Kyiv

What you need to know about Kyiv

By Expat Guru Last Updated:

About Kyiv

Kyiv is a seriously not a good place for nomads to stay in. People don't speak english and are not friendly to foreigners at all, either you're white, asian, black, arab, latino, whatever. Food isn't really good specially when it comes to delivery, expensive and tasteless. The metro is cheap which is a good thing, and there is a nice architecture and places to go to.

Nomad Guide of Kyiv

Explore Kyiv like a local with our comprehensive nomad guide. Find the best places to work, live, and play, all tailored to the digital nomad lifestyle. Stay connected and make the most of your time in Kyiv with our insider tips and recommendations.

Continent :

Europe

Country :

ukraine

Weather :

15°C + Humidity 59% = 15°C Feel

Internet Speed :

20 Mbps

Insurance :

Safetywing

Air Quality :

61AQI

Best Neighborhood :

Upcoming Neighborhood :

Power :

230V50Hz

Average Trip Length :

14 Days

Best Taxi App :

Uber

100 UAH to USD :

$2.71 USD

Tap Water Quality :

No, not drinkable

Visitor per year :

N/A Visitors

Tourist now :

N/A tourists

Population :

2803716 people

GDP per capita :

$2099 / year

Population Density :

Gender Ratio (Expats) :

H 41% / F 59%

Religious Gouvernment :

Non-religious

Appartement Listing :

Slando

Online electronics shop :

Rozetka


Weather in Kyiv

Stay updated on the weather in Kyiv with our reliable data source. Plan ahead for changing conditions and make the most of your time in the city. Check the forecast and stay prepared for any weather events.


Cost of Living in Kyiv

Discover the cost of living in Kyiv with our data source. Compare expenses for housing, food, transportation, and more to make informed decisions about your budget. Stay informed and make the most of your money in Kyiv.

Cost of Living for Expats :

$881/mo

Cost of Living for Nomads :

$1,185/mo

Cost of Living for Families :

$1,606/mo

Cost of Living for Local :

$459/mo

Cost of coffee :

$0.81

Rent for 1 bedroom :

$379/mo

Dinner:

$3.39

Beer :

$1.69

Coca Cola :

$0.54

Tax for 50k income :

$2,500

Tax for 100k income :

$5,000

Tax for 250k income :

$12,500


Pros and Cons Living in Kyiv

Like many other cities Kyiv have a lot of advantages to offer its residents and visitors, but it also has its fair share of drawbacks. We have made this pros and cons table to help you better vizualize them.

Pros

  • ✅ Affordable to live
  • ✅ Pretty safe
  • ✅ Fast internet
  • ✅ Lots of fun stuff to do
  • ✅ Good air quality on average
  • ✅ Many Nomad List members have been
  • ✅ Spacious and not crowded
  • ✅ Easy to make friends
  • ✅ Easy to do business
  • ✅ High quality of education
  • ✅ Great hospitals
  • ✅ Roads are pretty safe

Cons

  • ❌ Freedom of speech is weak
  • ❌ Not very democratic
  • ❌ Cold now
  • ❌ Gets very cold in the winter
  • ❌ Very damp now
  • ❌ Not many Nomad List members right now
  • ❌ People don't speak English well
  • ❌ Not safe for women
  • ❌ Not family friendly
  • ❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+
  • ❌ Many people smoke tobacco

Quality of Life in Kyiv

No Data for now.


Visa Requirements in Kyiv

No Data for now.


Security and Crime in Kyiv

Stay informed on security and crime in Kyiv with updated information on crime rates, types of crimes and measures being taken. Ensure personal safety by staying informed and taking steps to protect yourself and loved ones. Help keep Kyiv safe.

020406080100

Very High Crime rate

020406080100

Low Security Index


Polution and Air Quality in Kyiv

Stay informed about the air quality and pollution levels in Kyiv. Our data source provides up-to-date information on various pollutants and their effects on health and the environment. By monitoring the air quality in Kyiv, you can take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from the harmful effects of pollution.

Similar cities to Kyiv

Discover cities that are similar to Kyiv in terms of attractions and amenities. Our hand-picked list includes locations with similar cultural settings, recreational activities, and high-quality lodgings. These cities are worth visiting if you're looking for a place with a similar atmosphere or just a change of scenery. Plan your next urban journey by visiting these similar cities.

