I want to compare some aspects of life in Uzhhorod and Kyiv, Ukraine. Both have been my home, both have things I love, and some things that have driven me up the wall at times. Now, I am not including the fact that Kyiv is frequently hit with bombs and droanes, and has a curfew. That is a given, but it is not a component of life in Kyiv that you would experience in peacetime, which will be a reality again one day, I am sure. I think it will be interesting for those interested in daily life in Ukraine, and how you experience it as a foreigner.
Things I prefer in Uzhhorod:
Traffic
This is obviously one thing that is inevitable when you live in a smaller city than a bigger city. Life in a big city, and especially a capital city, has some inevitable differences purely due to size and population. But it is worth mentioning, and something that I hated while living in Kyiv before the war, and it hasn’t improved. The infrastructure of Kyiv was mostly built during the Soviet period and merely added to as time went on, not taking into account the growth in car ownership or the surge in population.
As a result, traffic is terrible (voted 3rd worst in the world in 2021), and while it is somewhat avoidable when you take the metro, if you’re unfortunate enough to live in an area without such connections, you will have to deal with the traffic. You will likely take a bus to get to your desired location, or a metro station, sometimes in a mashrutka (a delightful small, cramped van which smells of sausage, misery, and sweat), or in an Uber/Uklon/Bolt, which can get quite pricy. This is especially true now, when nearing the curfew or alert, as you can imagine, or even in peacetime, when it rains or something else makes life difficult.
Uzhhorod doesn’t have incredible public transport, but it doesn’t need it. But there are large buses doing main routes, and you can walk to most of the city. If you do need to order a car, because you live further out, they’re never too expensive here at all. I think the most expensive ride I took cost 400 UAH (10 USD)…to go to another town. In Kyiv, that can be a normal fare in the evening to go twenty minutes.
Lack of “Volunteers”
Kyiv seems to attract a lot of war tourists and wannabe heroes who think they’re brave for sitting in overpriced bars and hitting on women, or those who bring a drone component and say they’re a hero, when they could have saved the money they spent to get here and sent a whole drone. They do travel through Uzhhorod, and you can find them in Lviv, but it’s really a common thing to overhear in Kyiv (aka, they’re typically from the states, and thus loud). Plus, you get the NGOtniks, again often with arrogant complexes and no desire to integrate.
I barely meet other foreigners in Uzhhorod or hear English, and it’s rare when I do. It means you get to integrate a bit better into the community. It does mean that, without some local connections, you will struggle to experience normal life and build a large circle of friends, but I personally like not being assumed to be one of the NGOtniks when I speak my accented Ukrainian.
Proximity to Mountains
A huge plus. From Uzhhorod, you can get to the mountains within two hours by car, or you can take a train, or buses (though that can get a little tricky. If you’ve the budget, you can rent a car, which allows you to explore the natural surroundings and get off the beaten path, rather than sticking to the main hubs. Enjoying the Carpathians, whether to cool off in the summer, ski in the winter, see the colours of the trees in Autumn, or see nature come to life in spring, is a delight, and always a welcome reprieve. Getting there from Kyiv is a much longer trek, taking a day, whereas you can do a day trip, even if you want, from here. You can see some mountains from Uzhhorod, even. That connection to nature is, for some like me, important.
Slowness
For whatever reason, Uzhhorod is sometimes a bit like the Mediterranean. They have wine here. Good cuisine. Coffee culture. And time keeping is not a strong suit. You need someone to come do some work at your apartment, you contact them, and they will respond “after 3 pm”. What does that mean? Anytime from 3.01 to midnight. It’s technically true. And god forbid it’s one of the many holidays people have here.
But, despite that, life is slower. You can go at an easier pace. You don’t have that capital rate race, where you need lots of money to survive. You can go at the pace you want, recharge, and stop and smell the flowers a bit more. Want to grab a coffee or a beer before you do something? Sure. Want to just walk out and make a spontaneous plan as you go? Sure. No need for extensive planning here. Want to just spend the whole day sitting by the river? Absolutely.
Kyiv demands planning, metros, buses, and rigid time keeping. You need to work more as well. It’s harder to go slow. Now, I’m not usual because I have a full-time job, part-time work, I do this writing, and other writing and editing. But, even so, being in the space of Uzhhorod, where your friends do odds and ends to make a living, including art and writing, it’s a more tranquil feeling.
On that note, while the community is small, there is an artistic community here. Of course, Kyiv has many, but for a small city, it’s certainly pleasant that you can find art and music events here semi-regularly, which makes life a bit more interesting. Not to mention the general charming aesthetics of the city, a blend of the Austro-Hungarian and Czechoslovak architecture adds something. Though, of course, Kyiv is itself beautiful.
Things I preferred in Kyiv:
Opportunity
Kyiv is the capital, and thus carries opportunity. You can find many more interesting job options, but that’s not all I mean, either. You have opportunities to explore different interests, goals, and meet all sorts of people from all over the world, as well as Ukraine. This opportunity can permeate your entire existence and give you excitement for the evenings out or weekends ahead. Of course, it’s not every time. Often, you hit up your usual haunts or are tired from work. But you can at least pursue many different goals in all parts of your life.
This extends into communities, where you can find your hobby groups. Music? Stand-up comedy? DnD? A specific sport? You can find your people easily. It also factors into…
Activities
Speaking of activities, you can spend a whole day in a different district of kyiv, discover new things, or visit your favourite spots, whether its the hipster bars of Podil, the soviet waterside district of Obolon, the green spaces of Trukhaniv island, the other island of Rusanivka, the soviet relics dotted around the city to explore, the underground tours, the restaurants serving different communities (Arab, Central Asians, etc)), swimming spots, BBQ locations, walking spots, you can spend days doing these activities.
You’re also in the middle of the country, meaning you have great links to everywhere, by bus, train, and car (once you get out of Kyiv, anyway). Uzhhorod is small, and it means that after some time, you have done most things and have fewer options. Though if you have a car or means of transportation, you can at least explore outside the city more easily.
The Investment in Kyiv
Kyiv has problems with infrastructure, no two ways about it. But, I get the feeling still, during war, that people, including the local government, do try to do something about the city’s appearance and organisation. Uzhhorod, unfortunately, seems blighted by a corrupt mayor and local parliamentary members, an often apathetic, or at least jaded, population, which is visible in random cut trees, terrible roads, ridiculous placements of new buildings without consideration for the aesthetics of infrastructure, and local people often disregarding how beautiful things are.
Of course, Kyiv has more people and a lot of wealth. It is easier to put it into the city. I accept that it is a structural and political problem, no doubt, and the soviet legacy of people feeling unable to be involved in politics in that day-to-day aspect, and the post-Soviet scepticism of political elites (understandable) compounding it. However, seeing how in Kyiv, more yards are taken care of between the buildings, effort is going into appearance; it just seems they care more. Or have the means to.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Uzhhorod is where you go for a slower pace of life, to have a steady routine, maybe get involved in some artsy stuff, take life a bit easier, and go enjoy nature. Kyiv is where you go for the cosmopolitan, metropolitan, faster-paced life, with all the urban activities and drawbacks you can expect. Both are great for different reasons. There are, of course, many other wonderful cities in Ukraine to make a home in, such as Lviv, Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi, just to name a few, each with its own positives and negatives. It’s a fantastic country, at the end of the day.
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