Одесса
ODESSA UKRAINE
General
Location & Transportation
Language
Climate
Economy
Culture
Cost of Living
Accomodation
Entertainment
Communications
Safety
Medicine
General
Odessa is located in southern Ukraine on the coast of Black Sea. It is the fourth largest city in Ukraine with population just slightly over one million. It is amongst the favorite cities of most Russian & Ukrainian entertainment personalities, who frequently cite it in their songs or humor. While fairly small, Odessa’s charm is world famous and responsible for production of dozens of films, plays & songs with itself as the focal point.
Odessa is a very European city primarily due to the work of Duc de Richelieu, who was one of the city’s first governors and was a Parisian native. He is credited with designing the city and organizing its amenities and architecture with Paris as inspiration. Odessa is often called ‘mini Paris’ due to its similarities in architecture and design.
Today’s Odessa is often described as ‘the city of contrasts’. It is full of them - ranging from flashy new wealth in the form of expensive cars with old Soviet models right next to them. The city center can often vary from beautiful newly renovated French inspired architecture to buildings in complete ruin steps away from collapse. Examples like these are seemingly everywhere.
Odessa also has a decadent reputation, having been the destination of choice through the 60s and 70s of Soviet politburo. While the wealthy Russians these days may have new favorite destinations, Odessa (primarily during the summer) remains one of the favorite vacation spots for both Russians and Ukrainians. It offers a huge variety of restaurants, nightclubs, cafes and other entertainment activities despite its somewhat small city size. As Odessa lies along the coast of Black Sea, it also is well known for its beaches which are jam packed during the summer months.
Odessa is also a laid back city; one could call it ‘chilled out’. Seemingly no one is in a rush and people are simply enjoying the moment, be it through a day at the beach or sitting outdoors at one of its numerous cafes.
Location & Transportation
Odessa is located in the southern part of Ukraine, directly along the cost of Black Sea. The city has an International Airport (ODS), major seaport and a central train station. There is no metro system at this time, primarily due to existence of catacombs underground which do not allow the metro system to be built.
Public transportation is well developed and includes buses, trolleybuses & trams. Most of the transportation costs are subsidized by the government, making them much cheaper than other European capitals. Owning a car is not necessary in Odessa to get around and most residents do not own automobiles and rely on public transportation.
Taxis are also easily available typically through calling and placing an order. Depending on the service, taxis will usually be at your location within 5-10 minutes of the placed call. Prices for taxis vary from provider to provider. It is also common for locals with a car to provide taxi service to those seeking it by the roadside. In such cases, a fare is pre agreed and typically the service providers are looking to pickup those which are going to same general direction as the driver or are providing the service for part time income. As a standard, this way of transportation is cheaper than calling or waving down professional taxi companies.
Parking in central Odessa can be problematic with few underground spaces available and ambiguous rules for outdoor parking. It is legal to park on the sidewalk, as long as the car is more than 2 meters away from a wall. There are many parking attendants in the center of the city which charge a small fee to look after a car while the driver is absent.
Language
Official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian but Russian is almost exclusively spoken in Odessa, even in many areas of municipalities. Ukrainian is seldom spoken and if it is heard, it is typically spoken by visitors from out of town. There is not a big difference between two languages and it is not uncommon for a dialogue to be conducted in both (speaker in Russian with speaker in Ukrainian).
Climate
Odessa has mild & dry comfortable climate with fairly mild winters. The warmest months are June through August with average mean temperatures of 22 degrees Celsius. The coldest months are December through February with mean temperatures of negative 2 Celsius. Snow is not common during the winters and usually melts within a few days of the fall.
Economy
Odessa has a fairly well developed economy, although it primarily relies on the trade industry (having the largest port in Ukraine) and the tourism industry being a resort city.
Corruption exists in most areas; however, the upside is that while corruption exists, it is easily quantifiable so that most businesses can easily incorporate its costs into any type of financial projection.
