Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulyanovsk and Kyiv

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.

46

Cost of Living Index in Ulyanovsk
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Ulyanovsk Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Kyiv
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Kyiv Living Index

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Ulyanovsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$954

/mo nomad

Kyiv

🇺🇦 Ukraine

$996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ulyanovsk and in Kyiv

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

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

Ulyanovsk $954
Kyiv $996

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

Ulyanovsk $1,464
Kyiv $1,575

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

Ulyanovsk $1,975
Kyiv $2,153

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.53 ₽687

$10.78 ₴491

-20.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 ₽2,504

$32.91 ₴1,499

-5.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.57 ₽529

$7.54 ₴343

-12.86%

Cappuccino

$2.30 ₽185

$1.81 ₴82.3

27.07%

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

$0.89 ₽71.9

$0.76 ₴34.82

17.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ₽29.31

$0.59 ₴26.69

-38.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 ₽151

$1.34 ₴60.9

39.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 ₽154

$1.99 ₴90.7

-3.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ₽86.2

$1.34 ₴60.9

-20.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 ₽48.87

$0.83 ₴37.70

-26.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ₽85.9

$1.49 ₴67.8

-28.19%

Eggs

$1.47 ₽118

$2.03 ₴92.6

-27.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 ₽1,204

$10.09 ₴460

48.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.51 ₽605

$5.11 ₴233

46.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 ₽609

$8.65 ₴394

-12.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₽126

$1.21 ₴55.2

29.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ₽132

$1.56 ₴71.1

5.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.11 ₽331

$1.84 ₴83.9

123.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.02 ₽404

$2.69 ₴123

86.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 ₽120

$0.58 ₴26.22

156.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 ₽64.2

$0.45 ₴20.45

77.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 ₴67.5

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽46.66

$0.64 ₴29.25

-9.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ₽243

$3.35 ₴153

-9.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 ₴247

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₽90.9

$0.91 ₴41.50

24.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 ₴61.5

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ₽38.50

$0.69 ₴31.24

-30.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.80 ₽2,400

$12.38 ₴564

140.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ₽301

$2.21 ₴100

68.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ₴20.69

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.77 ₽304

$4.70 ₴214

-19.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽70.5

$1.82 ₴82.7

-51.65%

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

$54.8K ₽4.4M

$30.9K ₴1.4M

77.01%

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

$42.1K ₽3.4M

$25.2K ₴1.1M

67.17%

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

$146 ₽11.8K

$96.8 ₴4,409

51.00%

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

$4.97 ₽400

$6.86 ₴312

-27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.51 ₽1,168

$6.30 ₴287

130.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.11 ₽2,989

$37.13 ₴1,691

-0.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.68 ₽1,987

$18.04 ₴821

36.81%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 ₽703

$5.60 ₴255

55.89%

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)

$31.46 ₽2,534

$73.2 ₴3,333

-57.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.52 ₽2,941

$39.13 ₴1,781

-6.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 ₽7,941

$94.9 ₴4,322

3.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 ₽4,974

$118 ₴5,378

-47.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 ₽30.1K

$647 ₴29.5K

-42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ₽20.3K

$337 ₴15.3K

-25.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 ₽39.6K

$1,386 ₴63.1K

-64.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 ₽35.4K

$651 ₴29.7K

-32.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ₽218.5K

$2,590 ₴117.9K

4.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,571 ₽126.5K

$1,160 ₴52.8K

35.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$517 ₽41.6K

$820 ₴37.3K

-36.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.88

28.64%

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

Last update for Ulyanovsk: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kyiv: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ulyanovsk

$251 26.4%

Kyiv

$337 33.8% 34% $85

Groceries & Markets

Ulyanovsk

$210 * 22%

Kyiv

$188 18.9% 10.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulyanovsk

$166 17.4%

Kyiv

$110 11% 33.6% $56

Eating Out

Ulyanovsk

$134 14%

Kyiv

$147 14.7% 9.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ulyanovsk

$103 10.8%

Kyiv

$146 14.7% 42.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Ulyanovsk

$55 5.7%

Kyiv

$48 4.9% 11.5% $6.3

Getting Around

Ulyanovsk

$35 * 3.7%

Kyiv

$20 2% 44.7% $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 $373 in Ulyanovsk and $647 in Kyiv. 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: $31 in Ulyanovsk vs $33 in Kyiv. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $188, with Kyiv cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Ulyanovsk

🇺🇦 Kyiv

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

10:05 10:05 AM

2 h behind Ulyanovsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

627,705

2,908,249 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Ukrainian Hryvnia UAH ₴

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.24 USD

100 RUB = 1.11 EUR

100 UAH = 2.2 USD

100 UAH = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UAH, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

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).

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).

USD to RUB in detail →

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Between locations

Ulyanovsk Kyiv 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulyanovsk
Kyiv

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ulyanovsk vs Kyiv: 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.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Ulyanovsk. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $373 in Ulyanovsk versus $647 in Kyiv. 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.