Budapest

What you need to know about Budapest

By Expat Guru Last Updated:

About Budapest

Stayed for 2 weeks after almost a year n a half in LatAm. Beautiful city; great food options- especially for Asian food lovers. Plenty of authentic Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese options for about 50% of what you would pay in a Western city. Decent hostels will cost $11-$15 weekdays and between $18-$30 on weekends.... Good internet; beautiful architecture and people but it is true Hungarians can be very cold at times. Overall a good stay with many destinations just a quick and cheap flight/train ride away (Bratislava/Belgrade/Vienna,Bucharest/Sofia/Prague and several Polish cities .

Nomad Guide of Budapest

Explore Budapest like a local with our comprehensive nomad guide. Find the best places to work, live, and play, all tailored to the digital nomad lifestyle. Stay connected and make the most of your time in Budapest with our insider tips and recommendations.

Continent :

Europe

Country :

hungary

Weather :

19°C + Humidity 69% = 20°C Feel

Internet Speed :

30 Mbps

Insurance :

Safetywing

Air Quality :

70AQI

Best Neighborhood :

Budapest 7

Upcoming Neighborhood :

Budapest 8

Power :

230V50Hz

Average Trip Length :

7 Days

Best Taxi App :

Taxify

1000 HUF to USD :

$2.41 USD

Tap Water Quality :

Yes, safe to drink

Visitor per year :

3823900 Visitors

Tourist now :

73285 tourists

Population :

1756056 people

GDP per capita :

$12900 / year

Population Density :

Gender Ratio (Expats) :

H 43% / F 57%

Religious Gouvernment :

Religious

Appartement Listing :

AirBnb

Online electronics shop :

Edigital


Weather in Budapest

Stay updated on the weather in Budapest with our reliable data source. Plan ahead for changing conditions and make the most of your time in the city. Check the forecast and stay prepared for any weather events.


Cost of Living in Budapest

Discover the cost of living in Budapest with our data source. Compare expenses for housing, food, transportation, and more to make informed decisions about your budget. Stay informed and make the most of your money in Budapest.

Cost of Living for Expats :

$1,317/mo

Cost of Living for Nomads :

$2,078/mo

Cost of Living for Families :

$2,526/mo

Cost of Living for Local :

$722/mo

Cost of coffee :

$0.80

Rent for 1 bedroom :

$570/mo

Dinner:

$7.04

Beer :

$3.30

Coca Cola :

$1.61

Tax for 50k income :

$15,501

Tax for 100k income :

$27,701

Tax for 250k income :

$64,301


Pros and Cons Living in Budapest

Like many other cities Budapest have a lot of advantages to offer its residents and visitors, but it also has its fair share of drawbacks. We have made this pros and cons table to help you better vizualize them.

Pros

  • ✅ Pretty safe
  • ✅ Fast internet
  • ✅ Good air quality on average
  • ✅ Nomad List members liked going here a lot
  • ✅ Many Nomad List members here all year round
  • ✅ Spacious and not crowded
  • ✅ Easy to do business
  • ✅ High quality of education
  • ✅ Great hospitals
  • ✅ Roads are very safe
  • ✅ Freedom of speech
  • ✅ Democratic
  • ✅ People can speak basic English
  • ✅ Safe for women
  • ✅ Family friendly

Cons

  • ❌ Not much to do
  • ❌ Cold now
  • ❌ Gets cold in the winter
  • ❌ Very damp now
  • ❌ Difficult to make friends
  • ❌ Hostile towards LGBTQ+
  • ❌ Many people smoke tobacco

Quality of Life in Budapest

No Data for now.


Visa Requirements in Budapest

No Data for now.


Security and Crime in Budapest

Stay informed on security and crime in Budapest with updated information on crime rates, types of crimes and measures being taken. Ensure personal safety by staying informed and taking steps to protect yourself and loved ones. Help keep Budapest safe.

020406080100

Low Crime rate

020406080100

High Security Index


Polution and Air Quality in Budapest

Stay informed about the air quality and pollution levels in Budapest. Our data source provides up-to-date information on various pollutants and their effects on health and the environment. By monitoring the air quality in Budapest, you can take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones from the harmful effects of pollution.

Similar cities to Budapest

Discover cities that are similar to Budapest in terms of attractions and amenities. Our hand-picked list includes locations with similar cultural settings, recreational activities, and high-quality lodgings. These cities are worth visiting if you're looking for a place with a similar atmosphere or just a change of scenery. Plan your next urban journey by visiting these similar cities.

