is homyel’ a good place to live? 2026 honest review (aka the budget student’s cry for help)

so you’re thinking about homyel’? lol. okay, real talk from someone who’s survived two semesters here on a diet of instant noodles and existential dread. i’m a budget student, which means my life is a frantic spreadsheet of ‘can i afford this coffee?’ and ‘is the library open 24/7?’ homyel’ isn’t some instagram fantasy. it’s gritty, quiet, and will absolutely test your patience. but if you’re broke and need a city that doesn’t sip your wallet dry, strap in.

first, the vibe. homyel’ feels like a soviet-era blueprint someone forgot to finish. massive concrete blocks, wide empty avenues, and the sozh river that’s basically a brown mood ring. the weather? forget ‘four seasons.’ here it’s ‘bipolar’-winter will freeze your tears mid-scream, summer turns the whole city into a humid sock you can’t take off. last june, i sat in my room with a fan pointed directly at my laptop, praying it wouldn’t melt. my mate dima says it’s ‘character-building.’ i say it’s cruel.

*pro-tips for the financially doomed:
- scran (food): the central market (заводская) is your temple. 1.5 br for a grilled chicken that could feed a small child. avoid the ‘cafes’ near the theater-they charge 8 br for a sandwich that’s two slices of sadness.
- transport: the tram is 0.80 br. it’s old, it rattles, it sometimes smells like regret, but it’s cheaper than a bus. don’t even think about taxis unless you’ve sold a kidney.
- study spots: the main library (карла маркса) has free wi-fi and a basement that’s basically a ghost town. perfect for crying quietly over textbooks. also, the ‘anti-cafe’ on гомельская is 2 br/hour for unlimited tea and a corner.
- side hustles: tutoring kids in english (10-12 br/hr), or ‘helping’ local shops with basic stuff. the university notice board is a goldmine of ‘odd job’ postings that are basically modern serfdom.

here’s the raw, un-sugared data table i made after my third panic attack about rent:

overheard gossip (blockquotes from the void):
> "my uncle says the job market here is a graveyard. either you work at the chemical plant (toxic, but pays ok) or you’re a barista for 400 br. no in-between." - overheard at the 24-hour ‘kebab’ stand, 2am.
> "don’t rent on sovetskaya. the walls are paper. you’ll hear your neighbor’s life story, including his bowel movements." - warned by a girl at the market who sells knitted socks.

now, the links you’ll actually need: the local subreddit r/gomel is mostly memes and ‘help i need a plumber’ threads, but it’s the only pulse. check this tripadvisor thread for ‘hidden’ cafes that aren’t actually hidden. for cheap eats, yelp has a list, but half the places are closed on monday-classic belarusian ‘surprise!’ factor. also, dig through this belarus expat board where people argue about internet speeds and how to get ghoulak (a local spirit) without getting poisoned.

safety? it’s not warzone-level, but don’t wander dark parks at 3am. standard big-city rules. the main thing is the soul-crushing predictability. there’s no ‘vibrant street art’ scene. the ‘indie’ film scout would weep. the closest we get to excitement is when the annual ‘slavianski bazaar’ festival happens-thousands of people, loud music, and suddenly the city feels alive for a week. then back to the hum of the tram.

city hacks that aren’t on any brochure:*
- the university’s sports complex lets students swim for 3 br. it’s a concrete hellhole but it’s wet.
- if you need medicine, go to the big pharmacy on lenina. they sometimes have ‘student discounts’ if you ask nicely and look pitiful.
- want to get out? a marshrutka (minibus) to minsk is 15 br and a 2.5-hour rollercoaster of potholes and folk music. a flight to kyiv is cheap if you book months ahead on belavia.

look, homyel’ won’t seduce you. it won’t whisper sweet nothings about your future. but if you’re here to study, survive, and save every kopeck, it’s… functional. the rent is stupid cheap. the people are mostly indifferent but not hostile. you’ll develop a weird love for the ugliness-the cracked sidewalks, the soviet mosaics peeling like old skin, the way the river glints at sunset. it’s not a place to ‘find yourself.’ it’s a place to grind, graduate, and maybe, just maybe, leave with a story that doesn’t start with ‘i lived in this terrible city…’ but with ‘i survived homyel’ and still have my sense of humor (barely).