Cost of Living in Budapest

Hey Eli!
Very good salary. An average Tesco or Audi worker salary is around 700-1000 euro. Three thousand enough to rent a quality apartment + utilities, quality international school for the kid and you have left around 1700 euro.

Hi
My husband is an engineer in telecomunication and he has offer abot 3000euro gross.we have a child and she has 6 years and she is going to school .Can we have a good life in budapest?We should rent aparment there,but we dont have any information about price & location there .please help me.
Thanks.

Hello,
I'm an IT professional from India, got an offer from Budapest MNC for net 600,000 huf per month, after tax.
I have 2 adult dependents and one child less than a year. Wanted to check few things, how much does baby day care costs? How much does pvt health insurance for senior citizen would cost?
Considering rented house, and we do not really go out much and prefer eating at home, how much can I save? Will it it worth moving with entire family and sustaining a decent life with this salary? Probably twice a year euro budget trip could be added.

European people travel by tram, bus(local and long distance), train with no charge at all, if they have an age over 65.

Dear Tamas,

I find this net salary figure also too low. But!

Please don't make the mistake to think that an average employee in Budapest earns around 270K just because the average wages show this figure. E.g. if you add a janitor's wage of 120000HUF plus a millionaire's wage of 1 billon HUF and you count average of the two you'll get around 500 000 000 HUF as average wage but the janitor still stays poor. Median wages (of the middle class) are usually better at representing the average salary.

One thing you need to be really careful of when moving to Hungary is being aware of all deductions from your wages - although when you google it the Hungarian gov say income tax is low (15%), this actually does not include anything - and by the time you have added compulsory pension (which you can never get back unless you stay in Hungary 10+ years) 10%, health 4%, something else health related 3%, labour market cont. 1.5% - so you actually pay 33.5% and there is no tax free allowance, so even if you have a low wage you pay that crazy amount.

What is the rent for a one bedroom apartment in budapest.
What would be an average cost for food, transportation, utilities like electricity, internet, etc for budapest.

Based n the comments, i understood the cost of livings. Can you please confirm my understanding
Accommodation - EUR 700 (Decent hotel in City)
Living Expenses - EUR 500 (2 Adult & 1 Child - )
Tax for Non-EU Citizen - 15 %

Note: IT - Professional Software with 10 Year experience
Any other major expense I missed?

Hi!
This site is very helpful, thank you in advance for your replies. For a single person (just me), is 1100 Euros enough? I see that after taxes, it will reduce, so will it still be enough after tax deduction? If you have any suggestion on where to live (Budapest or outside the city for a cheaper flat), that would be great!
Thanks!

I have a job offer with 1100 Euros gross / month.... Is It enough to live in Budapest as a single bachelor with normal life style?

#Paulo
If you have an apartment 1000 euro is enough if you rent its not.

I have a job offer with 1100 Euros gross / month.... Is It enough to live in Budapest as a single bachelor with normal life style?

@Amine Hey there, I’m an expat currently studying in Budapest myself. If you plan to live alone in a rented apartment in the city, don’t spend much or don’t have high life expenses and don’t mind eating at home from time to time, 700€ is definitely enough. I can’t promise you that you’ll save up much, but you’ll get by. Picking a place in the suburbs just outside the city would be a wise move as you could potentially cut your rent in half and get a cheaper yearly public transport pass that is excellent, well connected and cheaper than driving in Hungary.

Hi guys, i m about to receive an offer from Budapest, appx gross salary will be 1.200.000 huf. I m married and have a 3 year old toddler. Considering kindergarten and 2 bedroom apartment expenses, is this salary would be enough? Can we save money?
Thanks in advance.

Hello all,
i'm a recent graduate and i have an internship offer in budapest for a year
my salary will be aroud 700 euros
will that be enough ?
PS : i will be living there alone
Thank you.

Hi all, regarding the white collar salaries in Hungary you can find an useful guide here:

https://www.hays.hu/cs/groups/hays_common/@hu/@content/documents/digitalasset/hays_2154584.pdf

The salaries are gross, tax is around 33 % (depends on your family status, children, etc.)