Trending

Concrete Structure

Berlin

Germany

#6

Air Quality
Good
wifi

36

Mbps

FEELS 21°

21°

$3,637/mo

Trending

Gray Concrete Building Near Palm Trees

Bangkok

Thailand

#4

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

17

Mbps

FEELS 33°

29°

$1,895/mo

Trending

Photo of People Riding on City Tram

Lisbon

Portugal

#1

Air Quality
Good
wifi

29

Mbps

FEELS 22°

22°

$3,367/mo

Trending

Architectural Design Of An Orange Temple

Chiang Mai

Thailand

#8

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

17

Mbps

FEELS 35°

29°

$1,222/mo

Trending

White and Brown Concrete Building

Istanbul

Turkey

#16

Air Quality
Good
wifi

6

Mbps

FEELS 19°

19°

$2,142/mo

Trending

Green and Brown Building Near Body of Water

Amsterdam

Netherlands

#141

Air Quality
Good
wifi

14

Mbps

FEELS 15°

15°

$6,366/mo

Trending

Grayscale Photo of a Concrete Building

Barcelona

Spain

#75

Air Quality
Good
wifi

39

Mbps

FEELS 23°

23°

$4,295/mo

Trending

Brown and Black Concrete Building

Prague

Czechia

#140

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

20

Mbps

FEELS 19°

18°

$2,286/mo

Cities near Budapest to visit

There are several cities and places close to Budapest worth your visit. In addition to sightseeing in Budapest, spare some time to discover the surroundings of the city.
You can discover Timisoara, Brno, Zagreb, Bratislava, and Novi Sad, who are a few kilometres away either by car or public transport.

Trending

Close-Up Shot of a Big Analog Clock Near a Cathedral during Sunset

Timisoara

Romania

#7

Air Quality
Good
wifi

27

Mbps

FEELS 19°

18°

$1,417/mo

Trending

Brown and Black Concrete Building

Brno

Czechia

#72

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

12

Mbps

FEELS 18°

17°

$2,230/mo

Trending

Zagreb Cathedral, Croatia

Zagreb

Croatia

#44

Air Quality
Good
wifi

11

Mbps

FEELS 19°

19°

$2,573/mo

Trending

Maria Column on Square in Bratislava, Slovakia

Bratislava

Slovakia

#85

Air Quality
Good
wifi

19

Mbps

FEELS 19°

19°

$2,248/mo

Trending

Man in Long Sleeve Shirt Sitting Beside Woman in Long Sleeve Shirt

Novi Sad

Serbia

#64

Air Quality
Moderate
wifi

13

Mbps

FEELS 21°

20°

$1,914/mo

Trending

Exterior of colorful historic building with ornamental elements and towers located on street near road with cars in Katowice city

Katowice

Poland

#181

Air Quality
Good
wifi

34

Mbps

FEELS 18°

18°

$2,338/mo

Trending

View of Hotel with Lake in Background

Lake Balaton

Hungary

#195

Air Quality
Good
wifi

71

Mbps

FEELS 19°

18°

$2,090/mo

Trending

Brown and Blue Tower Clock

Kosice

Slovakia

#209

Air Quality
Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups
wifi

25

Mbps

FEELS 17°

17°

$2,066/mo

Reviews of Budapest - Feedback from travelers

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Discussion (16)

0

Stayed for 2 weeks after almost a year n a half in LatAm. Beautiful city; great food options- especially for Asian food lovers. Plenty of authentic Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese options for about 50% of what you would pay in a Western city. Decent hostels will cost $11-$15 weekdays and between $18-$30 on weekends.... Good internet; beautiful architecture and people but it is true Hungarians can be very cold at times. Overall a good stay with many destinations just a quick and cheap flight/train ride away (Bratislava/Belgrade/Vienna,Bucharest/Sofia/Prague and several Polish cities .

0

I stayed here for 4 months. Very beautiful city, vibrant, lots of things to do and moving around is so easy compared to other "big" capitals. 100% agree with other comments about Hungarians: very stern, unfriendly people. The hospitality workers in restaurants, bars & clubs are mostly horrendous. It's like they don't want to serve you, and it's you who has to make the effort or should be grateful to be eating there. It makes zero sense, I've never seen that in any other place in the world. Bouncers in clubs are super dangerous, be extra careful. Avoid the summer - it's super warm and there's nowhere to hide. I stayed in the Buda side and would recommend it: it's more local, chilled. The locals have a saying, "Live in Buda, party in Pest". I couldn't agree more. Pest is noisy, crowded, very urban. There's a decent DN community, also a good international vibe (lots of expats & students). Coworking spaces are not that great. Overall loved it, had an amazing time.

