Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lifestyle
Just as there is no one 'typical' Ukrainian, so there is no single average lifestyle. This is
still a relatively poor, second-world country. However, it's fair to say that daily life has
become marginally easier for most households since the turn of the millennium, despite
the economic woes caused by the recent international financial crisis. Officially the aver-
age monthly gross salary is around 3000uah (US$380, €290), though most Ukrainians
will tell you this is way too high, a more realistic figure being between 1000uah and
1500uah (US$120 to US185, €90 to €140). As across the world, prices, particularly of
food, have shot up since 2008, meaning a decrease in many people's standard of living.
Middle-class Ukrainians have always had ways of getting by, holding down several
jobs, pursuing a number of money-making schemes and looking out for each other. Out-
side big cities, it's also been common for people to grow food in their back gardens and
for extended families to share domestic duties.
Baba
(grandma) is frequently a respected
household member, very often in charge of the kids while parents go off to work.
Old Soviet apartments are quite compact and old-fashioned, but most have undergone
some
remont
(refurbishment) since 1991. Despite low earnings, Ukrainians always seem
to have a new washing machine and the latest flat-screen TV - perhaps as the average
family enjoys few other luxuries.
Amid the old housing stock and creaking public transport infrastructure, young
Ukrainians are avid users of new technology and media. Everyone has at least one mo-
bile phone (usually more), internet cafes are usually packed and social networking sites
are as popular as they are in the West. Even 4G technology is catching on and wi-fi
buzzes through all but the cheapest of hotels, cafes and restaurants.
Buying produce such as milk, honey and vegetables from old ladies on the street means
you are contributing directly to the local economy, and not funding a minigarch super-
market owner's lifestyle in the Bahamas.
Mind the Gap
Even after two decades of 'reforms', there's still a mammoth gap between average
Ukrainians and the super-rich elite. It's the country's oligarchs and 'new Ukrainian' busi-
nesspeople you see driving the black Mercedes SUVs and shopping in Kyiv's designer
boutiques. Had the aspirations of the 2004 Orange Revolution been fulfilled, this gap
might have narrowed, but under President Yanukovych the situation has remained pretty
much the same.
