This is mostly raw data. The map below is for quick reference purposes. Distances between selected capitols are for land routes, obviously without the road map detail. So as to not crowd the map, capitols are left off.
For the logistically-minded, an 800 km (500 mile) day for truckers puts the majority of European capitols within a two day drive of Odessa; three days for Italy, France and England, and 4-5 days for Spain and Portugal. This will vary according to the driver, company, road and weather conditions, time in customs and load/unloading times. Contextually, it is not entirely uncommon for some American truckers to put in 1,000 miles a day, but that is very optimistic and not sustainable.
Odessa is among the largest ports on the Black Sea. For extended details of Odessa Port facilities and capabilities, I would recommend taking a look at the Odessa Sea Port Authority web site and its detailed entry on Wikipedia (for quick and extensive stats).
Logistics involves numerous considerations depending upon type of freight, destination, port facilities and fees, to name a few. The following provides a quick comparison of distance and time at sea for sea-going freight of major European ports and Suez, Egypt. Calculations are based upon a common average speed of 10 nautical miles per hour (Reference: Ports.com).
- Barcelona, Spain to Suez: 2021 nm / 8.4 days at sea
- Genoa, Italy to Suez: 1890 nm / 7.9 days at sea
- Trieste, Italy to Suez: 1752 nm / 7.3 days at sea
- Odessa, Ukraine to Suez: 1653 nm / 6.9 days at sea
- Split Croatia to Suez: 1525 nm/ 6.4 days at sea
- Constanta, Romania to Suez: 1448 nm / 6.0 days at sea
All ports are connected by rail and highway, and are in the proximity of an international airport. Location of production and/or distribution facilities is of special import in consideration of average wages and port fees. The following reflects the approximate average wages of selected European countries:
- Germany: 2154 Euro
- France: 2180 Euro
- Greece: 1004 Euro
- Poland: 705 Euro
- Romania: 417 Euro
- Bulgaria: 356 Euro
- Ukraine: 130 Euro
Average wage is at best a bird’s eye view statistic. Detailed wage statistics for Ukraine by oblast can be found on Wikipedia, as well.
These numbers don’t still provide a complete context, but it does show the wages in Kyiv as 1.7x greater than Odessa. That’s a pretty good rule-of-thumb multiplier for most things (especially rent). By almost every standard and line item it is less expensive to live and do business in Odessa than Kyiv. Odessa provides for a high standard of living without a high cost of living.