0

Cool city with lots of fun places to go out, very nice restaurants and quite an international environment. I went there twice already and in winter it's horribly cold, while in summer it's super hot. Definitely recommend going there in Spring/Autumn. The castle is nice and Danube riverside is great too, you'll get lots of things to do. Can recommend Nomad Traveller's Bar and there daily pubcrawl! Also, to all fellow vegans, the food scene is great. Lot's of places order vegan options and if you like Falafel check out Tahina Bite, Hummus Bar (best hummus outside Israel) and Falafel Bar in the Jewish Quarter. Pros:- great nightlife- cheap eats- lots of vegan options- amazing middle-eastern cuisine- couple of attractionsCons:- Hungarians are quite close-minded about foreign people- can be quite dirty in certain areas- could have more coworking spots

0

I stayed here for a month in July last year. There's lots of cool aspects to the city but I hated it when I was there. The city has a problem with British stag parties, so if you look like you're a British male and speak English expect to be treated with disdain (it's fair enough)The Hungarians can just generally be unfriendly, especially bartenders. It's a weird experience waiting to be served while 3 people ignore you. Or buying the same drink and getting charged whatever they want (700-1500huf).Pro tip would be to learn a little Hungarian to order, they swoon over that (450huf for your drink)The city is loud. You want to choose where you stay carefully. I was on a side street in the embassy district and it was quiet but I stayed a night in a hostel when I arrived and didn't sleep because at 4am there was a constant stream of sirens and noise.Supermarkets aren't 'cheap' but eating out ranges from affordable to great value.In summer it's hot. Like 36 degrees muggy polluted hot. Most places don't have aircon.Saying all that, I would like to give it another shot. I would probably stay on the Buda side and commute when I needed. The people on the Buda side are a bit nicer and in general it's more tranquil.

0

I visited Budapest for a week and fell in love with it. Simply an amazing and beautiful big city complete with all the entertainment options (including walkability, stunning architecture and peaceful city parks).I decided to come back for 1.5 months to see if I wanted to make it a first or second home base. By the end of that time I was anxious to get back to Bangkok. All of the pluses were still great. However, there were two big downsides :1. The people in stores especially the middle aged women who looked like they were on the brink of committing suicide and the only thing that kept them going was the thought of making your shopping experience as miserable as possible. That said, I did find millenials who have grown up post the fall of the soviet union to often be very friendly and helpful. Maybe if I wasn't staying in the central area, which is a heavily tourist zone, I would have enjoyed the locals more.2. AirBnB and foreigners have driven many Hungarians out of the central area. I like living in an area that is mainly locals but has a minority of foreigners to spice things up somewhat. Otherwise, I feel I am living in an anywhereville. Some day I may go back and see if I can find a place a little farther out and check out that experience.

0

I agree with the latest reviewer, BP is the Bangkok of Europe , especially in the summer when the temperature is between 35-40 C . Vasts of digitalnomader hubs& meetups and its very easy to build new relationships. It's dynamically getting more and more expensive because of the influx of the wealthy chinese hungarians. Also, many shared service centres come here from Western Europe.( That's why you can find a huge percentage of tech- minded young people here.). $1,500 is the lower entry to maintain a decent living here, I would rather say 2500. As a foreigner you have to pay at least $700- 800 per month for a one bedroom apartment. Do not be deluded by the local salaries which are relatively low because the government subsidizes the costs of housing for the native hungarians, and all the health services are free for them ( for these, as a foreigner you have to pay a lot)

0

My girlfriend an I were here for 40 days for christmas, today we are leaving and our strongest sensation is that Budapest is so overrated.The main idea I arrived here with was that this was the cheapest capital in Europe. Not at all from our experience. For example we were coming from Edinburgh and there we spent less than here in groceries. Museums and attractions in general are not cheap. AirBNB is cheap here, mucho more than Scotland for example.Many people that work in bars, shops, etc here is almost offensive.Pros: Architecture, Metro 1 line, snow in winter, Danube :)Maybe because it was winter or because we are around 40s and we are not into parties, but IMHO there are so much better capitals in Europe like Prague, Edinburgh, Barcelona...

