How to save money in Ukraine

best option like anywhere worldwide is to know local language or  someone local which you can trust

I save money hand-over-fist simply by living in Ukraine. As someone from England, goods and services are generally much more expensive.

Let my try to give you some examples. I'll start with the internet, because that is important to me in my line of work...

Internet. In England, I was paying approximately $110 dollars per month for a 75mb internet connection. Some days, I was lucky to get 20mb. In Ukraine, I pay approximately $7 per month for a 100mb connection. The speed varies more, but it is usually around 75mb.

Property. In Ukraine, I live in a newish riverside apartment. 2 good sized bedrooms, lounge, kitchen, bathroom, balcony. All modern features, including air conditioning. I paid $45,000. In England, a similar property would cost in excess of $500,000 and would be unlikely to have air conditioning.

Food and groceries. In Ukraine, everything is generally fresh. Fruit, vegetables, meat, fish etc. You can eat very well for very little. A usual weeks groceries for our family of 3 costs between $10-15. In England, I was spending around $30 per week just for myself and I didn't buy any luxury items. I also do not think that food is as fresh and it does not keep for a long time in England.

Eating Out. I work abroad and I have visited a lot of European cities. In England/Europe I would need to spend around $40-50 dollars for an evening meal for myself at a normal restaurant. In Ukraine, I can spend $40-50 dollars and take the whole family out for a meal, including my partner + daughter, and my sister-in-law + partner + son, AND my mother-in-law!

Public Transport. In England, I would have to pay around $20 dollars for a return ticket into the city from my home; that would take approximately 20 minutes. In Ukraine, I can jump on a minibus right outside my front door and go into the city, which is also about 20 minutes, for 15 cents. So, 30 cents for a return trip!

I used Uber while I was staying and studying in Kiev to move around the city and also to get to and from the airport. It seemed very good and cheap and there is no issue with the price or not understanding the language. At the time, I did it because I did not know the phone number of any local taxi companies.