Top 5 Reasons to Come to Ukraine

#1: Affordability

Ukraine is one of the cheapest countries on Earth for people on an American pay-scale. Utilities, internet, and phone plans combined  total around $15-20 a month. Groceries for a single person can run anywhere from $30-50 a week.

In terms of rent, every city in Ukraine is different. But most apartments outside of Kyiv, including the lovely Lviv, the gateway to Ukraine near the Polish border, go anywhere from $200-500 a month.

Using Ukrainian apps such as OLX, you can easily find $100 a month apartments in most cities.

Property is also available for purchase by foreigners. Apartments can go anywhere from $3,000-$10,000, with luxury and penthouse options going much higher. Housing prices vary depending on the location, but it’s possible to buy a cottage in Ukraine for much cheaper than almost anywhere in the world.

One American friend I know owns a 3-bedroom, one-bathroom house on an acre in the country in Poltava Oblast for around $86,000. He furnished the entire house for under $3,000.

Cars go anywhere from $1,000-4,000 for a quality used vehicle, and $10,000 gets you a rebuilt Tesla, which are extremely popular here. I’ve seen dozens of Teslas on the road in every major city of Ukraine, including Kharkiv. Ukrainians are highly skilled at repairing and remodeling totaled vehicles sent over from the United States and Europe.

Also, car insurance is less than $200 a year.

So, Ukraine is definitely not expensive.

#2: Opportunity

Ukraine is a country at war, and as such, has many needs. Even people considered low or unskilled in their home countries can find plenty of opportunities for work and money in Ukraine, especially as a native English speaker. While the money made in Ukraine is often much less than in the United States, the extremely low cost of living actually makes the savings rate for foreigners here higher than in their former towns and cities.

Many volunteers and soldiers don’t pay rent at all, having negotiated apartments from local communities.

Education is another form of opportunity offered by Ukraine. Ukrainian education is much cheaper than its European and American counterparts. Degrees from Ukrainian universities are coveted by people from the Global South, especially Africa, the Middle East, and India.

Many students from Africa are still studying in Kharkiv, the major university city in East Ukraine, just 10 or 20 miles from the Russian border.

Ukraine is a land in chaotic disruption, but it is also a blank canvas full of adventure. It’s the largest country in Europe, and the cancellation of all flights to Ukraine has made this vast expanse of steppes, rivers, forests, and fields seem even more vastly expansive. The trains now required to cross the country feel like something from an age gone by. This is either the first or last free place on Earth for the adventuring kind. People who hunger for blood or their little taste of war will find it here. And people who just want to do something that matters will find it here too.

There’s fun and fear and fantasy everywhere you look.

It’s an open world with a unique experience that you can’t find anywhere else.

#3: Healthcare

Healthcare in Ukraine is technically free for basic treatment and emergency care. Full-coverage costs less than $100 a year. Medicines here are nearly free by American standards, and you don’t need a prescription for most things. Wound-care and many surgeries are just as effective as Western alternatives. And while some complex issues may still require a Western doctor (mostly just for the tech), the price of a quick trip to Poland or Germany (where healthcare is also cheaper than the U.S.) is well-worth paying less than $200 for insurance each year.

#4: Ukrainian Generosity

Ukrainians are some of the most generous people I have ever encountered. Countless times in my travels here, I have been saved by the goodwill of the people. And how could I pay them back with any ill-feelings after that?

My dad has a saying about people who are generous, “They’d give you the shirt off their back.”

And I can’t think of any quote that reflects the Ukrainian spirit more than that. They really would give you the shirt off their back. They’re not necessarily the warmest or the kindest, or the most open, but when you need a hand a Ukrainian will be there to offer it.

#5: Glory

Ukraine is at the forefront of history.

The people who come here now will be the ones making that history, in the cities and on the frontlines, on the farms and in the factories, in the schools and on the streets. There’s no better place on Earth to face your fears, and there’s never been a better time to challenge yourself and your abilities.

This is the place where people find glory.

The world is getting more and more dangerous. Nowhere seems truly safe from the chaos anymore. All we can do now is prepare for the rain as best we can. We can face our fears today, or let them chase us until tomorrow, but either way: something’s gotta give.

I’m here in Ukraine because what’s happening here today is going to happen to the world tomorrow. I need to face it, and experience it, so that I may have the skills and confidence to face tomorrow. It’s not easy, and it’s not safe.

But neither is the world.

Because the world was made for heroes.

And life was made for legends like us.

Heroyam Slava!

Glory to heroes!