10/14/08
Life in Ukraine
The Cost of Living in Ukraine
By Katya Shtamburg, Nova Mova staff writer.
In order to buy a Big Mac at McDonald’s the average person in Los Angeles has to work for nine minutes.
For that same sandwich, a person in Zurich, Switzerland, has to work for 10 minutes. A tasty Big Mac requires 15 minutes of work for a person in Dublin, Ireland; 17 minutes in Luxembourg; and 40 minutes in Moscow, Russia.
But in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, an average person will work for an hour and a half before he or she can go into McDonald’s and order the restaurant’s most popular sandwich.
Despite an improving economy and what is described as a growing retail market, most Ukrainians still find that the level of their salaries is far below the level of the prices they must pay for even essential goods and services. The cost of living for most Ukrainians is still very high.
And while the level of salaries is planned to be raised, Ukraine’s high inflation means that the prices for everything are increasing each month without any planning.
So, how much do things cost in Ukraine, and how much can Ukrainians earn in order to meet these prices? To answer this question, we looked at the Ukrainian government’s official statistical performances Web site for the second half of 2008. Here are the results for Ukrainians’ personal income:
For that same sandwich, a person in Zurich, Switzerland, has to work for 10 minutes. A tasty Big Mac requires 15 minutes of work for a person in Dublin, Ireland; 17 minutes in Luxembourg; and 40 minutes in Moscow, Russia.
But in Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, an average person will work for an hour and a half before he or she can go into McDonald’s and order the restaurant’s most popular sandwich.
Despite an improving economy and what is described as a growing retail market, most Ukrainians still find that the level of their salaries is far below the level of the prices they must pay for even essential goods and services. The cost of living for most Ukrainians is still very high.
And while the level of salaries is planned to be raised, Ukraine’s high inflation means that the prices for everything are increasing each month without any planning.
So, how much do things cost in Ukraine, and how much can Ukrainians earn in order to meet these prices? To answer this question, we looked at the Ukrainian government’s official statistical performances Web site for the second half of 2008. Here are the results for Ukrainians’ personal income:
• The minimum, full-time, monthly salary in Ukraine is 545 UAH (US$ 117) as of October 2008.
• An average, full-time, monthly salary in Kyiv is 1,930 UAH ($413)
• An average, full-time, monthly salary in the major regional cities is between 1,200 and 1,500 UAH ($200 - $300)
• An average, full-time, monthly salary in a small city or a village is between 800 and 1000 UAH ($180 - $200)
• The average monthly pension is 799 UAH ($171)
• Debts in salaries in Ukraine in July 2008 were 721.8 million UAH ($154.5 million)
But income is only one part of the situation; the other part is the cost to buy goods and services. So, what is the real situation? What is the real economic life of an average person in Ukraine about?
Unfortunately, these days many families, even in Ukraine’s small middle class, are faced with a serious problem: whether to pay for their apartment or to feed their children. And it appears that the situation is going to be even tougher since inflation is gathering speed. Here are some examples of prices in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city (as of September 2008):
Unfortunately, these days many families, even in Ukraine’s small middle class, are faced with a serious problem: whether to pay for their apartment or to feed their children. And it appears that the situation is going to be even tougher since inflation is gathering speed. Here are some examples of prices in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city (as of September 2008):
• To rent a one-bedroom apartment costs between 1,000 and 2,500 UAH ($200 - $500) per month.
• To buy books and stationary for the school year costs between 1,000 and 1,250 UAH ($200 - $250).
• An autumn coat costs between 400 and 700 UAH ($80 - $140).
• An umbrella costs approximately 50-100 UAH ($10 - $20).
• A pair of slippers costs between 15 and 70 UAH ($3 - $14).
• A 1-liter bottle of juice costs about 6-9 UAH ($1.20 - $1.80).
• One kg of rice costs about 12 UAH ($2.40).
• A bottle of mayonnaise (200g) costs about 4-8 UAH ($0.80 - $1.60).
• One kg of potatoes costs about 4-5 UAH ($0.80 - $1.00).
• One kg of oranges costs about 9.5-12 UAH ($1.90 - $2.40).
• A liter of milk costs about 5-7 UAH ($1.00 - $1.40).
• One kg of apples costs approximately 10-15 UAH ($2.00 - $3.00).
• A package of 10 eggs costs about 7-9 UAH ($1.40 - $1.80).
• A liter of drinking water costs approximately 3-5 UAH ($0.60 - $1.00).
When compared with Western prices for most of these items, the prices in Ukraine seem quite good. However, with Ukrainians’ personal income and purchasing power still so low, it is very difficult to afford even the basics. As a result, Ukrainians struggle to make ends meet like few other countries in the so-called “developed world.”
Nova Mova Worldwide Business Communication LLC
+1-303-495-3116
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