Key points
- Utilities took away an average of 20% of the monthly income of displaced families in the winter of 2025-2026.
- For about a third of IDPs with an income of less than 10,000 hryvnias, utilities consumed more than 30% of their income – a crisis level according to humanitarian standards.
- 56% of displaced people rented housing, and the median rent was 6,000 hryvnias – 34% of the IDP renter’s income.
- 53% of IDP renters spent more than 30% of their income on rent, and every ninth person spent more than 70%.
- Together with utilities, the total burden reached about half of the household’s income.
Utilities took away an average of one-fifth of the monthly income of internally displaced families in the winter of 2025-2026, according to a report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) based on the results of the 23rd round of the General Population Survey.
With a median IDP income of 15,000 hryvnias, a typical bill of 3,000 hryvnias was exactly 20%. For about a third of displaced families with an income of less than 10,000 hryvnias, utilities took away more than 30% of their income – a level that, according to standard humanitarian indicators, is considered a crisis.
Most IDPs – 56% – rented housing, although this share has slightly decreased compared to 63% in the previous heating season.
The median rent for displaced people reached 6,000 hryvnias per month and absorbed 34% of the IDP renter’s income with a median salary of 17,500 hryvnias.
53% of IDP renters spent more than 30% of their income on rent alone. For every ninth renter, the rent exceeded 70% of all income.
When utility costs were added to the rent, the total burden on the household budget reached about half of the income.
In the front-line territories, the absolute amounts for utilities were lower – a median of 3,000 hryvnias versus 3,500 hryvnias in other areas. However, incomes there are also significantly lower: 13,000 hryvnias versus 20,000 hryvnias elsewhere. Therefore, the same amount in the bill took away a disproportionately larger share of the budget.
The IOM survey covered over 40,000 respondents across Ukraine under government control from January to March 2026.
Read also:
A quarter of a million hryvnias a year and a cold house. How Ukrainians survived the winter
