May 2007
In this age
of lowered expectations, reduced freedoms and the specter of ‘Big Brother’s'
insatiable quest for more intrusion into our daily lives, which is surely
to be found among the more technologically advanced ‘civilized’ Western
countries, many have sought out and in some cases found various places
about the world that offer considerably more freedom, privacy and less
expensive lifestyles. Although living in Eastern Europe is not anywhere
even close to living on the French Rivera, it does have several advantages
to consider.
Here are just a few of the
‘Good’ reasons to consider Ukraine:
1) It’s a much less expensive place
in which to live. Example: My wife and I live in what is considered a nice
(for Ukraine) 2-room apartment and are presently paying only $150.00 per
month for rent. The remaining utilities including: high-speed Internet
cable access, natural gas (most often included in the rental fee), water,
electricity and telephone expenses (less any international calling) typically
run at between $20 to $30 per month.
2) Seldom do I/we need to spend over
$400 to $500 US per month for all of our daily and monthly needs. I’m able
to save well over half of my pension funds in a solid, reliable and stable
bank, which pays me 12.5% interest!
3) Food is plentiful and relatively
cheap! Although one cannot expect the variety of foods found in the US
or Western European countries, it is adequate by most anyone’s standards.
Examples: Chicken is sold by either the piece or whole. It generally runs
between 15 to 18 Grevnah per Kilo. [At the date of this writing, the US
Dollar is worth 5.04 Grevnah] This equates to $3.57/Kilo or roughly $1.62
per pound.] Fruit and vegetables are even better buys, especially
when in season. Carrots run around 2.50 to 3.50 Grevnah per Kilo. That
equates to 50 cents per kilo or 2.2 pounds for 50 cents! Vegetables are
a real bargain here and often of high quality. They’re usually grown in
very rich organic soil.
4) Local Transportation is dirt-cheap!
One may travel almost anywhere within town for 1 Grevnah! Remember a Grevnah
is about 1/5th of a U.S. dollar or about 20 cents. If one takes one of
the methane powered older buses its only half a Grevnah or 10 cents!
5) Ukraine has far more than its
share of beautiful women! If you’re lucky enough to marry one with a heart
of gold (such as my wife) and not a gold-digger, it will make your living
in Ukraine considerably easier, but it’s not entirely necessary. If you
are willing to purchase a home here it will be relatively easy to live
here without many difficulties. I know a Canadian fellow who is not married
and is living here quite satisfactorily with even less Russian language
ability than my own.
6) The local people look favorably (usually)
upon visitors or residents from the U.S. This is not often the case in
many countries throughout the world as you, dear reader, may already be
aware! This is a huge benefit!
7) It is very easy to find places
where one can change most currencies including: U.S. Dollars, British Pounds,
Russian Rubles and, of course, Euros. A few other currencies may be exchanged
here but exchange points for them are not so readily accessible. These
include: Australian Dollars and Swiss Francs.
8) Bank savings interest is considerably
higher here! It is very easy to find sound and firmly established banks,
which pay 12.5% interest on local currency. Some offer as high as 17% but
are not always as reliable. Both Raiffeisen (An Austrian Bank which does
business here) and OTP (A Hungarian bank) are quite reliable and easily
accessible in Ukraine. ATM’s are available in many locations all over the
cities. (But you might not find one that has the English language option).
9) There are several ‘Super Markets’
scattered all over the cities as well as innumerable smaller open
type markets and kiosks near every neighborhood. Although the variety can
be restricted, the supermarkets are usually the better places to buy consistently
good products.
10) I feel safer and more secure
here than in any large city in America …even at night!
11) Medical care in Ukraine (for
residents) is free! One needs only pay for the medications and associated
materials needed to administer them. I know this is true since I had occasion
to use it recently for a heart attack! The care was professional and competent
even if not employing the latest technology available elsewhere!
If I had this hospital stay (21 days) in America, it would no doubt have
cost me $6,000 to $8,000U.S. or more. Here it cost me around $400U.S.
12) Real Estate can be purchased
here (Dachias) for as little as U.S.$4000.00 to U.S.$5000.00! A Dachia
is usually a place out a bit from the city in a country setting that is
not usually intended for every day living. A Dachia usually has running
water (typically located outside the building) and electricity. It usually
has only an ‘out-house’ for toilet facilities. But they can be upgraded
fairly inexpensively. Most are fairly near bus-stops. Real Estate
in Ukraine has experienced an unrealistic increase in ‘perceived value’
within the past 5 years. An apartment, located in the city where I live,
that sold for U.S.$5,000.00 5 years ago now sells for up to and in some
cases above $40,000.00. A modestly appointed and minimally acceptable to
most ‘Western’ tastes yet still decent, low-range apartment will cost that
much or more.
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