In 2026, preparing shashlik for a family in Ukraine costs a minimum of almost 580 hryvnias. Over the past few years, the so-called "shashlik set" has become noticeably more expensive due to rising prices for meat, spices, and certain vegetables.
UNN explains how food prices for shashlik have changed and how much Ukrainians will have to spend on a picnic in 2026.
How much it costs to buy meat for shashlik in May of this year
Meat remains the most expensive component of the traditional spring picnic dish. On average, a kilogram of pork currently costs 259.35 UAH. The cheapest price is offered by Novus: there, shashlik meat can be purchased for 219.00 UAH. You will have to pay slightly more at the Metro store chain: a kilogram of raw shashlik there will cost 239.00 UAH. Auchan, in turn, set the price for the main shashlik ingredient at 279.90 UAH. The most expensive shopping for a May picnic will be at Megamarket stores: there, a kilogram of pork for shashlik costs as much as 299.50 UAH.
Shashlik seasoning can currently be bought for an average of 12.70 UAH. In this case, you can purchase a 20g pack of seasoning from TM "Eko". Torchyn "Do Shashlyku" ketchup (270g) will cost an average of 35.64 UAH. And for TM "Veres" marinade (140g pack), you will need to pay 31.90 UAH.
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Vegetables for shashlik outdoors: what is the price and where to get them cheapest
A healthy side dish for shashlik will also not be cheap. For instance, a kilogram of mushrooms that can be grilled outdoors will "weigh in" at an average of 157.83 UAH. It is currently most profitable to buy mushrooms at Novus and Metro chains: they cost 149 UAH per kilogram there. You will have to pay a bit more at Auchan, where the price per kilogram of mushrooms is set at 154.80 UAH. The highest price for mushrooms is currently in Megamarket supermarkets: they cost 178.50 UAH there.
A kilogram of leeks currently costs an average of 168.72 UAH in stores. Novus offers the cheapest price – 149.00 UAH/kg. The Metro market chain set the price at 154.96 UAH, Auchan – 160.90 UAH, and Megamarket – 210.00 UAH.
Onions, necessary for marinating the meat, will be cheaper. A kilogram can be bought for 11.46 hryvnias, based on the average price across all popular megamarkets.
Prickly cucumbers for shashlik will cost an average of 109.50 UAH per kilogram. Yellow bell peppers can be purchased starting from 199.00 UAH per kilogram. Red tomatoes at Novus will cost 179.00 UAH per kilogram, at Auchan you will have to pay 285.50 UAH for them, and at Megamarket the price for these popular vegetables is set at 243.00 UAH per kilogram.
Drinks for a shashlik picnic: how much you will have to pay for them
A 1.5L bottle of mineral water will cost an average of 28.85 UAH. The cheapest can be bought at Auchan (27.00 UAH) and Novus (54.99 UAH). A 1.75L bottle of "Coca-Cola" soda will cost 61.89 UAH. And red wine, in a 0.75L volume, can be purchased for 109 UAH.
Shashlik for a family and a group of friends: how much it will cost
Considering that a family or a group of several people will need a kilogram of each popular picnic product and several bottles of drinks, which cost:
- pork – 259.35 UAH;
- mushrooms – 157.83 UAH;
- leeks – 168.72 UAH;
- onions – 11.46 UAH;
- cucumbers – 109.50 UAH;
- yellow bell pepper – 240.97 UAH;
- red tomatoes – 235.83 UAH;
- mineral water – 57.70 UAH (for 2 bottles);
- Coca-Cola soda – 123.78 (for 2 bottles);
- red wine – 109 UAH;
- shashlik seasoning – 12.70 UAH;
- ketchup – 35.64 UAH,
the average cost of shashlik outdoors increases from a minimum of 580 UAH, which covers only pork, onions, and seasoning, to 1522.48 UAH.
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How the price of the "shashlik set" has changed since 2022
In Ukraine, over the last five years, the cost of preparing shashlik for a family of two adults and two children has changed significantly. Fluctuations in the cost of pork, spices, and seasonal changes in vegetable prices had the greatest impact on the price of the traditional set.
Thus, in 2022, preparing shashlik cost 313.92 UAH. The set included 2 kg of pork, 1 kg of onions, and 20 grams of shashlik seasoning.
In 2023, the total cost of the set rose to 448.79 UAH. Thus, in one year, shashlik became 42.96% more expensive. The sharp increase in the price of pork had the biggest impact. While in 2022, 2 kg of meat cost 289.26 UAH, in 2023 it was already 383.32 UAH.
The cost of onions also changed significantly. In 2022, a kilogram cost 19.13 UAH, and in 2023 the price rose to 57.02 UAH. The cost of shashlik seasoning during this period increased from 5.53 UAH to 8.45 UAH.
In 2024, the situation partially changed. The total cost of the shashlik set decreased to 411.65 UAH. This is 8.28% less than the previous year.
The decrease in cost was primarily due to the seasonal cheapening of onions. In April 2024, its average price was 15.62 UAH per kilogram. This is almost four times cheaper than in 2023.
At the same time, the price of pork almost did not change. In 2024, 2 kg of meat cost 388.10 UAH compared to 383.32 UAH a year earlier. Shashlik seasoning also became slightly cheaper — to 7.93 UAH.
In 2025, the cost of the shashlik set began to rise again. The total price reached 538.97 UAH. In one year, shashlik became 30.93% more expensive.
The main reason was the increase in meat prices. The cost of 2 kg of pork in 2025 rose to 507.10 UAH. Prices for onions and spices also increased. A kilogram of onions cost 21.25 UAH, and seasoning cost 10.62 UAH.
In 2026, the trend of rising prices continued, although the rate of increase slowed down. As of April this year, the shashlik set costs 579.57 UAH. This is 7.53% more than in 2025.
Pork traditionally remains the most expensive component. In 2026, 2 kg of meat cost an average of 558.48 UAH. In four years, the price has almost doubled compared to 2022.
At the same time, onions became cheaper in 2026. Their average cost is 9.12 UAH per kilogram. This is the lowest figure in the last four years. Meanwhile, spices continued to become more expensive. In 2026, 20 grams of seasoning cost 11.97 UAH.
Overall, for the period from 2022 to 2026, the cost of shashlik for a family rose from 313.92 UAH to 579.57 UAH. The difference is 265.65 UAH.
Analysts note that the main factor in the change of the "shashlik index" in recent years has been the dynamics of meat prices. It is pork that forms the bulk of the costs in the set.