How many years one needs to work for a one-room apartment in 2026

In safer regions of the country, owning a home is becoming increasingly less accessible for most professions. In Lviv, Lutsk, and Uzhhorod, to buy a one-room apartment, one needs to save the entire annual income for more than 8 years; in Kyiv, it's 7.7 years. This is stated by Finance.ua.

The data was prepared by analysts from LUN and Work.ua, comparing average salaries with housing prices in major cities.

How many years one needs to work for a one-room apartment in 2026

The most expensive remain the western cities. To buy a "one-room apartment", one needs:

• Lviv - 8.4 years of income

• Lutsk - 8.5 years

• Uzhhorod - 8.5 years

• Kyiv - 7.7 years.

While in frontline regions the figures are significantly lower: in Kharkiv it's 3.5 years, in Dnipro - 4.5 years, in Zaporizhzhia - 2.4 years.

Housing affordability depends on profession and region

The gap between professions is substantial. For example, a sales manager in Kharkiv needs 2.6 years of salary, while in Lviv - over 6 years. An accountant in western cities will have to work for 8-9 years.

For low-paid workers, the situation is critical. Cleaners in Kyiv need to save their entire income for over 14 years, in Lviv - over 15 years.

Rent also hits the budget. In Kyiv it takes about half of the salary, in Lviv - up to 80%. In Uzhhorod, for some professions, rent expenses reach 96-98% of monthly income.

According to the head of LUN Statistics Lyudmila Kyryukhina, the safety of western regions has become a "valuable currency" that limits opportunities for internal migration and improvement of living conditions.

While a survey by OLX Real Estate showed that more than half of Ukrainians plan to buy housing in 2026 or within the next five years, mainly for their own living.

Previously, we reported on what income is needed to buy housing through eOselya in 2026.