A family of two adults and a school-age child needs at least about 14,4–14,8 thousand UAH per month in summer and 15,7–17,2 thousand UAH in winter, considering basic expenses and a small reserve. The calculation includes food, utility services, minibus transportation, medicines, and maintenance of their own apartment. The expense estimate was published by «First Kryvyi Rih».
What was considered in calculating monthly expenses
The editorial team considered a family that cooks at home, mostly chooses inexpensive products, and uses public transport. The budget included food, cold water and sewage, drinking water, electricity, gas, heating, garbage removal, house maintenance, medicines, and a reserve for unforeseen expenses.
For comparison, apartments of 35, 50, and 65 square meters were taken into account. Rent was not included in the calculation. The family budget is affected not only by tariffs: food prices also change, as shown by a comparison of the prices of essential goods.
What the monthly grocery basket might look like
The calculation included products for home cooking. The approximate set for 30 days is as follows:
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bread — 15 loaves, about 450 UAH;
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buckwheat — 2 kg, 160 UAH;
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rice — 2 kg, 100 UAH;
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pasta — 4 kg, 200 UAH;
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flour — 2 kg, 70 UAH;
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potatoes — 12 kg, 300 UAH;
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cabbage — 5 kg, 100 UAH;
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carrots — 4 kg, 80 UAH;
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onions — 4 kg, 80 UAH;
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beets — 3 kg, 45 UAH;
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apples — 5 kg, 175 UAH;
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bananas — 3 kg, 180 UAH;
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eggs — 60 pieces, 300 UAH;
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chicken fillet — 5 kg, 1,150 UAH;
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chicken mince — 4 kg, 800 UAH;
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inexpensive fish — 2 kg, 300 UAH;
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milk — 10 liters, 250 UAH;
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cheese — 1 kg, 350 UAH;
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butter — 720 g, 400 UAH;
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sunflower oil — 2 liters, about 190 UAH;
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sugar — 3 kg, 90 UAH;
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tea — 9 packets, 450 UAH;
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salt — 0.5 kg, 15 UAH;
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spices — about 100 UAH;
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juice — 4 liters, 400 UAH.
An important arithmetic note: the total of the listed items is 6,735 UAH, although the original material states 7,445 UAH. Below, the totals are listed based on the sums of individual items. This basket assumes frugal home meals and does not account for delivery, ready-made meals, snacks, and alcohol.
What does water, electricity, and gas cost
According to the specified norms, one person uses about 6 cubic meters of cold water per month. For three residents, this is approximately 18 cubic meters. According to the given tariffs, the costs are:
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cold water — about 822 UAH;
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sewage — about 591 UAH;
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total — about 1,412 UAH.
Separately, a family may buy about 125 liters of drinking water per month. At a conditional price of 2 UAH per liter, that’s about another 250 UAH.
The household tariff for electricity is calculated at 4.32 UAH per kWh. For an apartment with a heater, the following amounts were listed:
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one-room, 320 kWh — 1,382 UAH;
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two-room, 340 kWh — 1,469 UAH;
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three-room, 360 kWh — 1,555 UAH.
Gas expenses for cooking were rounded to 140 UAH per month, with another 20 UAH included for its distribution. The conditional sum for distribution may differ from the actual charges to the household.
For owners of a two-zone meter, the night tariff can reduce expenses if the heater and other energy-intensive appliances operate during the corresponding hours. More details about electricity and gas rates can be read in the material about utility service tariffs.
Heating, transport, and other expenses
For centralized heating, a tariff of 1,701.19 UAH per gigacalorie and a conditional consumption of 0.02 Gcal per square meter for a winter month were used. Under this assumption, heating will cost:
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one-room apartment of 35 m² — about 1,191 UAH;
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two-room of 50 m² — about 1,701 UAH;
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three-room of 65 m² — about 2,212 UAH.
For apartments with electric heating, a separate example was provided. According to the conditions of calculation, the subsidized tariff of 2.64 UAH per kWh applies to certain households as defined by law within the first 2,000 kWh per month in the heating season. Consumption exceeding this volume is charged at a tariff of 4.32 UAH:
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one-room apartment: 1,370 kWh in total — about 3,617 UAH;
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two-room: 1,840 kWh — about 4,858 UAH;
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three-room: 2,310 kWh — about 6,619 UAH.
The cost of waste removal for three people is about 186 UAH per month based on the calculation. House maintenance was conditionally estimated at the rate of 5 UAH per square meter: 175 UAH for a 35 m² apartment, 250 UAH for a 50 m², and 325 UAH for a 65 m².
In Kryvyi Rih, public transport rides can be taken for free. However, if two adults commute by minibus to work, the calculation used 80 trips per month at a cost of 25 UAH — it totals 2,000 UAH. Updates to the city transport and free travel in Kryvyi Rih were also described in the material about the operation of the city's public transport.
An additional 800 UAH for medicines was included per month. A reserve was added for unforeseen expenses — 10% of other considered sums.
Total amount for apartments of different sizes
Based on the list of products, where the sum of items amounts to 6,735 UAH, the approximate budget is:
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One-room apartment: about 14,410 UAH in summer and 15,721 UAH in winter.
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Two-room apartment: about 14,588 UAH in summer and 16,460 UAH in winter.
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Three-room apartment: about 14,766 UAH in summer and 17,199 UAH in winter.
These are approximate amounts for a family that owns their housing, cooks at home, and uses minibuses. Actual costs depend on water and electricity consumption, the condition of the building, actual utility service charges, and the family's personal needs.