What you need to know about living Brno: where to look for housing and work, where to go for documents, and how to travel to Ukraine.
Brno — the second city of Czechia: about 404 thousand inhabitants, 230 km², 29 city districts. Almost a third of the entire South Moravian Region lives here, and the city noticeably differs from Prague in its profile: instead of tourism and finance — universities, hospitals, IT, and precision manufacturing.
Ukrainians in the South Moravian Region are 61,062 — this is 54% of all foreigners in the region, the largest group. About 70,000 foreigners are registered in Brno itself, of which almost 34,000 are Ukrainians; after 2022, the city welcomed over 20,000 new residents from Ukraine.
The main advantage of Brno for a Ukrainian family is money and distances at the same time. Rent here is significantly cheaper than in Prague (60 m² for an average of 21,427 Kč compared to 26,025 Kč), the airport is within the city limits 22 minutes from the train station, and on weekdays there is a direct night train to Košice — the closest major city to the Ukrainian border.
Every figure carries its source and period. Where a number comes from listings rather than official statistics, it is marked as a market snapshot.
this is the South Moravian Region, not the city: there are no official salaries by city in Czechia since 2006
a PLATY.CZ survey, published by the Brno magistrate; the magistrate itself warns that the sample is skewed towards those who earn more
an average of 427 Kč per m² — 12% more than a year ago. In Prague, the same apartment costs 26,025 Kč
noticeably cheaper than Prague (157.21 Kč). Included in záloha na služby (advance payments for services)
zones 100+101; annual šalinkarta (public transport pass) — 4,750 Kč. Prices have not changed since 07/01/2024
15 and 60 minutes within the city; a ticket for 8 rides — 156 Kč, which is more economical than eight single tickets
in the region — 5.24%. Higher in the city because people commute daily from surrounding areas and improve the statistics of their districts
54.1% of all foreigners in the region. In Brno itself — almost 34,000
A short description of each district — what the housing is like and who it suits. We deliberately do not rank a “best district”.
Prices below are from the official rent price list of the Czech Ministry of Finance (updated quarterly, calculated based on 2021–2026 data). This is CZK per m² per month without utilities, for an unfurnished apartment older than 5 years. We calculated the monthly amount ourselves by multiplying by the median area in the region: 34 m² for a one-room apartment, 54 m² for a two-room apartment.
Historic center and Staré Brno: the largest number of foreigners in the city (17,892 people, 16.9% of the part's population), all administration, and the densest concentration of jobs in the Czech Republic after Prague.
Who it suits: for those who want to walk and not depend on transport
East of the city near the Černovická terasa industrial zone and the OAMP office. The highest proportion of foreigners in Brno — 29.6%, meaning almost one in three.
Who it suits: for those who work in the industrial zone and want to be among their own
Southwest: Masaryk University campus, the largest hospital FN Brno, and the CEITEC center — 8,500 jobs per half square kilometer.
Who it suits: for medical staff, students, and scientists
North of the city: technology park with Kyndryl and Red Hat, polytechnic campus, good tram connections. 6,698 foreigners.
Who it suits: for those who work in IT or study at the polytechnic
East: 4,792 foreigners and 20.2% of the part's population — the share has more than doubled in six years. Also here is the new Nová Zbrojovka development.
Who it suits: for families looking for a cheaper option than the center with normal transport
Northwest near the Brno Reservoir — greenery, water, tram terminus, and the lowest proportion of foreigners among large parts (7.4%).
Who it suits: for those who need peace and nature nearby
The city's largest employers, with their industry and size taken from official sources. Headcount is given as a range — that is how the registers publish it.
Brno's largest employers are not factories, but the hospital and university: FN Brno and Masaryk University, each with 7–8 thousand employees. The employment service only publishes employee number ranges, so there are no exact figures for individual companies here — they do not exist in official sources.
Southeast near the D1 highway, approximately 8 thousand jobs: Thermo Fisher, Daikin, Honeywell, CommScope, Ademco. Nearby is the private CTPark Brno with tenants Hitachi Energy, Garrett Motion, and ABB. This is the main entry point to the labor market for those not seeking an office job.
