Budapest
Hungary
Good-quality 1-bedroom rent €910/month · prices about 23% below Brussels
Housing, income and price-level figures for Budapest from official statistics, each with its source and date. Country-level context is labelled as country-level.
Official sourcesDated figuresComparable
A global city
for a brighter
tomorrow.
for a brighter
tomorrow.
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City Overview
A good-quality 1-bedroom flat costs about €910 a month to rent. Prices overall are about 23% below Brussels. An average worker in Hungary takes home about €1,286 a month after tax (national figure). 83% of residents say they are satisfied living here, and 58% feel safe walking alone at night.
♙Population1,741,041
▣CurrencyHUF
◷TimezoneEurope/Budapest
▤CountryHungary
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What residents of Budapest say
Share of people living in Budapest who gave each answer in the European Commission survey on quality of life in European cities (2023). This is what residents report about their own city, not an official rating.
Satisfied to live in this city83%Average of 27 European capitals: 86%
Feel safe walking alone at night in the city58%Average of 27 European capitals: 68%
Easy to find good housing at a reasonable price20%Average of 27 European capitals: 24%
Easy to find a good job46%Average of 27 European capitals: 47%
Say the city is a good place to live for immigrants49%Average of 27 European capitals: 65%
Say it is a good place for families with young children69%Average of 27 European capitals: 76%
Satisfied with public transport70%Average of 27 European capitals: 71%
Satisfied with health care, doctors and hospitals37%Average of 27 European capitals: 64%
Satisfied with green spaces such as parks69%Average of 27 European capitals: 76%
Satisfied with air quality46%Average of 27 European capitals: 58%
Satisfied with cleanliness41%Average of 27 European capitals: 57%
Agree most people in the city can be trusted41%Average of 27 European capitals: 59%
City services are easy to use online67%Average of 27 European capitals: 68%
Had difficulty paying bills most of the time (last 12 months)9%Average of 27 European capitals: 10%
See how all European capitals rank on these questions →
Source: European Commission and Eurostat, survey on quality of life in European cities, 2023 (dataset urb_percep, area surveyed: Budapest (greater city)). Where a question has two positive answers, for example "very satisfied" and "rather satisfied", Placeivo adds the two shares. Retrieved 2026-10-13. Full survey data
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Cost of Living in Budapest
About 23% below Brussels
76.6Price level index (Brussels = 100)
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What Stands Out
Favorable signals● High internet use nationally● Price level below Brussels
ConsiderationsNo major negative claim is inferred from the current core data.
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Income
Disposable-income benchmark€18,600/year
Average worker's take-home pay
Gross €1,934 a month, single, no children€1,286/monthNational, 2025, Eurostat · all countries
Gross €1,934 a month, single, no children€1,286/monthNational, 2025, Eurostat · all countries
Unemployment rate (city)1.9%City, 2022, Eurostat Urban Audit
Unemployment rate (national)4.5%Country context when available (national)
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Climate & Context
Average temperature12.5°CYear 2025, Open-Meteo
Total rainfall522 mm/yearYear 2025, Open-Meteo
Internet users94%Country context (national)
Physicians per 1,000 people3.5Country context (national)
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City statistics (Eurostat Urban Audit)
Population (city)1,686,222City, 2024, Eurostat urb_cpop1 (DE1001V)
Unemployment rate (city)1.9%City, 2022, Eurostat urb_clma (EC1020I)
Monthly public transport ticket (5-10 km, central zone)€22.65City, 2024, Eurostat urb_ctran (TT1080V)
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Who lives in Budapest
Residents with foreign citizenship6.8%City, 2024, Eurostat urb_cpopcb (DE2007I)
Residents with non-EU citizenship5.4%City, 2024, Eurostat urb_cpopcb (DE2003I)
Residents born abroad13.1%City, 2024, Eurostat urb_cpopcb (DE2009I)
Source: Eurostat, Urban Audit city statistics (datasets urb_cpop1, urb_clma, urb_cpopcb, urb_ctran). Area: Budapest (greater city) (Urban Audit code HU001C); a "greater city" covers more than the municipality. Each figure is the latest year Eurostat publishes for this city, so years differ; figures older than 2015 are not shown. Foreign citizenship and country of birth are different measures. Data updated by Eurostat 2026-10-02, retrieved 2026-10-13.
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Sources & dates for Budapest
Rent
Average monthly rent for a good-quality unfurnished 1-bedroom flat in selected neighbourhoods, excluding utilities. Surveyed by Eurostat for EU staff pay, so it reflects international-standard housing rather than the cheapest local options.€910/monthEurostat — Average rent per month in cities by type of dwelling · reference period 2025
Average monthly rent for a good-quality unfurnished 1-bedroom flat in selected neighbourhoods, excluding utilities. Surveyed by Eurostat for EU staff pay, so it reflects international-standard housing rather than the cheapest local options.€910/monthEurostat — Average rent per month in cities by type of dwelling · reference period 2025
Disposable income per person
Net disposable household income per inhabitant in the surrounding region, after taxes and transfers.€18,600/yearEurostat — Regional household disposable income · reference period 2023
Net disposable household income per inhabitant in the surrounding region, after taxes and transfers.€18,600/yearEurostat — Regional household disposable income · reference period 2023
Rent burden
Placeivo calculation: one year of the rent above divided by regional disposable income per person. A comparison guide, not a household budget.58.7%Placeivo derived affordability calculation · reference period 2023
Placeivo calculation: one year of the rent above divided by regional disposable income per person. A comparison guide, not a household budget.58.7%Placeivo derived affordability calculation · reference period 2023
Price level (Brussels = 100)
Eurostat correction coefficient used to adjust EU staff pay for local prices (Brussels = 100). A good guide to relative price levels for a professional household.76.6Eurostat — EU duty-station cost-of-living index · reference period 2025
Eurostat correction coefficient used to adjust EU staff pay for local prices (Brussels = 100). A good guide to relative price levels for a professional household.76.6Eurostat — EU duty-station cost-of-living index · reference period 2025
Average temperature
Open-Meteo historical weather archive (ERA5 reanalysis) for the city centre, measured over one full calendar year (temperature averaged, rainfall added up). One year of weather, not a 30-year climate average.12.5 °COpen-Meteo · reference period 2025
Open-Meteo historical weather archive (ERA5 reanalysis) for the city centre, measured over one full calendar year (temperature averaged, rainfall added up). One year of weather, not a 30-year climate average.12.5 °COpen-Meteo · reference period 2025
Total rainfall
Open-Meteo historical weather archive (ERA5 reanalysis) for the city centre, measured over one full calendar year (temperature averaged, rainfall added up). One year of weather, not a 30-year climate average.522 mm/yearOpen-Meteo · reference period 2025
Open-Meteo historical weather archive (ERA5 reanalysis) for the city centre, measured over one full calendar year (temperature averaged, rainfall added up). One year of weather, not a 30-year climate average.522 mm/yearOpen-Meteo · reference period 2025
Unemployment, homicide rate, doctors, university enrolment and internet use above are national World Bank indicators for the whole country and are marked “national”. See the methodology for how each figure is collected, or report a correction.
⚖Compare Budapest
Compare Budapest
with another city
Compare the canonical measures that both cities actually share.
BudapestHungary58.7%Rent burden
VS
ViennaAustria53.2%Rent burden