The cost of construction and installation work on civil engineering projects in Ukraine in June 2026 rose by 24.3% compared to June of last year—the highest rate among the major construction segments. According to data from the State Statistics Service, nonresidential construction rose in price by 23.8% over the same period, while residential construction rose by 19.2%. On average across the construction industry, the increase was 23.1%.
Civil engineering also led the way in terms of monthly trends. In June, compared to May, prices in this sector rose by another 1.8%, compared to 1.3% in non-residential construction and 0.8% in residential construction.
In the second quarter of 2026, civil engineering and installation work cost 22.4% more than in April–June of the previous year. A similar increase—22.4%—was recorded in non-residential construction, while residential construction prices rose by 18.2%.
The quarterly trends are particularly telling. Compared to the first quarter, prices for engineering work rose by 12.4% in the second quarter, and for non-residential construction by 12%, while the residential sector saw an increase of only 0.4%.
According to Andriy Ozeychuk, owner and director of the engineering and construction company Rauta, the shortage of skilled workers remains one of the key factors driving up construction costs.
“The market is currently short about 30% of construction specialists,” Ozeychuk noted, commenting on the situation in the industry in February 2026.
According to his data, the labor shortage has already led to a noticeable acceleration in wage growth. While wages in the construction sector grew by an average of approximately 15–20% annually between 2022 and 2024, the growth rate reached 25–30% in 2025. Wages rose particularly sharply for concrete workers—by 50%, surveyors—by 44%, and concrete pourers—by 38%.
Thus, the current rise in the cost of construction work is not driven solely by prices for building materials and equipment. The cost of construction work itself and labor is playing an increasingly important role.
Ozeychuk also drew attention to the long-term nature of the labor shortage. According to him, vocational schools are facing both a shortage of students enrolling in construction programs and a high dropout rate as early as the first years of study.
“In the long run, this could lead to an even greater labor shortage and slow down Ukraine’s recovery,” says the owner of Rauta.
According to the company’s estimates, the labor shortage is already forcing the construction industry to seek workers outside Ukraine, particularly in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
The rising cost of civil engineering is of particular importance to Ukraine due to the massive need to rebuild energy, transportation, utilities, and other critical infrastructure. According to Rauta’s estimates for 2025, the segment of critical infrastructure restoration and protection already accounted for about 20% of the Ukrainian construction market.
Therefore, further increases in the cost of civil engineering work could directly impact the cost estimates for restoration projects. If the cost of construction and installation work rises by 20–25%, projects whose budgets were established much earlier may require additional funding or a revision of technical solutions and implementation timelines.
At the same time, non-residential and infrastructure construction remain among the most active segments of the market. In 2025, the main targets for investment in commercial real estate were warehouse, industrial, and retail buildings, while the most attractive regions for new construction were the Kyiv, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions, Ozeychuk noted.
In the first half of 2026, civil engineering construction costs rose by 16.1% year-over-year, non-residential construction by 16.5%, and residential construction by 13.7%.
“Rauta” operates in the fields of design, construction, and installation of buildings and is a member of the European Construction Industry Association. According to data from the Unified State Register, Andriy Ozeychuk owns 100% of the company’s authorized capital.
CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE, OZEYCHUK, PRICE, RAUTA, RESTORATION, STAFF
In July 2026, prices for clothing and footwear in Ukraine fell by 4.8% compared to June and by 5.6% compared to July of last year, according to data from the State Statistics Service. Clothing prices fell by 5.8% over the month and by 5.4% year-over-year. Footwear prices fell by 3.5% and 6.1%, respectively.
Compared to December 2025, the entire “clothing and footwear” category fell in price by 4.5%, including clothing by 6.5% and footwear by 2%.
In January–July 2026, prices for clothing and footwear were, on average, 5.5% lower than during the same period in 2025. At the same time, the overall consumer price index rose by 7.8% over these two periods.
Clothing and footwear thus remain one of the largest categories in the consumer basket where the State Statistics Service has recorded price declines amid overall inflation.