North of the city near the polytechnic campus, about 7 thousand jobs: Kyndryl, Red Hat, Y Soft, MANN+HUMMEL. Nearby is Campus Science Park with AT&T and ESET. The language here is English; Czech is often not required. A special feature of Brno: one-third of the world's electron microscope production comes from this city.
Where to go with a child, and what to do with a foreign diploma.
The deadline has changed: previously, enrollment for the first grade was in April, now it is January 15 — February 15. Brno maintains a separate portal for this zapisdozs.brno.cz: applications are issued from January 1, accepted from January 15 to February 15 daily from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the schools themselves, decisions within 30 days.
Kindergartens have their own schedule and portal: application issuance March 15 — April 15, collection April 13–15, admission proceedings from April 23.
⚠️ The brno.cz website still mentions the old rule 'April 1–30' — it is outdated. The correct deadline is on the enrollment portal and in the ministry's guidelines.
The Constitutional Court on December 17, 2025, abolished the rule for a separate summer term (June 1 — July 15) for children with temporary protection. Now they enroll during the general period of January 15–February 15 along with Czech children.
The school is determined by the address of stay registration in Brno. A child must be enrolled in primary school within three months of arrival; for children aged 5–6, the last year of kindergarten is mandatory.
Classes every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Berglově paláci on Moravské náměstí. The center has been operating since November 2019 and directly warns about its status: it does not replace either Czech or Ukrainian school and does not issue official documents. It is a supplement — language, culture, community — not an alternative to mandatory Czech school.
The city has over 65,000 students. Masaryk University (37,399 students, 10 faculties), VUT — the technical university with 8 faculties, Mendel University (Zemědělská 1665/1), the veterinary university, the Academy of Musical Arts JAMU (Beethovenova 2), and the University of Defense (Kounicova 65). City programs are in our education catalog.
The important thing is to know in advance what is open in the evening and at night, and where to take a child.
Emergency services in Brno operate until 10:00 PM at the latest. For adults: FN u sv. Anny, Pekařská 664/53 (+420 543 183 570), Mon–Fri 6:00 PM–9:00 PM, weekends 10:00 AM–6:00 PM — fee 90 CZK. For children: Children's Hospital, Černopolní 212/9 (+420 532 234 935), Mon–Fri 6:00 PM–10:00 PM, weekends 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.
After 10:00 PM for adults — emergency reception at FN Brno Bohunice (Jihlavská 340/20, 24/7); for injuries — Úrazová nemocnice, Ponávka 139/6 (+420 545 538 111, 24/7). In case of life threat — 155.
⚠️ Regarding the hours of emergency service for adults at FN Brno, two official sources differ (4:00 PM–8:00 PM vs. 6:00 PM–10:00 PM) — so call before you go.
Dental emergency — FN u sv. Anny, Pekařská 664/53, tel. +420 738 653 447: Mon–Fri 4:00 PM–9:00 PM, weekends 8:00 AM–6:00 PM.
24/7 pharmacy — Dr. Max at Baštách 413/2 (+420 542 213 531). This is the only 24/7 pharmacy we found, and it's confirmed by an unofficial source — it's best to call before a night trip.
Temporary protection automatically makes you a participant in state health insurance; for the first 90 days, the state pays the contributions, after which you need to register with an insurance provider. The largest provider, VZP, has a regional branch in Brno at Benešově 696/10, ZP MV ČR — at Nových sadech 1016/27.
Look for a family doctor in the state registry nrpzs.uzis.cz, select 'General Practice'. The registry does not show whether a doctor is accepting new patients — you will have to ask by phone.
⚠️ The city portal ukrajina.brno.cz still refers to a doctor search service that no longer works. Use the registry.
Tickets, passes and distances, taken from the operator's official fares.
In Brno, the travel pass is officially called šalinkarta ('šalina' in Brno dialect means tram), and the carrier's page is signed exactly like that. A monthly pass costs 550 CZK, an annual pass — 4,750 CZK; prices have not changed since July 2024.
Single ticket: 20 CZK for 15 minutes, 25 CZK for 60 minutes. A ticket for 8 trips of 45 minutes each — 156 CZK, which is more economical than eight single tickets.