Most expats who open businesses in Odessa Ukraine put aside ethical reservations and equate costs of corruption to costs of various registration and compliance documents which are common in Western Europe and United States. The most frustrating aspects of opening up business in Kiev is simply knowing the process and having the contacts to obtain all required documentation. Unlike the West, much of the information may not simply be easily accessible, particularly to a non native speaker. For those considering opening or relocating business to Ukraine, we at UA Realty Group can help every step of the way with our business start up assistance service.
Culture
Generally speaking the culture in Ukraine is not vastly different from that of the West. Naturally there are some customs which may seem odd to some, but every country has them. For a more comprehensive list of etiquette in Ukraine you can click here.
Few items which are worth pointing out - smiling as a matter of being polite is not customary. People smile when there is a reason to smile and not for other reasons, such as for example United States where it is often customary to smile, particularly from service people when dealing with clients. It is also seldom that people say ‘excuse me’ when bumping into each other or accidentally cutting through. This is not a reflection of politeness of that individual, but rather of the overall culture.
Women on the whole assume and are much more comfortable in a ‘traditional female’ role than their Western counterparts and tend to dress in a much more feminine manner which is especially evident during the summer with great number of mini skirts and dresses seen on the streets. It is also fairly acceptable for newly met acquaintances to ask personal questions such as lifestyle, earnings, political beliefs, etc.
Cost of Living
Odessa being the city of contrasts allows one to spend as little or as much they desire. However, generally speaking Odessa has a very low cost of living, even when comparing it to Kiev. Cost of labor is also much lower and salaries of around 400 USD per month are common.
The central part of Odessa contains the same boutiques as large cities such as Moscow, Rome, Paris and others, with prices being approximately the same on the items sold there. Many apartments in the central part of Odessa are also fairly expensive, particularly those located on the main street of Deribasovskaya and ones containing luxury amenities. However, those that spend an extended period of time in Odessa, learn that there are many ways to bypass the seemingly high cost of living in Odessa.
If you are considering coming to Odessa for a prolonged period of time, you may want to consider using our long term rental assistance program or if you are staying a few days to a few weeks, you could consider our short term fully furnished apartment rentals.
To get a more comprehensive review of cost of living in Kiev you can click here.
Accommodations
The central part of Odessa consists almost entirely of pre revolutionary construction (building which were built 80-250 years ago). There is a small number of Stalinkas (buildings built during Stalin years) and also some new construction completed in the last five or so years. New construction buildings in the center are not particularly tall and are designed to blend into the overall city design. Pre revolutionary buildings – as long as they have been renovated are of very high quality. Outside of Odessa’s center, areas such as Arkadia & Tairova have large number of new construction buildings with impressive design styles.
There is some ‘suburban’ type of homes within city limits of Odessa. When wondering towards ‘Fontani’ area of Odessa, you may see many newly constructed cottages which provide residences for the newly wealthy. Odessa residents live almost exclusively in apartments and the first thing that many expats notice is the typically poor conditions of common entrances of the buildings (podyezds). This is a result of absence of ‘maintenance service charges’ in Ukraine, although some residents make an agreement amongst themselves to pay for renovation / maintenance of the entry way. While it may appear shocking at first, after some time most visitors do not even notice the condition of entry ways in Ukraine as obviously all of the living time is spent inside the actual apartment and not inside the entry way.
Additional noteworthy comments are regarding Hotels and daily apartment rentals. As most know, Hotels in most of former Soviet Union typically do not match the quality from a price standpoint. That is not to say there are no good Hotels in Odessa Ukraine, it is simply that there are so few of them, that they get away charging much more than their counterparts in the West with well developed competition. Therefore, throughout most of Eastern (and even Western) Europe daily apartment rentals offer a great alternative. In many instances, simple accommodations with comparable qualities can cost as little as 30% of the equivalent hotel room and have an even more central location. Further, if traveling with large groups, apartments of course offer a more spacious and comfortable accommodation for the group.
