During the last years there has been a real boom of condominiums construction in Kyiv. The demand is determined by the inflow of emigres from the Eastern part of Ukraine due to military actions and the rise of investments into real estate. Medium price for square meter in Kyiv in a new building under construction is USD 850. Prices per renting a studio or one bedroom apartment in central areas of Kyiv differ a lot and depend upon many characteristics. They start from USD 300 per month. In case if you are looking for a short-term renting, the downtown apartment can cost about USD 200 per day.
Read: Specifics of Apartment Rental by Foreigners in Ukraine
There are reliable online services like booking.com and airbnb.com for short-term renting. If the tenant is going to rent an apartment for a long period of time (for example 1 year), he can ask for a good discount. In any case it is better to employ the services of professional real estate agencies and to make a contract for renting. 
As for the hotels, the rates differ a lot depending upon the location and quality of the hotel. You can find good hostel for USD 40 per night as well as luxury hotel for USD 200 per night.
Talking about gastronomic scene in Kyiv, it should be taken into account that the quality and price rate of the restaurant don’t depend upon its location, but only the cuisine rate and chef’s fame. That is why you can find really good restaurant located somewhere on Pozniaki metro station at the left bank of Dnipro river as well as in Kyiv downtown. Average bill for 2 (including main course and drink) in some good restaurant starts from USD 40. But you can find nice places even for cheaper price. There are a lot of small cafes, boulangeries, bars, pubs and trattorias with affordable prices all over the city where you can order a cup of coffee for 1 dollar, a pint of beer for 2 dollars, sandwich for 2-3 dollars and some dish of the main course for 3-4 dollars. If you buy the food in a grocery store and cook at home your dinner will cost you about 4 dollars. 
Public transport in Kyiv is well-developed service. You can use bus, trolley and tram for 11 CENTS, one metro ride costs 14 CENTS. There are also marshrutkas (mini-buses) in Kyiv, they cost about 20 CENTS per trip. Taxi rates in Kyiv are pretty affordable and there is big choice of taxi companies, but it is better to use mobile cab applications or to book a car in advance than to catch it on the street, because the driver can tell you double price. Minimum ride in the Kyiv downtown is about 2 dollars. If you take a cab into airport it costs about 15 dollars to the center.
Read: The Cost of Living in Lviv
Most of the expats who live in Kyiv for a long time say that cost of living in Kyiv is very affordable in comparison to other European cities what makes Kyiv a real attraction for foreigners and tourists. Welcome to Kyiv!
Photos: Anna Vishtak