Trending

Concrete Structure

Berlin

Germany

#6

Air Quality
Good
wifi

36

Mbps

FEELS 21°

21°

$3,637/mo

Trending

White Concrete Building Under White Clouds

Warsaw

Poland

#20

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

34

Mbps

FEELS 20°

19°

$2,489/mo

Trending

Gray Concrete Building Near Palm Trees

Bangkok

Thailand

#4

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

17

Mbps

FEELS 33°

29°

$1,895/mo

Trending

From below interior decorations of orthodox Tbilisi Sioni Cathedral with majestic chandelier hanging from ceiling decorated with icons and fresco paintings

Tbilisi

Georgia

#15

Air Quality
Good
wifi

10

Mbps

FEELS 19°

19°

$1,922/mo

Trending

Photo of People Riding on City Tram

Lisbon

Portugal

#1

Air Quality
Good
wifi

29

Mbps

FEELS 22°

22°

$3,367/mo

Trending

White and Brown Concrete Building

Istanbul

Turkey

#16

Air Quality
Good
wifi

6

Mbps

FEELS 19°

19°

$2,142/mo

Trending

People in Front of Building

Lviv

Ukraine

#65

Air Quality
Good
wifi

15

Mbps

FEELS 18°

17°

$1,240/mo

Trending

Green and Brown Building Near Body of Water

Amsterdam

Netherlands

#141

Air Quality
Good
wifi

14

Mbps

FEELS 15°

15°

$6,366/mo

Cities near Kyiv to visit

There are several cities and places close to Kyiv worth your visit. In addition to sightseeing in Kyiv, spare some time to discover the surroundings of the city.
You can discover Lviv, Lublin, Vilnius, Minsk, and Iasi, who are a few kilometres away either by car or public transport.

Trending

People in Front of Building

Lviv

Ukraine

#65

Air Quality
Good
wifi

15

Mbps

FEELS 18°

17°

$1,240/mo

Trending

A View Of The Old Town in Lublin, Poland

Lublin

Poland

#90

Air Quality
Good
wifi

34

Mbps

FEELS 18°

18°

$1,542/mo

Trending

Blue and White Cloudy Sky

Vilnius

Lithuania

#156

Air Quality
Good
wifi

14

Mbps

FEELS 14°

14°

$2,887/mo

Trending

Photo Of Person Standing Near Bus

Minsk

Belarus

#111

Air Quality
Good
wifi

11

Mbps

FEELS 15°

15°

$1,625/mo

Trending

Close-Up Photo Of Abstract Paint

Iasi

Romania

#183

Air Quality
Good
wifi

38

Mbps

FEELS 16°

15°

$1,744/mo

Trending

Church Building Under White Sky

Chisinau

Moldova

#296

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

6

Mbps

FEELS 15°

15°

$1,986/mo

Trending

High rise statue against blue sky in daylight

Odessa

Ukraine

#242

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

45

Mbps

FEELS 15°

15°

$1,329/mo

Trending

Photo Of Woman Wearing Sports Attire

Odessa

United States

#413

Air Quality
Good
wifi

44

Mbps

FEELS 18°

18°

$3,025/mo

Reviews of Kyiv - Feedback from travelers

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Discussion (14)

0

Kyiv is a seriously not a good place for nomads to stay in. People don't speak english and are not friendly to foreigners at all, either you're white, asian, black, arab, latino, whatever. Food isn't really good specially when it comes to delivery, expensive and tasteless. The metro is cheap which is a good thing, and there is a nice architecture and places to go to.

0

Been in Kiev for 6 months at this point. Apartments are abysmal, an amazing combination of expensive and low quality. That said, cafes, restaurants, co working spaces are top tier, for 1/3 of the price of anywhere else. Kiev is a diamond in the rough in Eastern Europe in that regard. Regarding the people, you have super-friendly young people, and more macho-type tough demographic. You can usually tell who is who and avoid accordingly. Language barrier is quite a challenge, some of the worst in Europe. Overall Kiev is not perfect, but it has been open during COVID and does certain things really well, but for most people, esp nomads working from home, the real estate is a deal breaker.

0

I've been in Kiev on and off since 2016.A nice city in summer. Walkable. Beaches. Nature. Interesting, cultured people. Great restaurant scene. 30 degrees and sunny isn't uncommon.In winter it's a harsh place to live - the city's infrastructure (water, heating, roads) can't handle it. Lots of coworking spaces and good cafes. Many talented, low-priced freelancers available to hire.The Airbnbs in the city are generally awful - either filled with ancient Soviet furniture or ugly, cheap modern furniture.90% of the buildings in the city centre (Kreschatyk, Podil, Zoloti Vorota) are in a state of disrepair (filthy, with dodgy elevators and crumbling concrete).Newer apartment buildings can be found in Pechersk, the East side of the river or near the railway station.The landlords generally have an adversarial and aggressive demeanour that I have never encountered elsewhere.It's hard to find a 1-bedroom apartment which is decent by EU standards for under $1200 per month.For logistics - local transport is cheap. Great metro and cheap taxis on the Uklon app.International travel is overpriced. The main airport is owned by the same corrupt oligarch who owns the largest airline in the country - as a result prices are inflated.Supermarkets are also tough. The choices are are either grim, dirty cheap shops or ridiculously overpriced gourmet supermarkets aimed at the oligarch class. There is no middle.