0

I spent 54 days in Budapest and absolutely loved it. After Chiang Mai it's my favorite destination as a nomad.Pros:*Beautiful city*Super affordable*People are friendly and the majority of people I spoke with spoke English well*Tons of things to do from great night life to the hot baths, bike and walking tours and a vibrant food scene*No issues with internet and I was pleased with the co-working I worked out of (Kaptar). There are also some great coffee shops to work out of. My favorite is Flow, a few minutes walk from Octagon.*Weather was great until the start of November when it changed quite dramatically.*I had an amazing airbnb which I paid $1,050 for 30 nights. You can definitely find great places for cheaper.Cons:*At times I felt the streets were too crazy. The city has a ton of tourists and I can only imagine what it's like in the summer.*The Hungarians are heavy smokers. Thankfully there is no smoking indoors.*It got very cold and gray from the start of November. This had a bigger impact on me than I anticipated and negatively affected my experience. If you're like me and don't do well in the cold then I'd avoid Budapest from the start of November.Feel free to write me if you have any specific questions. My username on Nomadlist is @justin_butlion.

0

The best city I've been too by a long shot! Only there for 7 days and fell in love immediately. Amazing vibe, tons to do, tons to see, beautiful city and the architecture is stunning all around you. The people are lovely and super friendly. The city is well kept. The only downside is that it's not warm all year around.

0

I lived between Budapest and Szeged for a year. The public transportation and city vibes kept me alive while the winter weather almost killed me in winter. Definitely get out before it gets cold. Spring to Fall you can visit Lake Balaton and their wine country for some nature, Szeged or Pecs for a college town vibe, heaps of cafes and outdoor restaurants. The pastries and food markets. The thermal baths are great and not too expensive, great parks to visit, nightlife options, and music festivals. Cost of living is great when you're making US level wages, my roommates and I lived like kings and queens. Many locals are hostile towards foreigners, especially NGO expats (the wage gap is large between locals and expats). However, most are polite and some even cordial. The younger generation can speak English, the older generation cannot - based on my experience. The Hungarian language is a beautiful queer thing that I could never tire of. I loved it and would have stayed longer given the chance. Honestly - cannot wait to go visit and return to Hungary when I get a chance.

0

The city is amazing: it combines beautiful architecture with an energy that rivals Berlin - minus the hipsters!Plenty of nice little coffee shops, co-working spaces, nightlife in abundance and all that at very affordable prices

0

Great city that sucks you in. There is a true thing here called the "BudAffect". Many nomads/travellers come here for 4 weeks and then get sucked in for 6 months or longer. I personally came and after planning to stay for 1 month ended up staying for ~3 years. Now I am feeling the itch to travel again but Budapest has earned its place as "home" and I will return here after my next set of travels.

0

Budapest + hungary has the pro-s of a tropical digital nomad hideaway, if you go there in the warmer months: the climate is like in Bali between June and September, however mornings can be refreshing. And there s a plethora of spas, thermal baths and swallow lakes with waterskiing and boarding amenities throughout the country which is easily and quickly accessible by the grid of well-maintained highways. The street scenery and style spans somewhere between Barcelona and Berlin so as the plentiful nightlife programs and the scope of culture and art ! Almost the entire younger generation speaks pretty good english however with the elders you might have language barriers.

0

I'm from Bucharest but BUDAPEST is way beyond the best capital in comparaison with the romanian city. The scenery + the narrow streets & wide boulevards are full of interesting cafes/bars/pubs/restaurants. Prices are affordable/reasonable and you can take a chance with it.

0

Have spent over 4 years living in Budapest and also extended periods in many other places usually towards the top of the rankings on nomadlist. Nothing compares to Budapest. It is by far the best place in the world to live for people of all ages, but especially young people. It has everything and anything you could possibly want and it's centrally located in the best continent on the planet. I moved away for a few specific reasons but really hate that I had to. The only city I think is even close in comparison to how great Budapest is, is Barcelona.

0

Very nice city, great architecture and many historical buildings. The river and castle at night are one of the best things to see in all Europe. Many Starbucks and other coffees in the city center with good Internet. Overall getting more expensive and touristy but still cheaper than Western Europe. People however are a dealbreaker there, most unfriendly cold and rude people of all Eastern Europe.