Moving to Ukraine from Moldova
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Moldova to Ukraine — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Moldova to Ukraine, you would find that Ukraine is 17.2% cheaper than Moldova overall. A MDL1,300,000 salary in Moldova would need to be roughly UAH2,690,000 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 Moldova to Ukraine.
What does your salary buy?
MDL1,300,000 → UAH2,690,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Ukraine
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 27.4% less
Groceries
pay 1.3% less
Transportation
pay 6.8% less
Housing
pay 31.6% less
Childcare
pay 21.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 23.8% 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.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Ukraine cost about 10% less than cities in Moldova.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Moldova 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
- 249,641
- 225,962
- 223,491
-
5.152,249
Moldova
- 83,674
Key Indicator Comparison
How Moldova 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
Moldova 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
Moldova generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ukraine leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Moldova generally does better on environment, though Ukraine leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
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
Ukraine generally does better on infrastructure, though Moldova leads in broadband per 100 people.
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
Moldova generally does better on employment & economy, though Ukraine leads in poverty rate.
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 Moldova leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021), State tax Service (2016), Ministry of Revenue and Duties of Ukraine (2016). How we calculate this
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Moldova 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.
Moldova passport holder visiting Ukraine
Visa Free
Ukraine passport holder visiting Moldova
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 Moldova?
Generally yes: Ukraine runs about 17% cheaper than Moldova 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 MDL1,300,000 comparable salary, that's around UAH672,500 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 Moldova and Ukraine.
Is Ukraine safe for expats?
Moldova performs better than Ukraine across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Ukraine is 3.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 2.5 in Moldova.
How is healthcare in Ukraine compared to Moldova?
Moldova generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ukraine leads in health coverage index. There are 35.3 doctors per 10,000 people in Ukraine, compared to 40.2 in Moldova. Ukraine scores 76 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Moldova: 71).
What language do they speak in Ukraine?
The official language in Ukraine is Ukrainian. In Moldova, the official language is Romanian.