0

Kiev was a real bargain around 2016/17... Nowadays 2020, its prices are again comparable to a German city. Especially for same quality, since apartments here are the ugliest all over the continent.Many Turkish sex tourists looking for girls... and local girls therefore avoid foreign men because they think you're sex tourist too.

0

Even during Winter Kiev is quite amazing.Although the capital is getting more and more expensive, but it’s still relatively cheap. Public transport is quite messy, so I took Uber most of the time which is quite cheap (15-20min trip, 3-5km ca. 2 Euro, depending on time and how busy traffic is)I will come back, but then also in Summer or at least in spring. (around End of April)

0

Great architecture and a really beautiful city center with many great malls. There are many cool restaurants where you get affordable food, which also has a good quality. Most people can speak English, if not you can easily use google translator. The city has a great, big park, many impressive buildings and beautiful churches. Overall I was really impressed how beautiful it is, and I even visited Kiev in the winter. In the summer I ll come back, because then I m sure it will be even more beautiful. Driving Uber is super cheap there. If you need a temporary mobile phone contract, this is very cheap, I payed approx. 3 Euros for a whole month (12GB data + call and SMS flatrate in the whole Ukraine). I can recommend everyone to visit Kiev for sure. Beautiful capital which is really affordable to live at.

0

I spent almost 4 months in Kiev. There are a few good things about it but there are more negatives than positives. I would say, check it out for a little but know you shouldn't stay long

0

The city center is interesting but Warsaw or Budapest are much nicer. Horrible for nomads or long-term due to visa restrictions and language. Almost nobody speaks English, not even young people, forget about social life. Most locals look at westerners as a cash cow.Without knowing Ukrainian language its extremely difficult to build anything there longterm, lawyers, real estate agents, translators, banks and any service dedicated to expats is totally overpriced and even more expensive than in the UK! To say something good: At least food is tasty and cheap.

0

Great city. Came here from Warsaw, Poland and when people say Kiev is like what Warsaw was 5 years ago, it feels spot-on. A little behind development and cleanliness wise than Warsaw and other Eastern European cities, but you can truly see the potential and the upswing. Besides the resting b***** face from everyone, they are super friendly! Fun nightlife, good cafes, and cool places to see. I think this is a great 1-2 week trip tops but could see it getting boring for a month or few months.

0

Absolutely worth visiting. Kyiv has many wonderful, modern, cheap, interesting restaurants and areas to check out. Some amazing bars and Georgian food. A major city but still slowly becoming more English-speaking and international. Some great Airbnbs and some really hilariously bad ones. A city with many facets.

0

I’ve spent a lot of time in Kiev as both a nomad and an expat and absolutely love it. It does depend what you’re looking for though. Kiev has very cold winters, usually poor service in restaurants, high prices for western-standard goods like clothes, electronics and ‘ethnic’ foods. If you don’t speak any Russian it’s absolutely fine for a short stay of a few weeks in the centre, but for longer periods you’ll be very limited if you don’t have some language skills. Getting decently priced accommodation for longer periods is tricky if you don’t know how it works. That said, though, it’s a cheap place to be overall with cheap food, drinks, transport and entertainment. There are some very fun and cool local people and a small but nice expat community which is fairly active socially. It’s a beautiful city and there’s loads to do. It’s probably not your typical nomad destination though as the coworking scene is limited and not very ‘sociable’, it doesn’t have a beach or hot weather and many people don’t speak English. I’d recommend it if you like Eastern European food and culture, cheap prices and big city life with a twist.

0

I have lived in Kiev over 6 months in 2017/18. The city is getting more expensive quickly but quality lacks behind on all levels.Kiev is really difficult to settle in if you don't speak Russian, the entire online marketsplaces are in Russian or even worse in Ukrainian language. In all facebook groups you will only encounter expensive attorneys, mafia-like real estate brokers and everybody is trying to rip you off.Coworking spaces are mostly fully-booked out by large US IT companies and their Ukrainian teams, and coworking is either totally crappy or rather on the expensive side starting from 200USD per month per desk in the center.AirBNB Quality is extremely poor value regarding that the prices are rising sharply, imagine a really old and outdated place with an old bed-sofa (hard to find a real bed).Finding a normal apartment is impossible because of the language bareer and because locals don't want you to find a cheap place.The only good thing are the women, but to be honest, they all look very similar, if you like real blondes stay away from Kiev.One of the worst things is the pushing of the Government (and many people) to speak Ukrainean language. Although most people speak Russian on the streets, this is a mayor issue for foreigners. Since now many Facebook Events are anounced in Ukrainean language this is a total show-stopper for expats. Hint: Russian and Ukrainian are both very difficult languages.I can recommend Kiev only for a weekend trip as a tourist, or if you speak Russian fluently. Otherwise you're wasting your time or investing in a place with an uncertain future and unnecessary high obstacles.