⚠️ Trap: An SMS ticket for 75 minutes costs 29 CZK — more expensive than a paper ticket for 60 minutes. It's cheaper to pay with a contactless card directly in the tram ('Pípni a jeď!') or through the app.
Brno hlavní nádraží (Brno main station) is in tariff zone 100, meaning a city ticket is valid there. Ticket counters operate almost 24/7 (12:00 AM–12:50 AM and 2:45 AM–12:00 AM), accept cards and euros. There is a luggage storage, currency exchange, and waiting room.
Direct trains: Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Berlin, Ostrava — and on weekdays, a direct night train to Košice. For those traveling to Ukraine, this is the most convenient route from Brno.
Bus station — ÚAN Zvonařka (+420 543 163 111): international tickets, luggage storage up to 30 days. Some long-distance buses depart from the Grand hotel near the main train station.
Brno-Tuřany Airport (code BRQ) belongs to the South Moravian Region and is located within the city. To get there — use a regular city ticket: line 21 from the main train station in 22 minutes, line 77 from Úzké in 26 minutes, at night N89 in 20 minutes.
In the summer of 2026, Ryanair will fly from here — London, Malaga, Milan. From June 1 to September 30, check-in opens 3 hours before departure. For other destinations, people use Vienna, Bratislava, or Prague.
Prices and times are a dated snapshot of the market, not an offer.
Who offers free help, where the churches are and where to go for advice. Only what an official source confirms.
Greek Catholic Parish of St. Joseph — church at Josefská 1, office at Jakubské 126/11, tel. +420 731 621 256. Services: Sunday 10:00 AM in Ukrainian, Sunday 8:00 AM in Church Slavonic, Wednesday and Friday 6:30 PM.
The parish serves not only the city but also the districts of Brno-countryside, Blansko, Břeclav, and Hodonín. The second Greek Catholic parish (at St. Leopold, Vídeňská 7) celebrates in Slovak at 10:15 AM.
Diecézní charita Brno (Diocesan Charity Brno) provides social and legal consultations for foreigners at the OAMP workplace itself at Tuřanky. This means a person applying for documents can get a free consultation on site — a rare practice in the Czech Republic. The charity's main office is at tř. Kpt. Jaroše 1928/9.
Brno has a website ukrajina.brno.cz in Czech and Ukrainian — and it looks official because it is. But its content is from 2022–2023: it refers to a closed doctor search service and describes 'UA Points' in hospitals according to the 2022 regime.
Use it as a map of sections, but verify the facts: institution addresses — on official websites, doctors — in the NRPZS registry, school enrollment deadlines — at zapisdozs.brno.cz.
Every address and every opening time comes from the office's own website and was checked on 2026-07-25. Before a long trip it is still worth calling: schedules change without notice.
Extensions and changes of residence permits, biometrics, certificates. Serves the entire South Moravian Region: Brno-city, Brno-country, Blansko, Břeclav, Hodonín, Vyškov, Znojmo. In the same building, Diecézní charita Brno (Diocesan Charity Brno) offers free consultations — social and legal assistance for foreigners, including in Ukrainian.
Appointments are prioritized, and the distribution of tokens for walk-ins may end long before the end of reception hours. There is no on-site parking. The small waiting room opens at 6:00 AM — and the queue starts right then.
Official page →Processing of temporary protection for the entire region. On-site facilities include a children's corner, translation services, and the Infopoint of the Center for Foreigners JmK. The area opens at 8:00 AM, entrance is from the side, into building B1 following navigation signs.
Parking is not allowed near KACPU, only short-term stops. Use public transport to the Hněvkovského stop or leave your car at the "Hodonínská" park-and-ride lot.
Official page →Registration of job seekers and employment mediation. Also here — care allowance and disability ID card (tel. 950 104 090), but by appointment only. Tram stop Vojtova.
Since October 2025, agendas have been split between two addresses, and the old instructions "everything at Polní" are incorrect. Social benefits are at Křenová.
Official page →Superdávka (unified social benefit), hardship allowance, parental allowance, birth allowance, alimony replacement. Stop Vlhká.
The city's largest hospital and one of Brno's two largest employers. Emergency reception is open 24/7 — pavilion L (therapy and neurology) and CH (trauma and surgery).
