Moving to Latvia from Ukraine
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Ukraine to Latvia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Ukraine to Latvia, you would find that Latvia is 51.5% more expensive than Ukraine overall. A UAH3,400,000 salary in Ukraine would need to be roughly €102,000 in Latvia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Latvian.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Ukraine to Latvia.
What does your salary buy?
UAH3,400,000 → €102,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Latvia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 64.4% more
Groceries
pay 42.5% more
Transportation
pay 40.3% more
Housing
pay 44.8% more
Childcare
pay 2.1 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.3 times more
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 Latvia cost about 15% more than cities in Ukraine.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Ukraine to Latvia, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Latvia?
Top countries of origin for Latvia's foreign-born residents.
- 116,771
- 42,251
-
3.32,262
Ukraine
- 14,209
- 5,651
- 3,712
Key Indicator Comparison
How Ukraine and Latvia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Latvia performs significantly 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
Ukraine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Latvia leads in adult obesity rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Ukraine generally does better on environment, though Latvia leads in air pollution deaths.
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
Latvia performs significantly 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
Latvia generally does better on employment & economy, though Ukraine leads in top income tax 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 Latvia leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021), Ministry of Revenue and Duties of Ukraine (2016), State Revenue Service, Latvia (2016). 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 | Kiev | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/25°F (2°/-4°C) | 31°/20°F (0°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/51°F (20°/10°C) | 60°/42°F (15°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/58°F (24°/14°C) | 67°/51°F (20°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 43°/33°F (6°/1°C) | 41°/31°F (5°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Kiev | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/22°F (-0.7°/-5.5°C) | 28°/18°F (-2.3°/-7.8°C) |
| Feb | 33°/23°F (0.8°/-5.0°C) | 29°/18°F (-1.7°/-7.6°C) |
| Mar | 44°/31°F (6.5°/-0.8°C) | 37°/24°F (2.7°/-4.7°C) |
| Apr | 59°/42°F (15.1°/5.7°C) | 50°/34°F (9.8°/1.0°C) |
| May | 70°/52°F (21.1°/10.9°C) | 61°/43°F (16.2°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 76°/59°F (24.6°/14.8°C) | 68°/50°F (20.1°/10.0°C) |
| Jul | 80°/62°F (26.6°/16.6°C) | 71°/54°F (21.7°/12.3°C) |
| Aug | 79°/60°F (25.9°/15.7°C) | 70°/53°F (21.0°/11.8°C) |
| Sep | 68°/51°F (20.0°/10.6°C) | 61°/46°F (16.3°/8.0°C) |
| Oct | 55°/41°F (12.9°/5.1°C) | 51°/39°F (10.4°/4.0°C) |
| Nov | 42°/33°F (5.3°/0.3°C) | 39°/31°F (3.9°/-0.5°C) |
| Dec | 33°/26°F (0.5°/-3.5°C) | 33°/24°F (0.3°/-4.4°C) |
Data:
Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center,
Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Ukraine and Latvia. To live, work, or study long-term in Latvia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Latvia's immigration authority.
Ukraine passport holder visiting Latvia
Visa Free
Latvia passport holder visiting Ukraine
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 Latvia than Ukraine?
Day-to-day costs in Latvia run about 52% higher than Ukraine on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Latvia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a UAH3,400,000 comparable salary, that's around €25,500 in Latvia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Latvia?
With 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Latvia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Ukraine and Latvia.
Is Latvia safe for expats?
Latvia performs significantly better than Ukraine across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Latvia is 2.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.8 in Ukraine.
How is healthcare in Latvia compared to Ukraine?
Ukraine generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Latvia leads in adult obesity rate. There are 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people in Latvia, compared to 35.3 in Ukraine. Latvia scores 75 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Ukraine: 76).
What's the weather like in Latvia compared to Ukraine?
The average high temperature in Riga is 50°F, compared to 56°F in Kiev. Riga receives around 24.9 in of rainfall per year, while Kiev gets 23.8 in.
What language do they speak in Latvia?
The official language in Latvia is Latvian. In Ukraine, the official language is Ukrainian.
