⚖️ The question of choosing between renting and buying housing remains primarily economic for most Ukrainians. Analysts from "OLX Real Estate" compared the median rental prices for one-bedroom apartments with their purchase prices on the secondary market in the largest cities of Ukraine. The key indicator is the number of years it takes for the total rental payments to equal the price of the apartment.

❇️ The shortest period of "equivalence" of costs has been recorded in cities with moderate housing prices and a stable level of rental rates:

▪️Dnipro: average rent — 10,500 UAH/month, purchase — about 1.13 million UAH. Payback period — 9 years.

▪️Zaporizhzhia: rent — 5,000 UAH, purchase — 624,000 UAH. Payback period — 11 years.

▪️Lviv: rent — 18,000 UAH, purchase — 2.27 million UAH. Payback period — 11 years.

▪️Uzhhorod: rent — 18,723 UAH, purchase — 2.49 million UAH. Payback period — 12 years.

In these cities, buying an apartment appears financially justified for those planning long-term residence.

❇️ In megacities with high housing costs, renting "catches up" with the purchase price for a longer time:

▪️Kharkiv: rent — 5,000 UAH, purchase — 865,000 UAH. Payback period — 15 years.

▪️Odesa: rent — 10,000 UAH, purchase — 1.75 million UAH. Payback period — 15 years.

▪️Kyiv: rent — 16,000 UAH, purchase — 3.2 million UAH. Payback period — 17 years.

In such cities, renting remains a more flexible and financially viable solution in the short and medium term.

📍On average in the major cities of Ukraine, rental costs equal the price of an apartment after 12–14 years. This means that the economic viability of purchasing directly depends on the duration of residence, the initial cost of housing, and access to financial instruments.

An additional factor is the state program "eOselya", which lowers the entry barrier to buying housing through preferential mortgage rates of 3–7% per annum. In cities with short payback periods, it significantly influences the choice.

Source: OLX Real Estate Analytics