CLOTHING, footwear, INFLATION, PRICE, State Statistics Service
Food and non-alcoholic beverages in Ukraine fell by 0.2% in July 2026 compared to June, but remained 6.5% more expensive than a year earlier. Food alone, excluding non-alcoholic beverages, rose in price by 6.4% over the year.
The most significant year-over-year increases among major food categories were recorded for fish and fish products (22.4%), sunflower oil (21.8%), and bread and bakery products (18.6%).
Bread prices rose by 15.4%, pasta by 9.9%, milk by 8%, vegetables by 7.8%, cheese by 4.6%, and meat and meat products by 2.4%.
At the same time, a number of products became significantly cheaper over the course of the year. Eggs cost 25.4% less than in July of last year, fruit—9.5% less, and sugar—8.1% less.
In July alone, eggs became 6% cheaper, vegetables 5.9% cheaper, and meat and meat products 0.6% cheaper. At the same time, fruit prices rose by 1.5%, fish by 1.3%, and sunflower oil by 1.2%.
Seasonal trends are particularly noticeable: since the beginning of the year, eggs have become 43.1% cheaper, while fruit has become 26.2% more expensive and vegetables 18.7% more expensive.
Pharmacy sales of drugs in Ukraine from January through June 2026 increased by 19.52% in monetary terms compared to the same period last year, reaching nearly 97.918 billion UAH.
According to a report by Business Credit to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing research findings, sales of medicines in volume terms also rose—by 4.9%, to nearly 418.711 million packages.
The weighted average retail price of pharmaceuticals for the first half of the year was 233.85 UAH per package, which is 13.96% higher than the figure for January–June 2025.
Thus, the pharmaceutical segment demonstrated growth not only due to higher prices but also thanks to an increase in the number of packages sold. This distinguishes it from the pharmacy market as a whole, where sales in physical terms declined by 5.8% over the six-month period.
In the first quarter of 2026, pharmaceutical sales rose by 13.9% in monetary terms—to over 48.426 billion UAH—and by 4.85% in volume terms—to nearly 211.947 million packages.
In 2025, Ukrainian pharmacies sold medicines worth 170.318 billion UAH, which is 12.79% more than the previous year. The volume of sales then decreased by 0.2% to 808.546 million packages.
Transportation prices in Ukraine in July 2026 were 18.6% higher than a year earlier, according to data from the State Statistics Service. In just one month, transportation prices rose by 1.3%. The most significant increase was recorded in passenger road transportation—up 6% in July and 30.8% compared to July 2025.
Overall, transportation services rose in price by 28.9% over the year and by 25.7% since the beginning of 2026. Passenger rail transportation became 2.7% more expensive over the month and 15.5% more expensive over the year.
Another significant factor remains the cost of fuel. In July, fuel and lubricants became 0.1% cheaper compared to June; however, compared to July of last year, they were 28% more expensive, and since the beginning of the year—26.5% more expensive.
Thus, transportation costs are rising significantly faster than the overall consumer market: annual inflation in Ukraine stood at 7.7% in July, while transportation inflation was 18.6% and transportation services inflation was 28.9%.
Pharmacy sales in Ukraine from January to June 2026 increased by 15% in monetary terms compared to the same period in 2025—reaching nearly 121 billion hryvnia—while in volume terms, they decreased by 5.8%—to approximately 533.955 million packages.
The company “Business Credit” reported this to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, citing the results of a study it conducted.
The weighted average price of items in the pharmacy basket for the first half of the year was 226.65 UAH per package, which is 22.15% higher than in January–June 2025.
Thus, the growth of the pharmacy market in monetary terms occurred against the backdrop of a decline in the total number of packages sold and a significant increase in the average cost of pharmacy products.
At the same time, the market’s growth rate in monetary terms accelerated compared to the first quarter. In January–March, pharmacy sales increased by 11.13%—to 60.245 billion UAH—while the volume of sales decreased by 4.8%, to approximately 270.958 million packages.
At the end of 2025, pharmacy sales in Ukraine totaled over 220.287 billion UAH, which is 14.23% more than in 2024. In volume terms, they declined by 2.25% during that period.