I want to apply masters in Budapest. Is it possible for a female to bear all her expense by working part time while studying there? I can cook myself and not into clubbing.

We are three (me+wife+2 year old daughter) are planning to settle in Budapest. Is there any options to get business visa by investment to a existing company as a partner or director. If anyone interested for giving me the opportunity please email me to ariful.haque.aref@gmail.com with details.

Thanks
Aref

Good time
My wife and I intend to migrate from Iran to Hungary
We want to apply for an education visa
Please give us some guidance on how we can take action
?????

Hi everyone

I am going to study in BME and i have a wife and a child to be soon !

The Scholarship is covering my expenses up to 580 Euro .

Is it enough ? considering student style of living

@SP

Im not in IT, but salaries are on Western European standard in this field. You can comfortably ask for one million forints gross which will be over 2k euros.
But it also really depends on the company, so its not easy to tell. I am confident some people get a lot more, and some get of course less. It also depends on your skills.

@Alycia

Mineral water costs like basically nothing. One and a half liter of it is 80 forints and can be even less, which is like 25 cents.

Other expenses really depend on a lot of stuff.

Hi Guys!

with 5 years of experience in IT as Software Engineer what realistic but MAXIMUM salary I could ask company to offer me?
please be honest while replying because I have no Idea about salary standards in Budapest, Hungary for IT profile .

thanks.

350k is a comfortable salary at the moment. You can expect to pay for a studio between 120-150k with utilities and as a single person you have enough to drink, eat in restaurants and even save some for rainy days.

Personally I have 300k plus cafeteria money (which basically eliminates 80% of my food expenses) as an Accountant with a Masters degree and my expenses are like this:

1)60k for rent and utilities between 15-20k. Were paying 180k for a 110 sq meter apartment plus utilities 40k....I would say we got a real bargain, were not in the city center but more than close enough (25 min to Vaci utca walking).
All in all 80k per month, but I get some money back for gas since its a fixed cost in my case and it gets lower if we dont consume a lot of gas.....so I could even say 75k.

2)Food is cheap. Next to my company there are many restaurants with a classic lunch package for 1000 forints (soup plus main dish).
Since I dont spend almost anything for breakfast and my cafeteria expenses are greatly deducted, I dont spend more than 40k per month for food, but without my deduction on business lunches I would say between 60-80k is normal per person.

Gym is quite expensive and thats something I hate, although now I know about some nice packages where you can go to every gym, swimming pool and sports terrain for cca 10k per month. Thats great. Other than that gyms are usually 11k or even 12k.

Public transport is a must and its 9.5k

All in all with my salary I save approximately 100k per month. Mind the fact Im also single and that I did not want a studio flat, but obviously with this kind of salary you can afford a studio.

I see in the round graph two types of blue but the equivalents have two types of green.The interpretation of it is not clear.

@Andres
1) Depends on your spending and if your wife works as well. If she doesn't that's less than average wage per person. If you take into account that you don't have housing, it's not too much for 2 people.
2) You can expect around 3000 HUF/sq meter prices for used apartments (utilities not included).
3) As per above, depends whether your wife works or not.
4) You should ask your landlord for specifics as fees vary by district.
5) Cannot answer, I usually eat out all the time.
6) You can expect from 2000 HUF (suburbs) to 3000 HUF (downtown area)/sqm monthly prices. Also from November metro line 3 is getting renewed, so you won't be able to use it for 3 years - which means from VI and XIII districts you will have increased travel times. But it's a very hard question without knowing where you will work and how important for you is having entertainment in walking distance. Your best bet is looking for apartments with affordable prices and check on google maps how long it will take for you to get to work.

@Brittany
I personally would recommend minimizing cash and using credit/debit cards. I also don't know your drinking habits, a mild drinking party with some food usually ends up at 5000 HUF for me (1 person). A heavy one about double, granted I do not go to tourist traps which can be considerably more expensive. A meal (per person) can cost anywhere between 1000 (hash house) to 3000 HUF (cheaper-mid restaurant).

Hi there!!

