Living in Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is a large inland city in Hungary (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 12°C over the year with about 548 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,810 a month to live centrally, and Hungary sits in our low to medium tax tier. For citizens from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, long-term residency in Hungary is comparatively open, with a self-funded route from about $3,491 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,810
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 12°C
- 548 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 72/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~200 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Comparatively open
- outside free-movement blocs
Healthcare
Hungary scores 55 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 15% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Hungary.
Climate
Budapest averages 12°C across the year with about 548 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 20% of the 1225 cities we track.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Residency and visas
Comparatively open, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland. Long-term residency is realistic mainly via the Guest Investor Program (a 10-year renewable residence-by-investment permit) or sponsored skilled employment, with a time-limited digital-nomad White Card covering self-funded remote earners.
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights here.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Hungary:
- Income: about $3,491 a month (Hungary White Card digital-nomad residence, EUR 3,000/mo net (converted at EUR/USD 1.1637); as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $291k (Hungary Guest Investor Program real-estate-fund share, EUR 250,000 one-time (converted at EUR/USD 1.1637); as of June 2026)
For short visits, 93 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 105 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Safety and stability
Hungary scores 72 out of 100 on safety, safer than 65% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 6.6 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Hungary. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Language and culture
Main languages: Hungarian. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 62 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in Hungary runs at about 200 Mbps, faster than 62% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Taxes
Hungary sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Budapest in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,810 a month to live centrally in Budapest, 3% above the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 40% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Questions couples ask about Budapest
Is Budapest a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on healthcare. Expect a mild, dry climate (12°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Budapest and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Budapest?
We estimate about €2,810 a month for a couple living centrally, 3% above the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Budapest?
Hungary is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Budapest in their results.
Can foreigners live in Hungary long term?
Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland have freedom-of-movement or simplified residency rights. Our assessment for everyone else: comparatively open. Long-term residency is realistic mainly via the Guest Investor Program (a 10-year renewable residence-by-investment permit) or sponsored skilled employment, with a time-limited digital-nomad White Card covering self-funded remote earners. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $3,491 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $291k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Budapest?
Budapest averages 12°C across the year with about 548 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 20% of the cities we track.
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