Can You Drink Tap Water in Kiev, Lviv or Odessa?
Let’s say you’ve just arrived in Ukraine. Whether you’re in Kiev, Lviv or Odessa, you’re about to get ready, have a tall glass of tap water, and go meet some of the beautiful girls in Ukraine.
…but not so fast.
Many Americans are used to being able to walk right up to their faucet and drink what comes out of it. Unfortunately, this is not something you will be doing in Ukraine.
One of the most commonly asked questions about Ukraine is if the tap water is safe in Kiev, Lviv or Odessa? Sadly, the short answer is: NO.
Let me repeat: In Lviv, Kiev and Odessa, you cannot drink the tap water.
When most Americans hear this, they freak out! People will often make rude remarks about Ukraine because of this, and make fun of the economic state of the country.
Don’t worry. There is an easy solution to the issue of undrinkable tap water in Ukraine.
For starters, let’s discuss why the water in Ukraine is generally of very poor quality.
Ukraine’s Water Quality Is Quite Bad
Compared with the rest of Europe, the water quality in Ukraine is rather abysmal. While it’s safe for showering and washing dishes, it’s undeniably a risky endeavor drinking it.
No, it certainly will not kill you. In fact, many local people will occasionally drink it to no real effect. That being said, the reason has mostly to do with the fact that public infrastructure in Ukraine isn’t the best.
You can see this with large potholes in the street, crumbling buildings, and public transportation that’s from the 1950’s. In general, the country simply dosen’t have the money to update its infrastructure.
When it comes to the public water system there, you can be assured that water treatment plants are nowhere near what they are in Western Europe. Pipes are old, and often rusting. Furthermore, there’s very little enviornmental regulation, making it such that industrial pollution could realistically find it’s way into the ground water, which then may find it’s way into public water.
The Public Water Supply In The West Is Equally Untrustworthy
When I first moved abroad, I was honestly quite put off by this. I was worried about the water I was showering in, and put off by the fact that I’d be buying bottled water each day.
But, to be honest, this is something that fades with time in quite a big way.
For example, let’s not forget that public water in the United States is reused sewage water. This makes it necessary to treat it with chlorine, as well as makes for a high level of hormonal pollution.
Did you know that birth control is said to add as much as 10 million doses of synthetic estrogen to American public water each day? Think about it…when someone takes a medication and later uses the restroom, the byproducts have to go somewhere.
And, where do they go?
Back into the public water supply system.
Ukraine Does Not Fluoridate Their Water
On top of that, American public water is treated with Fluoride. Not to get too conspiratorial on you, but Fluoride is a proven neurotoxin that has been proven to make people docile and compliant.
Furthermore, Austria, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, West Germany, Serbia and Ukraine have all BANNED fluoride from being added to the public water system.
I’ll be honest, one of my favorite parts about Ukraine is that they do not forcibly medicate their population by pumping chemicals into the public water supply.
In short, while I do not trust the water supply in Ukraine, I especially do not trust the water supply in the United States.
Luckily for me (and you) there’s an easy way to get clean drinking water in Ukraine delivered to your home that would normally seem like a luxury in the United States.
Bottled Water & Grocery Delivery in Kiev, Lviv and Odessa
One of the best parts about Ukraine is that you can have all of your groceries delivered straight to your house. The biggest supermarket in the country is called METRO, and they have a great website where you can order your groceries straight to your home.
If you use Google Chrome, you can translate the page with the click of a button.
While grocery deliver may seem extortiately expensive in the West, it’s insanely cheap in Eastern Europe.
Delivering a few week’s worth of groceries costs less than $3 in local currency. A case of water is hardly $3, and my favorite brand is Morshinska. It is a fantastic, clean mineral water that I love drinking.
You can pay with a regular credit or debit card, and schedule a delivery time that works for you. The delivery man even brings it up four flights of stairs for me every time.
All in all, this saves me countless hours each week that would normally be spent walking to the grocery store, picking up groceries, and walking home.
No thanks. I’m not much of a snob, but I’m a busy guy and I’d rather not waste time on something that I can pay someone else $3 to do for me.
I have all of my water delivered this way, and I drink clean, high quality mineral water every single day.
Imagine drinking delicious sparkling, delivered in cases to your home for mere pennies.
This is the kind of thing that’s reserved for the 1% in America, but as a foriegner living in Ukraine, it’s an everyday occurence.
What first appears to be a downside of visiting the country ends up turning into yet another luxury of life in Ukraine.
It really is that easy.
Water Filters: An Essential Item For Your Ukraine Trip
You can also purchase a water filter, many of which are portable enough to bring with you in a suitcase. Purchasing one of these will ensure the water is safe enough to drink at any moment. I cannot suggest that you get one enough!
Chances are, you won’t find for purchase in Ukraine, so you will have to grab one on Amazon and tuck it away in your suitcase.
At Expat Ukraine, we suggest the Propur Water Filter Pitcher.
You need to keep a water filter in your apartment, just in case your delivery is late and you have to filter tap water for drinking, or making a cup of coffee. You don’t want to be stuck without clean water to drink!
But, even if you are, drinking the occasional glass of Ukrainian public water is not going to kill you. I’ll be the first to admit that even I’m guilty of doing this.
And, it sure beats drinking the fluoridated, estrogen laden crap that comes out of the faucet in the United States.
Ukrainian People Don’t Drink Tap Water in Kiev, Lviv or Odessa
Just like how most Ukrainian people will freely admit that their politicians are corrupt, Ukrainians simply acknowledge that they cannot drink the water in their home country.
It’s no big deal to them, nor should it be to you!
You either filter your water at home, or have delicious mineral water delivered. In my opinion, this is an incredibly small price to pay for having such a high standard of living in Ukraine otherwise.
Conclusion: Can You Drink Tap Water in Kiev, Lviv or Odessa?
In short: no. You cannot. And that’s fine.
But, then again, why would you want to?
Moving abroad to Eastern Europe involves changing your mindset.
Since moving to Eastern Europe, I’ve quadrupled my finances due to a low cost of living and easily improved my romantic life by 10x.
It’s the job of someone else to worry about getting my groceries to my home.
I no longer drink tap water, because tap water is basic. I’m not a basic person, and I don’t do basic things.
Therefore, I drink delicious mineral water. And you can too.
I worry about the important stuff, and I let the delivery man worry about making sure I’m drinking fresh water each day.
…plus, it’s ridiculously cheap.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our blog piece on the tap water quality in Ukraine. The point was not to ramble on about the state of Ukraine’s crumbling infrastructure.
Instead, it is to realize that when you’re living the dream in Eastern Europe, tap water is the least of your concerns.
Even when I visit the USA, I never drink tap water simply out of habit at this point. I’ve been spoiled by the ridiculously crisp taste of a fresh bottle of mineral water.
And you can be too.
Stay thirsty!
-Expat Ukraine!
PS: If you want to have a look at some of the amazing girls that Ukraine has to offer, check out this website.