Many can also be surprised initially to see the long term rental rates in Odessa, but do understand that most of what is seen on the Internet is only a small fraction of options available for long term rent. Most options never make it to the Internet and remain listed either in newspapers or other local publications. Whether your stay is short or long, we offer solutions for both short term rental and long term rental needs.
Entertainment
Odessa is filled with entertainment options ranging from trendy nightclubs to low key hangouts, disproportionately so for a city its size. There are also a number of entertainment complexes which have been recently completed, offering variety of leisure options such as bowling, ice skating, billiards, arcades and more all under the same roof. There is also an abundance of restaurants, ranging in all tastes and budgets. Many websites are devoted to providing information on Odessa hangouts and you can start by looking at Wiki Travel Odessa. Odessa is also well known for its entertainment district in Arkadia beach which houses many outdoor nightclubs and restaurants including famed Ibiza & Itaka. The outdoor nightclub are in Odessa is open from middle of May to early September. During non summer months, most of the nightlife takes place in the historic center of the city.
There are also numerous parks all throughout Odessa and outside for the nature lovers. Finally, there are numerous cultural attractions, ranging from live theater to outdoor concerts and so on.
Communications
Ukraine uses a GSM 900/1800 standard for mobile phone communications. This system is compatible for mobile phone networks used in Europe, most of Asia, Australia and New Zealand. If you have an unlocked dual or tri band phone, it will function in Ukraine. You will need to simply purchase a SIM card or starter package as they are called which typically cost no more than $5 depending on the provider.
Starter packages or SIM cards are sold at any communication stores or street vendors (sitting under umbrellas with Kyvstar logos). You can purchase as much talk time as you require from the same vendors. Talk time is issued in the form of a unique code which is entered into your phone. Users pay only for outgoing calls and all incoming calls are free. You can easily check the balance on your phone at anytime. To get more information on phone communications in Ukraine you can visit Wiki Kiev phone information.
Internet is widely available in almost all daily apartment rentals and can be easily ordered for any apartment that is rented long term, even if it is not yet wired for it. There are also many Internet cafes (some open 24 hours) which can be used for access. Finally, many cafes and restaurants now offer free Wi Fi access.
Safety
Generally speaking Odessa is a safe city and in some regards safer than most of its Western counterparts or North American cities. Violent crime is seldom but petty crime such as pick pocketing or various street scams can be common. Westerners can be targeted for various street scams more so than the locals, so use common sense and ignore anyone trying to speak to you that look suspicious. Also, it is wise to keep a close eye on your bag along with your wallet, especially during rush hour in the metro or other busy areas. Pickpockets can be highly organized and can use various distractions on their targets.
Police can legally stop anyone for a document check and will often target obvious Westerners with the intent of receiving a small bride. Non Ukrainian citizens are advised to carry a photo copy of their passport and visa stamp (or entry stamp) with them at all times to avoid any hassles. Typically the police will threaten detention but will not follow through this threat. A small bribe of $5-$20 will almost always get them off any document checks.
Avoid drinking water from the tap, unless it has been boiled. Bottled water is very cheap and is available anywhere, including numerous 24 hour kiosks scattered across the city.
It is also not uncommon to see groups of teenagers or young adults to be hanging out in courtyards or on city benches during various hours of the night. This sight is common and while may appear alerting to Westerners, it is typical for Ukraine and poses no safety concern. To get a more comprehensive guide to staying safe in Ukraine you can visit Wiki stay safe section.
Medicine
While greatly improved from just a few years ago, medicine in Ukraine lags that of the West. It is useful to know that technically medicine in Ukraine is socialize & free, although in reality this is not the case and small payments to ‘free’ doctors are still expected. Facilities provided by the government are usually outdated and are old fashioned. For expats which are used to a certain level of service and quality in the medical field, it is suggested to use privately owned clinics, which are much cheaper than those in the West. For instance, Odessa is home to Into-Sana (private medical firm) which is on par with any facility one may be used to.
Dental care is fairly advanced and modern dental offices are common. Services cost a fraction of that in the West and have even spurred a small but growing medical / dental tourism into Ukraine.
