As it has been for many years, Moscow apartments are more expensive than Kiev units. However, in both capitals it may take a person with an average income more than half a century to save for a home.
Saving for a “tiny” home in Kiev and Moscow
Segodnya.ua analyzed real estate prices in Ukrainian and Russian capitals to come up with an estimate of how long citizens need to work in order to purchase a home. They compared minimum prices for one-room apartments and local wages.
Usually, so called “1-room” apartments include a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and toilet.
In Kiev, the price for such a small property starts from 25,000 US dollars. Keeping in mind that an average Kiev city dweller makes about $320 per month, it appears that one needs to work for 78 months to become a happy homeowner. But wait, they still have to eat and pay bills. Let’s see… If the person saves 10% of his monthly pay, he will be able to buy an apartment in 65 years.
The most expensive city of the post-Soviet countries is Moscow. The price of the cheapest 1-room apartment there is around USD $100,000. An average Moscow employee gets a wage of around $1,100. It means an average Moscow resident needs 75 years if he saves 10% of his income (or 90 months if he can save 100% of his wages).
Despite the fact that salaries in Moscow are 3 times higher than in Kiev, Ukrainians can buy the same type of real estate faster.
Infographics show prices of the cheapest properties in the cities of Eastern Europe and for how many years their residents need to work to buy it, depending on their average monthly income, assuming they save 10% of their wages and pay cash upfront. Source: Segodnya.ua.
Read also:
- Cheapest Moscow apartments
- How Russian citizens get 1ha land for free
- How much does it cost to rent a home in Russia? The cheapest and most expensive Russian cities for renters
- Cheapest Kiev apartments: Buy a home in a European capital for only 15 thousand USD
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In Sydney, Australia, the average property costs AU $1.2 million now (yes it is crazy here). The cheapest and smallest places will be around half that. Average salary before tax is maybe around AU $80,000, but some people get a lot less. So, following the method in this article, saving 10% of pre tax salary, would allow me to buy the cheapest places in Sydney after about 75 years. Exactly the same as in Moscow.
I thought I share this to demonstrate how people here may appear rich but have similar struggles to people in Russia.
Too true Rob – Sydney is one of the most expensive cities in the world, particularly for property. It’s becoming a case of you don’t buy in Sydney but your born and inherit into it if you’re lucky.
Hi Elena,
I read robs comparison but the examples are by purchasing outright. In Australia, like many countries, they take loans/mortgages so buying a home is actually faster as only a deposit is needed.
Do Ukraine and Russian countries follow that same approach with banks providing loans?
Thanks
peter
Peter,
Yes, there are mortgages in Russia and Ukraine but the interest rates are ridiculously high. In Russia it is 11-15% yearly, in Ukraine even higher – 20-26% (yes, that’s mortgages; consumer loans and credit cards are way higher). So, for the majority of people buying a home with a mortgage is out of question, since their salaries (wages) won’t allow them to make monthly repayments.
Where do you find these 25000 apts in Kiev? Agents are quoting prices for new units starting around 75000. Also my friends in Kiev claim that average wage is around 750 dolars since the 320$ doesnt account for full reporting of income. Just curious about the discrepancies.
Syde, You are a foreigner. Of course agents will be quoting you high prices. They are probably going to resell you an apartment with 100% markup. Some experts say by the end of the year there will be USD $15,000 apartments in Kiev. There are cheap apartments like this even now on the market. Regarding wages, it’s official statistics here. If some people earn $750/month, it’s a very high salary for Ukraine, even with “black” or “grey” salary (all or part of the remuneration paid as “cash in an envelope”). Experts say about 40-45% of Ukrainian economy is “shadow economy”,… Read more »