First off, this site has been an enormous help! I really appreciate you taking time to help people like me with our concerns. I have been offered a job in Budapest, 600k per month before taxes (so 400k) net salary.

My questions are:

* Is 400k enough for me and my wife?
* Are we going to be able to find a apartment around 150k per month (does that include utilities?)
* Is it enough to get to know your beautiful country and maybe the rest of Europe if possible.
* How much in utilities per month?
* How much is the average spend in the supermarket (meals) monthly?
* I will be working in Pest, what district do you recommend in terms of rent fees, safety and proximity to the center of the city?

Again, I really appreciate your help.

Hi, would 230.000HUF be enough for a living considering a single person? :)

I just want tk share my on going journey.

We decided to move here in Budapest 3months ago after partner got a job and is based in Budapest. I luckily was offered a job too and will start in September. Our daughter will be attending a bilingual program in a state school paying roughly 75,000 huf a month.

We found a flat with 85square metre floor area in District 2, Pasareti Ter and just moved in 2days ago.

So, let's start with the first cost. 2months rent deposit and 1month rent and common cost in advance. Flat is a bargain 155,000 per month partly furnished. 24,500 common cost (does not include gas and electric). Total 489,500huf, the landlady paid for the notary cost.

Then we bought a monthly pass, 22,450huf for 2adult and 1child

We were told that winter fuel can be as much as 25,000huf so on our budget i put 20,000huf

Our first shopping costed us 65,000huf (please bear in mind this are stuffs that will last for more than a month i.e bulk buy of washing powder, fizzy, water, beer, cupboard foods, cleaning products, cereals, etc) and we are working on (will try to) a 100,000huf grocery budget a month

We just got in touch with UPC and took the trio M deal that will coat 9,499huf a month with a fast internet and cable service

I am still unsure if our figures make sense to atypical Hungarian family living in Budapest but we are not spending on anything luxurious.

I would say we do have a habbit to pop in a cafe and have a cake and coffee or have it to take away and eat maybe once or twice out for dinner or lunch in a local restaurant but other than food we dont spend on any other stuffs.

Our monthly outs (tentative figures expect rent and internet package) are as follows.

Rent: 155,000huf
Common cost: 24,500huf
Gas and electric budget: 20,000huf
Monthly pass for 2adults and a child: 22,450huf
Internet package: 9,499huf
Child's tuition: 75,000
Eating out budget: 50,000huf (just local resto and cafes)
Miscellaneous: 20,000huf (for hair cut, school supplies, train tocket to visit parents in country side twice a month etc)
Child music lesson: 3,000/hr approx 8hours a month

So roughly 400,500huf a month so far... does not include school books and school food yet and our personal lunch money

A

Rent

Search for a small studio which will cost with utilities between 110k-150k. Best site for renting is Alberlet and I highly recommend it.

You should be able to live ok with that, but absolutely no luxury.

The average wage of Budapest entitled on this page is not correct, not even close. Of course, there are many people that have less than that amount, but the Hungarian minimum wage became 110k since this January (it will be 120k net in 2018) and now the national average is approximately 210k since June this year (15% raise in comparing with the previous year), and although I have no exact numbers to prove this--> when taken into consideration that Budapest has dozens of HUGE multinational companies in which usually you get more just for an entry-level job (plus Szep card, beautiful benefit), and when taken into consideration I saw an ordinary Accountant(with 5-years experience, but still just ordinary) with 557k net (which also means the team leader has at least 700k, but probably even far more with all bonuses) in a normal (not the wealthiest in any way) American company, I am going to presume the Budapest average is at least 250-270k net. I must mention, average does not mean half of the people earn that kind of money so don't attack me with that presumption. Median and average are not the same, but here we are talking about average.

