UA flag
Donetsk

Ukraine

vs
UA flag
Kharkiv

Ukraine

Climate

Donetsk logs 35 hot days a year to Kharkiv's 30 — Kharkiv wins by 5. Donetsk also leads on frost days by 5.

DonetskKharkiv
Sunny days
160155
Hot days
3530
Frost days
98103
Rainy days
8285
Snow days
2428
Outdoor dinner months
3/123/12
Avg wind
3.3 m/s3.6 m/s
Sunshine hours
1,9651,870
Darkest month sun
19 hrs/mo21 hrs/mo
UV peak month
6.16.0

Donetsk

Feels-like °C

-10
-8
1
8
18
26
27
27
19
7
-1
-9

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Kharkiv

Feels-like °C

-12
-10
-2
8
16
25
26
26
17
5
-4
-10

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Air Quality

Donetsk averages 15.7 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Kharkiv's 13.8 µg/m³ (moderate) — Kharkiv breathes ~12% cleaner air (1.9 µg/m³ lower).

Donetsk

Kharkiv

15.7µg/m³
13.8µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Sensitive Groups
Moderate

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Donetsk (691K) and Kharkiv (1.3M) are 1.9x in population — Kharkiv is the larger metro, Donetsk the smaller.

1.5x

Kharkiv is roughly 1.5x the scale of Donetsk

Combined population & area comparison

UA flagKharkiv
1.5x
UA flagDonetsk
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.UA flagKharkiv1.3M1.9x
2.UA flagDonetsk691K1x
Area
1.UA flagKharkiv232 km²1.2x
2.UA flagDonetsk188 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
22 km15 km

UA flagDonetsk

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
22 km18 km

UA flagKharkiv

Who Thrives Here

Both cities work well for the clean air seeker.

Thrives in both
DonetskKharkiv
Struggles in both
DonetskKharkiv

Frequently asked about Donetsk vs Kharkiv

How does the climate compare between Donetsk and Kharkiv?
Sunny days: 160 vs 155 d — Similar Annual sunshine: 1,965 vs 1,870 hrs — Similar Winter sunshine: 19 vs 21 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 35 vs 30 d — Kharkiv lower Frost days: 98 vs 103 d — Donetsk lower Rainy days: 82 vs 85 d — Similar Snowy days: 24 vs 28 d — Donetsk lower
Should I move to Donetsk or Kharkiv?
Donetsk and Kharkiv are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Donetsk and Kharkiv stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

10 minutes, no account needed