🇺🇦 Ukraine
Kyiv: what to see and whether to move there
Kyiv is a city of golden domes above the Dnipro river, where thousand-year-old cathedrals meet buzzing coffee shops and steep green hills.
Saint Sophia Cathedral
An 11th-century cathedral with unique Byzantine-era mosaics and frescoes, a UNESCO site.
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
An 11th-century cave monastery of golden domes and underground galleries of relics.
Maidan Nezalezhnosti
The country's main square, a symbol of independence and civic life.
Andriivskyi Descent
A winding cobbled artists' street of galleries, souvenirs, and views over Podil.
National Museum of the History of Ukraine in WWII
A memorial complex crowned by the Motherland Monument above the Dnipro.
Golden Gate
The reconstructed main gate of medieval Kyiv from the time of Yaroslav the Wise.
Mariinskyi Park
A royal-era park overlooking the Dnipro, next to parliament and the Klitschko footbridge.
Bessarabsky Market
An Art Nouveau covered market from the early 1900s, stocked with goods from across Ukraine.
Podil
A historic riverside trading district of cobblestones, bars, and Kontraktova Square.
Kanapa
A restaurant of authentic Ukrainian cuisine with a view of St. Andrew's Church.
The city in 2026: what to know first
Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine, with about 3 million people. Martial law has been in force since 24 February 2022, the city is regularly hit by missile and drone strikes, air raid alerts are declared, and the country's civilian airports are closed. Even so, Kyiv keeps working: offices, restaurants and theatres are open, and the metro serves both as transport and as a shelter.
This guide is for those coming for work: staff of international organisations, embassies and media, specialists of companies involved in reconstruction, and Ukrainians returning home. Kyiv is not suitable for moving in search of a quiet life right now.
Safety and wartime rules
- Air raid alerts. Install the official alert app, know the nearest shelter and metro station, and stay away from windows during an alert.
- Curfew. Since 10 September 2026 it runs from 1:00 to 5:00 in Kyiv, and the metro runs later.
- Danger level. The US rates Ukraine at its highest level with a do-not-travel recommendation.
- Leaving the country. Men of conscription age face exit restrictions; since August 2025 men up to and including age 22 have been allowed to leave.
- Electricity. Strikes on the power grid cause outages, so a power bank, torch and water supply are needed, and housing with a generator is preferable.
Districts
- Pechersk - the government quarter, embassies, expensive housing and offices.
- Podil - a historic district by the Dnipro with cafés, bars and IT company offices.
- Shevchenkivskyi and the centre - the university, theatres and the streets around the Golden Gate.
- Obolon - a riverside residential district with an embankment and metro, popular with families.
- Left bank: Pozniaky, Osokorky - new builds and metro, rents below the centre.
- Holosiiv - a green southern district with parks and forest, an exhibition centre and new residential complexes.
Housing and prices
In June 2026 a one-room flat in Kyiv rented for about 27,000 hryvnias a month on average, roughly $600, up 4% in a month. Flats in the centre and in new buildings with a generator and shelter cost more. Groceries and services are noticeably cheaper than in European Union capitals, and restaurants and cafés work around the curfew.
Daily life
Despite the war, Kyiv lives a full life by day: cafés, restaurants, markets and malls are open, and theatres and concert halls schedule performances so that audiences get home before the curfew. St Sophia's Cathedral and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra are UNESCO World Heritage sites. During an alert visitors are asked to go to a shelter, and many venues have generators and keep working during power cuts.
Healthcare, connectivity and money
Public and private clinics are working, and private medical centres see patients quickly at prices below European ones. Mobile internet and bank cards work everywhere, and many payments go through mobile apps. Foreigners need insurance that covers travel to countries with active hostilities: ordinary travel policies usually exclude such trips.
Taxes
Salaries carry 18% personal income tax and a 5% military levy, and employers also pay a 22% unified social contribution. Entrepreneurs in group three of the simplified system pay 5% of income plus a 1% military levy. Corporate tax is 18% and VAT 20%. More on the page about taxes in Ukraine.
Getting there
Civilian airports have been closed since February 2022, so people travel to Kyiv by train or bus from Poland, Moldova, Slovakia or Hungary. The most popular route is the train from Przemyśl in Poland, taking about 10-12 hours. Train tickets sell out early, and there can be queues at the border.
Entry and legal status
Citizens of the European Union, the UK, the US and many other countries enter visa-free for up to 90 days within 180. To work, a foreigner needs a work permit arranged by the employer and a residence permit. Entry for Russian citizens is effectively closed. Wartime rules change, so check them with official sources before travelling.
Work and business
The IT sector keeps working, with many specialists working remotely for foreign clients. Demand is growing in construction, energy, logistics and demining as part of reconstruction, attracting international funds and companies. A foreign employee works under a work permit, and companies usually set up a local legal entity to operate in Ukraine.
Climate
The climate is moderately continental: winters are snowy, averaging about minus 3-5 degrees in January, and summers warm, about 20-25 degrees in July. Power and heating cuts after strikes on the grid are hardest in winter, so people choose housing with a generator, a gas stove or independent heating and keep a supply of warm clothing, water and food.
Is Kyiv worth considering for life
Right now Kyiv is a city for work and for returning home, not for relocation: air raid alerts, strikes on the city and power grid, the curfew and closed skies shape daily life. If you are looking for a country to move to near Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Czechia or Moldova are calmer. Write in the chat and we will find a country and a basis for a residence permit.
Services
Murblz services in Ukraine
A passport or residence permit opens the door, but life behind it is awkward without a bank account and a roof over your head. Murblz specialists help with the account, property and company in the same country. The quote is fixed in writing before work starts.
FAQ
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Relocation options
Living in Kyiv and need residence in another country?
We choose a residence basis in the EU or beyond that fits your work, income and family, prepare the documents and guide the application. The catalogue lists residence in every country.