But don't get me wrong, as I said, many people have much less. Unemployment is not an issue anymore in Hungary (maybe in the eastern parts?) and definitely not in Budapest. The wages are sky-rocketing, but also the cost of living. Just this week our lunch menu got 40 forints more expensive in comparing with when I came to Budapest. Rent is going crazy, but to be honest, you have to be lucky and smart and you can get a good offer from some landlords. The problem is, and trust me about this, if somebody posts that they are renting out a room or apartment for some average price (bigger than what is mentioned on this page, the prices are also higher than that), at least 20-30 people will contact the landlord. And thats a minimum. The city has too many people considering its actually quite small in square kilometers( just to make a comparison, the city where I am from-Zagreb, has 3 times less people than Budapest and is actually BIGGER than Budapest in surface.

Food. The cost of food is debatable. Many Hungarians with whom I talked said its very expensive, but this is not exactly true. The food can be considered expensive when you have a bad wage, but when comparing with almost any country, food is much cheaper (especially stuff like chicken). Drinks and alcohol are crazy cheap. I buy normal beer like Soproni for 199 forints or Kozel for 160 which is approximately 50/60 cents. Shittiest beer costs 90 forints (less than 30 cents). Water is also VERY cheap, just today I saw 1,5 liter of water in Spar for 50 forints (15 cents) which is nothing. Tap water is also perfectly fine of course.

All in all, I am a foreigner and currently I am very happy in Budapest. As an Intern I had a bit more than minimum wage plus Szep card and I managed to survive with that in Budapest (plus a bit savings I must admit). Now after just 6 months of a very good internship, I was offered in 2 companies (a bank and a gas company) 400k/420k gross/270k net/880 euros net plus Szep card which practically gives me an additional 100 euros net/30k forints, and I even get another 25k forints for transportation to my home country every month....both offers are related to finance
The only issue with multinational companies here is that is very rare that they pay overtime. In one of these 2 which I mentioned, if I choose it, even that will happen which is also a very nice perk :)

I must say that Hungarians that do not know any foreign language or are bad with them are mostly poor to extremely poor in this city. Sometimes I go to shops and I think to myself how do you survive. I hope they at least have accommodation because with it, its really not easy.
Hungarians with a foreign language and an attractive degree (currently these are degrees related to Finance, Engineering and ESPECIALLY IT) can obviously have a completely normal average life since the 1st day they start working. Most of my colleagues had to choose between 3-5 offers after finishing their Masters, all offers above 200k net.

So basically Budapest is a city of differences. You have a load of people with low wages, no perspective, no anything, and on the other half you have educated people who easily pick between well payed jobs with a great perspective. In this way I love this city and the opportunities it gives people, it just depends on the people themselves to use these opportunities.
Personally I will definitely not stay in Budapest more than 5 years. After this time it will be too much in my comfort zone and I am an adventurist, but other than that, Budapest with all its perks also has cons. Biggest of them is family life. I simply cant see myself raising a child in a city which is so overpopulated and in some parts quite dirty. So go to Budapest when youre young, have fun and move on. Its a great place to start your international career and I advise it to everybody who wants a real adventure !

Hi, I was accepted as a Global Volunteer among the AIESEC committee of Budapest..
My 6 weeks journey will start by the beginning of september.. so i was wondering whether 500 euro are enough or not!!
PS: Food and accommodation are covered.

#JC

The other towns in Hungary are much cheaper but very small (Debecen 200000 inhabitants being the 2nd biggest town in the country) and people are more reserved with foreigners. Only a few expats live outside Budapest and Budapest has a much richer cultural life. But if you love country life and nice scenery you might try them (eg. Szeged and Pécs are beautiful and friendly places). In Romania Nagyvárad or Oradea is said to be a good place to live offering a lot of cultural programs and you can hike in the beutfiful neighbouring mountains as well. Of course Romania is much cheaper but less organized and chaotic.

@JC
Depends on your needs, if you don't live in the middle of the city, USD 1400 can be enough for a modest standard of living, renting some normal apartment, and let's say feed 2 people with some spare money for entertainment.

Hi,
Could you tell me please if 4000 Euro/month is good for living in Budapest for family with 5 members (me, wife, 3 kids) or not.

Hi all,

I've just receive job offer in Budapest with monthly salary gross 650.000 HUF including gross cafeteria budget 10.000 HUF/monthly. I want to know whether I could save money with that amount after considering the rent and living cost? What is cafeteria budget anyway? is it like meal budget in a company? It would be nice if you could share some rent website in Budapest with English language so I also could find place to stay.

