In May 2026, a "borscht set" will cost almost 300 UAH per person. The reasons are unfavorable weather conditions, exchange rate fluctuations, and an oil crisis due to the escalation of the situation in the Middle East.
UNN found out how much basic products – beets, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions, tomato paste, oil, pork, and beef – cost now.
Vegetables for the borscht set: how much they have increased in price and where to buy them most profitably
On average, a kilogram of beets now costs 9.93 UAH. The cheapest place to buy the main vegetable for borscht is the Metro hypermarket chain: there it costs 6.80 UAH. Auchan set a slightly higher price: you will have to pay 7.99 UAH for a kilogram of beets.
The "borscht set" will be more expensive if you buy young beets at the market. There, the price ranges from 109 to 134 UAH per kilogram.
In May 2026, you will have to pay more for carrots. Ukrainian supermarkets are asking 36.33 UAH for a kilogram of this vegetable. It is most profitable to buy at Auchan: the price there is set at 29.90 UAH per kilogram. At Metro, you will have to pay 35 UAH, and Megamarket set the price at 45 UAH per kilogram.
A kilogram of white cabbage for borscht this month will cost an average of 25.45 UAH. It is most profitable to get it in market chains like Metro, where the price is set at 19.90 UAH per kilogram. If you buy it at the market, the price can reach up to 31.00 UAH per kilogram.
The "borscht set" will become significantly more expensive if you stock up on young cabbage. After all, the average price for this vegetable reaches 70.42 UAH. Novus offers the lowest price – 59.99 UAH per kilogram. At Metro, you will have to pay 65 UAH, and in the Auchan market chain – 67.20 UAH.
Potatoes for the national Ukrainian dish this May can be bought for an average of 22.55 UAH/kg.
Pink potatoes will cost a bit more, for which you will have to pay almost 30 UAH per kilogram this month.
A kilogram of young potatoes will be the most expensive: on average, you will have to pay 56.49 UAH per kilogram. It is cheapest to buy the vegetable at Auchan, where it costs 25.40 UAH. Novus and Metro set prices at 39.99 UAH and 40.56 UAH respectively. In the Megamarket chain, young potatoes cost 120 UAH per kilogram.
A kilogram of onions can be purchased today for 12.46 UAH. At Novus, it costs 8.49 UAH, at Auchan – 10.40 UAH. If you buy "from grandmothers' hands," you will have to pay an average of 18-20 UAH per kilogram.
Groceries and seasonings for the "borscht set": how much they are bought for in May 2026
"Chumak" tomato paste with a volume of 350g can be bought for 99 UAH in May 2026. Compared to last month, it increased in price by 7.40 UAH.
A bottle of refined "Oleina" oil (850 ml) currently costs 96.20 UAH. It can be purchased cheapest in the Megamarket chain – for 93.00 UAH. Novus and Metro set prices at around 96 UAH and some change. And at Auchan, you will have to pay 98.30 UAH for a bottle of oil.
A bottle of refined oil from the "Shchedryi Dar" brand will cost a bit more: it costs an average of 95.13 UAH. It is most profitable to buy it in the Metro chain. There, you will need to pay 91.00 UAH for this product.
Meat for the "borscht set": current prices
For borscht, you can take both pork and beef.
Beef ribs in May 2026 can be bought at a price of 278.13 UAH per kilogram. At Auchan, this will require 239.90 UAH, in the Megamarket chain – 290.50 UAH, and at Novus – 304 UAH.
A kilogram of pork ribs for the borscht set will be slightly cheaper: it costs an average of 231.47 UAH. It can be purchased in popular Ukrainian market chains from 215.90 to 239.50 UAH.
Which products for borscht have increased in price the most
Compared to April, a kilogram of beets has become more expensive by 0.36 UAH.
Carrots rose in price significantly: from 13.89 UAH to 36.63 UAH. The difference is 22.74 UAH.
In addition, prices for white cabbage increased: the price per kilogram increased by 14.88 UAH at once. But young cabbage is the borscht ingredient that fell in price over the month. In April, a kilogram of young cabbage was sold to the buyer for 84.18 UAH. Thus, the vegetable became cheaper by 13.76 UAH.
Regular potatoes increased in price by 3.64 UAH compared to April 2026. Pink potatoes added 2.30 UAH to the cost. But young potatoes became cheaper by an average of 13.26 UAH.
Onions also managed to jump in price: in April they cost 9.19 UAH per kilogram and added 3.27 UAH in value.
If we compare prices for April and May of this year, refined "Oleina" oil increased in price insignificantly: by 0.43 UAH. But oil from the "Shchedryi Dar" brand added 1.73 UAH to the price.
Beef ribs also managed to become more expensive by 6.09 UAH. But a kilogram of pork ribs in April cost 229.82 UAH. Thus, the product became more expensive by a negligible 1.65 UAH.
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Cost of the "borscht set" in May: how much the popular national dish will cost
We will calculate how much it will cost to prepare borscht this month in two versions. The first is the minimum "borscht set". It includes:
- white cabbage (0.5 kg) — 12.72 UAH;
- beets (200 g) — 2 UAH;
- potatoes (300 g) — 16.95 UAH;
- carrots (200 g) – 7.32 UAH;
- onions (150 g) — 1.86 UAH;
- tomato paste (300 g) – 84.85 UAH;
- refined oil (30 ml) — 3.39 UAH;
- pork ribs (400 g) — 91.92 UAH.
In this configuration, the set of products for borscht will cost 221.01 UAH.
If you add to this list of ingredients:
- sour cream 15% fat (150 g) — 25.44 UAH;
- rye bread (400 g) — 21.47 UAH;
- salted lard (100 g) — 22.13 UAH;
- young garlic (40 g) — 6.10 UAH
…then the cost of the "borscht set" will increase by another 75.14 UAH and will amount to almost 300 hryvnias – 296.15 UAH.
Reminder
Earlier we wrote about how much the "shashlik set" costs in 2026. The minimum set for shashlik in 2026 costs 580 hryvnias. A full basket with vegetables and drinks will cost Ukrainians 1522 hryvnias.