Moving to Ukraine from Belarus
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Belarus to Ukraine — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Belarus to Ukraine, you would find that Ukraine is 4.0% cheaper than Belarus overall. A BYN230,000 salary in Belarus would need to be roughly UAH3,260,000 in Ukraine to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Ukrainian.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Belarus to Ukraine.
What does your salary buy?
BYN230,000 → UAH3,260,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Ukraine
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.7% less
Groceries
pay 2.6% less
Transportation
pay 35.3% more
Housing
pay 3.9% less
Childcare
pay 45.5% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.2% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Belarus to Ukraine, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Ukraine?
Top countries of origin for Ukraine's foreign-born residents.
- 3,330,586
-
2.249,641
Belarus
- 225,962
- 223,491
- 152,249
- 83,674
Key Indicator Comparison
How Belarus and Ukraine stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Belarus performs better than Ukraine across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Belarus generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ukraine leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Ukraine performs significantly better than Belarus across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Belarus performs better than Ukraine across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Belarus performs better than Ukraine across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Ukraine generally does better on family life, though Belarus leads in infant mortality.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Ministry for Taxes and Levies of the Republic of Belarus (2017), Ministry of Revenue and Duties of Ukraine (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Minsk | Kiev |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 29°/18°F (-1°/-8°C) | 36°/25°F (2°/-4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 62°/44°F (17°/7°C) | 68°/51°F (20°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 68°/51°F (20°/11°C) | 76°/58°F (24°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 39°/30°F (4°/-1°C) | 43°/33°F (6°/1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Minsk | Kiev |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24°/14°F (-4.2°/-9.8°C) | 31°/22°F (-0.7°/-5.5°C) |
| Feb | 28°/16°F (-2.5°/-8.9°C) | 33°/23°F (0.8°/-5.0°C) |
| Mar | 36°/23°F (2.4°/-4.8°C) | 44°/31°F (6.5°/-0.8°C) |
| Apr | 52°/35°F (10.9°/1.8°C) | 59°/42°F (15.1°/5.7°C) |
| May | 65°/46°F (18.4°/7.6°C) | 70°/52°F (21.1°/10.9°C) |
| Jun | 70°/52°F (21.3°/11.1°C) | 76°/59°F (24.6°/14.8°C) |
| Jul | 72°/55°F (22.3°/12.6°C) | 80°/62°F (26.6°/16.6°C) |
| Aug | 71°/53°F (21.7°/11.7°C) | 79°/60°F (25.9°/15.7°C) |
| Sep | 62°/46°F (16.5°/7.8°C) | 68°/51°F (20.0°/10.6°C) |
| Oct | 50°/38°F (9.9°/3.3°C) | 55°/41°F (12.9°/5.1°C) |
| Nov | 38°/30°F (3.1°/-1.3°C) | 42°/33°F (5.3°/0.3°C) |
| Dec | 29°/21°F (-1.5°/-6.2°C) | 33°/26°F (0.5°/-3.5°C) |
Data:
Republican center for hydrometeorology, control of radioactive contamination and enviromental monitoring,
Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Belarus and Ukraine. To live, work, or study long-term in Ukraine, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Ukraine's immigration authority.
Belarus passport holder visiting Ukraine
Visa Free
Ukraine passport holder visiting Belarus
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Ukraine than Belarus?
Generally yes: Ukraine runs about 4% cheaper than Belarus on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Ukraine?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a BYN230,000 comparable salary, that's around UAH815,000 in Ukraine for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Ukraine?
With 21.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Ukraine can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Belarus and Ukraine.
Is Ukraine safe for expats?
Belarus performs better than Ukraine across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Ukraine is 3.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.4 in Belarus.
How is healthcare in Ukraine compared to Belarus?
Belarus generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ukraine leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 35.3 doctors per 10,000 people in Ukraine, compared to 47.2 in Belarus. Ukraine scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Belarus: 79).
What's the weather like in Ukraine compared to Belarus?
The average high temperature in Kiev is 56°F, compared to 50°F in Minsk. Kiev receives around 23.8 in of rainfall per year, while Minsk gets 26.7 in.
What language do they speak in Ukraine?
The official language in Ukraine is Ukrainian. In Belarus, the official languages are Belarusian and Russian.
