Оренда в центрі міста дорога, тому ми шукаємо квартиру на околиці.

Оренда means rent, rental, or leasing. In this sentence, it is most naturally understood as rent or the cost of renting.

So Оренда в центрі міста дорога means that renting in the city center is expensive, not that a specific rented thing is expensive.

Because оренда is a feminine singular noun, and the adjective must agree with it.

• оренда = feminine singular
• дорога = feminine singular form of дорогий = expensive

So the grammar is:

• оренда ... дорога = rent is expensive

In Ukrainian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So:

• Оренда в центрі міста дорога literally looks like Rent in the city center expensive
• but it naturally means Rent in the city center is expensive

This is completely normal Ukrainian grammar.

This phrase has two important parts:

1. в центрі
   The preposition в means in, and after it, a location usually takes the locative case.

   • центр = center
   • в центрі = in the center

2. міста
   This is the genitive singular of місто = city.
   It means of the city.

So:

• в центрі міста = in the center of the city
• in natural English: in the city center

Yes. в and у often alternate in Ukrainian for euphony, meaning speakers choose the form that sounds smoother.

So both of these are possible:

• в центрі міста
• у центрі міста

They mean the same thing. The choice often depends on surrounding sounds and speaking rhythm.

Here тому means therefore, so, or that is why.

It connects the first idea to the result:

• Оренда в центрі міста дорога = Rent in the city center is expensive
• тому ми шукаємо квартиру на околиці = so we are looking for an apartment on the outskirts

So тому introduces the consequence.

Because the sentence contains two clauses:

• Оренда в центрі міста дорога
• тому ми шукаємо квартиру на околиці

In Ukrainian, clauses like these are normally separated by a comma. So the comma before тому is standard punctuation.

Because квартира is the direct object of шукаємо = we are looking for, so it goes into the accusative case.

• nominative: квартира
• accusative: квартиру

So:

• ми шукаємо квартиру = we are looking for an apartment

This is a very common pattern:

• шукати
  • accusative

Ukrainian present tense often covers both:

• we look for
• we are looking for

The verb шукати is imperfective, so шукаємо can describe an ongoing process or general action.

In this sentence, English naturally uses are looking for, because the situation sounds current and ongoing.

Because Ukrainian normally uses на with околиця in this meaning.

• на околиці = on the outskirts / on the edge of town

This is just the standard idiomatic way to say it. Even though English says in the outskirts or on the outskirts, Ukrainian prefers на околиці.

Also, because this is a location, околиці is in the locative case after на.

Околиця means the outskirts, edge, or peripheral part of a town or city.

So на околиці suggests a place away from the center. Depending on context, it can feel similar to:

• on the outskirts
• in the outer part of town
• sometimes loosely in the suburbs

But its core idea is away from the center, not necessarily a specific suburb.

Because Ukrainian does not have articles like English the and a/an.

That means nouns appear without articles, and definiteness is understood from context.

For example:

• квартиру could mean an apartment or the apartment, depending on context

In this sentence, the natural English translation is an apartment, because the speakers are looking for some apartment, not one already identified.

No. Ukrainian word order is fairly flexible.

This sentence uses a very natural, neutral order:

• Оренда в центрі міста дорога
• тому ми шукаємо квартиру на околиці

That order presents the situation first, then the result.

You could rearrange parts of the sentence for emphasis, but the original version sounds normal and clear.