According to experts, the average Ukrainian family spends about half of its budget on food. This level of expenditure indicates a significant impact of food prices on the well-being of families in the country.
This is reported by Finway
Main Expenditure Items for Ukrainian Families
According to the latest data from the State Statistics Service, the average salary in Ukraine in July 2025 was 26,499 hryvnias. However, according to estimates by Member of Parliament Mykhailo Tsymbaliuk, a family of three (two adults and a child) needs about 60,000 hryvnias per month to live comfortably in a large city, and at least 40,000 hryvnias in a small city or village.
Economist Oleg Pendzin believes that determining the exact amount necessary for a decent standard of living is difficult, as it depends on many factors, including the educational and intellectual level of the family. According to Pendzin, the expenditure structure of families in rural areas differs significantly from that of urban families. There are also basic calculations: the actual minimum subsistence level for a working person, excluding taxes, is 9,500 hryvnias. For a family of three, the minimum amount needed for survival is at least 30,000 hryvnias, which covers only physiological needs but does not ensure an adequate quality of life.
“It is important to understand that when we talk about living and family budgets, depending on the educational and intellectual level of the family, there are much greater needs for cultural and educational activities and travel, which certain categories of the population pay less attention to,” says Pendzin.
How Expenditures Are Distributed in the Family Budget
According to the economist’s calculations, 50% of the budget of the average Ukrainian family is spent on food, while another 27% goes to utilities. Transportation costs account for 5-7% of the family budget. Thus, three-quarters of all funds are directed towards basic needs. An additional feature of expenditures is that for elderly people, a significant portion of the budget is spent on medications, and families often have to incur debts to pay for utilities in order to purchase necessary medicines.
Approximately 18% of the family budget is spent on other needs—clothing, entertainment, travel. In comparison with European families, they spend about 11% of their budget on travel and 8% on cultural activities. Ukrainian families, according to the expert’s estimates, allocate less than 1% for these purposes, which significantly affects their quality of life.
Moreover, in the context of war, many families have additional expenses related to safety, particularly moving to safer areas of the country. This also changes the expenditure structure in the family budget.