Living in Odesa, Ukraine
Odesa is a large coastal city in Ukraine (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 13°C over the year with about 421 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,273 a month to live centrally, and Ukraine sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Ukraine is possible, with conditions.
12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).
- Est. cost
- €2,273
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 13°C
- 421 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 45/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~70 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
Travel advisory. As of 13 October 2026, the US State Department advises against all travel to Ukraine ("Level 4: Do Not Travel"). Our quiz and best-cities lists leave Odesa out, and the safety figures below are country averages that do not reflect the advisory. Read the current advisory on travel.state.gov and your own government's travel advice.
What stands out about Odesa
- More affordable than 80% of the cities we compare
- On or near the sea
Healthcare
Ukraine scores 52 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 8% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Ukraine.
Safety and stability
Ukraine scores 45 out of 100 on safety, safer than 9% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 5.1 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Ukraine. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Climate
Odesa averages 13°C across the year with about 421 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 22% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,273 a month to live centrally in Odesa, 17% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 80% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Ukraine runs at about 70 Mbps, faster than 25% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Residency comes through employment with a Ukrainian sponsor, marriage or family reunification, study, or a capital investment into a Ukrainian company; there is no passive-income, pension, or sufficient-means route.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Ukraine:
- Investment: about $100k (Ukraine permanent-residence (immigration) permit via USD 100,000 direct foreign investment into the economy; cheaper than the EUR 100,000 (about USD 116,000 at 1.16) temporary business-residence route; as of June 2026)
For short visits, 81 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 117 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Language and culture
Main languages: Ukrainian. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 55 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
Ukraine sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Odesa in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Questions couples ask about Odesa
Is Odesa a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Odesa scores well on affordability. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and internet speed. Expect a mild, dry climate (13°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks 915 cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Odesa?
We estimate about €2,273 a month for a couple living centrally, 17% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Odesa?
Ukraine is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Odesa in their results.
Can foreigners live in Ukraine long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Residency comes through employment with a Ukrainian sponsor, marriage or family reunification, study, or a capital investment into a Ukrainian company; there is no passive-income, pension, or sufficient-means route. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $100k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Odesa?
Odesa averages 13°C across the year with about 421 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 22% of the cities we track.
Cities like Odesa
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Odesa
Moving to Ukraine as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.