ulyanovsk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ulyanovsk – a meal for two runs $31 versus $33 in Kyiv. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Kyiv runs roughly 58% less than in Ulyanovsk. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ulyanovsk is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Ulyanovsk wins on affordability, Kyiv on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.