Friday, July 20, 2012

Price list comparison

After this post last month about the prices in Israel, I was asked to do a similar post about the prices in Ukraine.  So, here it is, as requested!

(By the way, both of these posts took me awhile to put together since neither Ukraine nor Israel sell their eggs by the dozen {You get 10 in a package}.  Gas is bought by the liter, not the gallon.  And groceries come in kilos and grams, not pounds and ounces.  However, since most of my readers are Americans, I converted everything to help you make better sense of what you are seeing.  You're welcome. {smile})  
Just as I mentioned in the previous price list post, I could talk for a long time about what we pay for things here.  But, I won't bore you with details.  Just suffice it to say, some things here like bread are ridiculously cheap {in comparison to other countries} and some things are off-the-charts expensive {like vehicles}.

And, here is a side-by-side comparison, for your convenience:
Did you notice that it is about 50% more expensive to live in Israel?

However, there are several differences that I feel like I MUST mention here.  The biggest difference of all is that Ukrainians receive much, much smaller wages than the Jews... as in much, much less than 50%.  Therefore, the standards of living are just not even comparable.


Ukrainians also live very modestly, many rarely {if ever} eat out, and most live with only the very basic necessities.

The price in apartments here range drastically as well.  It is easy to find apartments for less than $200 a month, but they are usually in desperate need of remodeling.  Many times, several families or young people will share these apartments to cut down on costs of living.  The apartment I mentioned for Ukraine in this price list is a fair comparison to the apartment we were privileged to live in while we were in Israel.

The average gross salary in Ukraine is $319 a month.  In Israel it is $2,572.  Major difference.  

The longer we live and travel, the more we realize just how much a few border crossings can take you into completely different worlds!  I love Ukraine, and I dream for these dear people to one day live in more comfortable conditions.

8 comments:

  1. That was a really interesting comparison. I always love reading your e-mails. I pray for you and am interested in the things going on with you and your family. I am sure the Lord will continue to bless and use you. Have a great week. Love, MaryAnn.

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  2. May I have your permission to use your price list on my FB (with credit, of course)?
    PB

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    1. Of course you can use it! No credit required either.

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  3. I was comparing the prices in Ukraine to our prices here in Canada. Many of the prices are comparable to living here, such as the price of milk and eggs. Housing is much cheaper there, as is postage (we live just north of the US, but it costs us $1.18 to mail a letter to the US!). I was about to complain inwardly when I read the net income and standard of living of the average Ukrainian - then I realized how blessed we are here in North America! We lack nothing, and we even live close enough to the US border that it's easy to run down to shop more cheaply. What a needed reminder of how blessed we are! This was very interesting and eye-opening!

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  4. I have the same hope and prayer for the people of Ukraine. Thanks for sharing!

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  5. WOW! So interesting! I'm enjoying these posts!

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  6. So interesting! Really enjoying your posts!

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  7. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this, Jolene. It was very interesting. You know, I expected the price of food to be less than this in UA. I guess I remembered things like the super cheap bread. Either that or my "divide by 8" math skills (to make the conversion from grivna to dollars) is not very good. LOL Not that I buy them, but I remember the cigarettes were pretty cheap compared to USA. However, when you factor in the difference in wages, they are actually pretty expensive. When we were in Kramatorsk last summer, we found an apt for $20/night for the 3 weeks we were there. That is a great price for us, but thinking about it, that is still $600/month for a pretty tiny Soviet-built apt. (I realize it would be less expensive for a longer lease.) All very interesting. Thanks so much for sharing!

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Thank you for your encouraging comments! "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." Proverbs 25:25