On-call pediatric care from birth to 18 years old. Registration — pavilion D (Teyschlova hala).
After 10:00 PM, the on-call service is closed. At night with a child — only 155 or emergency reception.
Official page →Czech language courses, legal and social consultations, adaptation-integration courses. Most services are free. On Fridays — by prior appointment.
It depends on the case, and it's easy to get confused.
KACPU, Hněvkovského 65 — only applications for temporary protection. Mon and Wed 8:00 AM–4:00 PM, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:00 AM–2:00 PM, entrance from the side to building B1.
OAMP, Tuřanka 1554/115b — everything else: extensions, address changes, biometrics, certificates. Mon and Wed 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, Tue and Thu 8:00 AM–2:00 PM, Friday — by appointment only.
And third: the Brno magistrate does not process residence permits for foreigners at all — they only handle registration for Czech citizens.
The only Ministry of the Interior phone number is 974 801 801, for temporary protection issues — 974 801 802.
On average across the city, 427 CZK per m² per month, meaning a 60 m² apartment costs around 21,400 CZK. This is noticeably cheaper than Prague, where the same apartment costs 26,000 CZK.
According to the official price map of the Ministry of Finance, it is most expensive in the center (Staré Brno — 394 CZK/m² for a studio, about 13,400 CZK) and in Bohunice, where two-room apartments are the most expensive due to the campus and hospital (336 CZK/m², about 18,100 CZK). It is cheaper in the outskirts: Kohoutovice, Tuřany, Soběšice.
Important: these figures do not include utility payments, they are calculated separately as záloha na služby (advance payment for services), plus separate contracts for electricity and gas.
The honest answer is more complicated than we'd like: there have been no official city-specific salaries in the Czech Republic since 2006.
The only official figure is regional: 49,510 CZK gross for the South Moravian Region for the first quarter of 2026.
The only 'city' figure is from the PLATY.CZ survey, published by the Brno magistrate itself: average 59,893 CZK, median 54,000 CZK for the first half of 2025. However, the magistrate itself warns that the survey overrepresents those who earn more, and that it is suitable for trends, not absolute numbers. Therefore, focus on the median, not the average.
Any website that states 'average salary in Brno is 59,893 CZK' without these caveats is misleading.
The most convenient way is by direct night train to Košice, which runs on weekdays from Brno main station. Košice is the largest city in Slovakia closest to the Ukrainian border: from there, it's about 90 km to the Vyšné Nemecké crossing.
An alternative is a bus from ÚAN Zvonařka, where tickets for international lines across Europe are sold. We have not checked direct Brno-Ukraine buses separately, so check the schedule of the specific carrier.
Train station ticket offices accept euros and cards and are open almost around the clock.
January 15 — February 15. The deadline changed in 2026: previously, enrollment was in April.
Brno maintains a separate portal zapisdozs.brno.cz: applications are issued from January 1, accepted from January 15 to February 15 daily from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM directly at the schools. The principal makes a decision within 30 days, appeals go to the regional government.
There is no longer a separate enrollment for Ukrainian children — the Constitutional Court abolished it in December 2025; now everyone applies within the same period.
Kindergartens have their own schedule: applications are issued from March 15 to April 15, collected from April 13–15.
⚠️ The brno.cz website still mentions the old April deadline — do not rely on it.
There are 61,000 Ukrainians in the region — 54% of all foreigners; in Brno itself, about 34,000.
Centers of gravity: the Greek Catholic Parish of St. Joseph (Josefská 1) with liturgy in Ukrainian every Sunday at 10:00 AM; the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Center at Moravské náměstí 690/15 with Saturday classes from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM; Centrum pro cizince JMK (Center for Foreigners of the South Moravian Region) at Kounicové 271/13 with free Czech courses and consultations.
By districts, there are most Ukrainians in Brno-střed (17,892 foreigners), Brno-sever, and Královo Pole; and the highest proportion is in Slatina, where every third resident is a foreigner.
Official pay statistics at city level barely exist in Czechia, so we show the region and say which one. Office addresses and prices in the guide always carry a source and a date of checking — without those they do not appear here at all.