Best regards

I think 600euro -1000 euro is more than enough in hungary I have been living in hungary for 3 years. One bedroom apartment is just 80000-90000 huf with the extra charges if people go night club it's cheap you need someone who is here long so they know all the good place and cheap place. Anyway it's the best night club I have ever come across.

Hi, how much you spend for a 1 week holiday in budapest going out in night clubs etc

hello i would like to ask, is it enough 100 euros for 1 month without the transportation and the accomodation and the school fees, i just received a scolarship to the hungarian dance academy and school, accomodation and ffos is taken care of by my parents and the school itself, i am a 14 year old and i will pay a bunch of things in the beggining of the year but i am going to live totaly by my self, is 100 euro enough and of course i will have so extra money on the side of something happens, but is 100 euro enough for (phone bill with data for GPS, leisure during the weekend, some kind of shopping even if i dont shop a lot at all, etc)
also the annual transportation pass is also taken care by my parents.

Hey guys,
I am a student that is willing to leave in budapest starting september. Knowing that I will pursue my studies in a private university, my parents could help with the equivalent of 600 euros per months. I want to precise that I will be renting with a friend with who I will share an appartment. I was wondering it that could be sufficient to have a basic student life, knowing that I like to party during the week end.
Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello! Is a net monthly salary of 1300 euro OK to live in Budapest and also save some money, if you're having a "normal" everyday life?

Hello everyone. I'm going tostart working in Budapestnext month. My salary will be HUF 240000 monthly gross. How much will it be after taxes? And how much would I spend for a nice single room + utilities?

Thanks!

3400 is considered rich. You can afford a nice city centre apartment for 800 usd, you can eat out every day. and dress from gucci and ralph.

Dear all, we wonder how mic is sufficient to live in Budapest for family with Husband and Wife and 2 secondary school Children? We would appreciate it if anyone can share all types of tax involved, education alternative and rental if possible! Thank you in advance!

Dear Jason, it sound extremely little if only your rent will be paid. It can be doable but just for buying food (aaauming that you never eat out) and the essentials...

i am being offered scholorship in budapest with 40,436 HUF permonth i will also be exempted from rental costs. can anyody tell me if that amount is enough for living in budapest.?

Hi Everyone!

How much do pharmacy technicians earn in Budapest? (on average, monthly)

What's the entry-level monthly salary for pharmacy technicians?

Do they earn the "comfortable" level salary? (Assuming SINGLE wage-earner)

The thing with BP is the apartments in the center on ground floor, first floor, second floor north side east side and basically all of them are dark all winter and very bad air quality. Ground floor is especially bad so with the prices for rent you need to take this into consideration. If your in the roof you can have loud extractor fans Same with food it can be cheap but not the best quality. If you want good apartment it is more tricky and costs more. most of the best places simply arn't available unless you already own it. So in the long term really it can cost you more to your health than the price of the rent so really it is not cheap, just cheaper than some other places but those places you might be getting better air quality, more light, better food and so on. If you can afford you can get organic food ofcours in BP like there is a market on Saturday on the Buda side where you can get some really good stuff. There is much more to see in this country than just BP. Cheap is cheap for a reason and if its cheap and your paying a lot for it then that is different than cheap and not costing so much.

hashtag PS : (or anyone else who it may concern) basically everyone will suggest that you should rent in a close circle, which is not particularly nice and the "PEST" side is not even really safe either. If you are a short-term, than of course go to the mainstream areas, if you got job or sg else to do over here, I would suggest the outskirts,- will break down your costs, plus public transport is pretty good - especifically if compared to London underground. plus it is cheap. Try something on the end of M3 line - either way- you are in centre in no minutes, plus nighttime public transport is a hassle, but it works. If I was you I'd start with sg. like 04, 15, 19, districts. Hope this helped, and have a great time

Which districts of Budapest are nice and cheap to rent?

Is 3200Euro a month enough for a family of 3 to live well in budapest? This is before taxes.