The Hungarian housing market continued its recovery in 2025, with prices rising by 20% in nominal terms and by 15% after adjusting for inflation. The number of registered transactions approached 136,000, and the final figure, according to estimates by the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), is expected to exceed 140,000 transactions, according to the latest annual market review.
However, the KSH has not yet published detailed statistics for 2025 breaking down homebuyers by citizenship. The latest available comprehensive snapshot shows that in 2024, foreign nationals purchased 6,600 residential properties in Hungary with a total value of approximately 834 million euros. This represented a 5.2% increase in the number of properties compared to the previous year.
Thus, foreigners accounted for about 5% of all real estate transactions in Hungary in 2024, and in monetary terms, they accounted for 6.4% of the market’s turnover. In total, approximately 131,100 real estate properties were sold in the country that year.
Following a decline in activity in 2023, the number of transactions in Hungary rose by 25% in 2024—to 131,100. Growth continued in 2025: as of the data cutoff, the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) had received information on 135,700 sales, of which 128,200 were in the resale market and approximately 7,600 were new construction units. The final number of transactions is expected to exceed 140,000.
The market picked up particularly noticeably in the second half of the year following the launch of the Home Start government program for subsidized housing loans. In September, the number of sales was 47% higher than a year earlier, and in the fourth quarter, KSH estimated annual growth in the number of transactions at approximately 10%.
In Budapest, the average price per square meter for resale housing in the fourth quarter of 2025 was approximately 3,240 euros.
The average price of a sold property reached approximately 184,000 euros. Prefabricated apartments sold for an average of approximately 165,000 euros, while single-family homes sold for 284,000 euros.
The price per square meter in the capital rose by 21% over the year. At the same time, growth was even higher in certain segments: prefabricated apartments rose in price by approximately 35%.
Outside the capital, the highest prices among administrative centers at the end of 2025 were observed in Debrecen—about 2,620 euros per square meter, Dióra—2,450 euros, Veszprém—2,440 euros, and Szeged—about 2,380 euros per square meter.
Although comprehensive statistics for 2025 are nearly complete, the most recent detailed ranking of buyers by citizenship published by the KSH still pertains to 2024.
Foreign nationals purchased 6,600 residential properties that year, which is 5.2% more than in 2023.
The total value of real estate purchased by foreigners amounted to approximately 834 million euros, or 6.4% of the Hungarian housing market’s turnover.
Statistics by major groups of foreigners in 2024:
Germany — 1,369 properties
China — 708
Romania — 671
Slovakia — 671
Netherlands — 438
Vietnam — 329
Austria — 268
Russia — 185
Ukraine — 144
Israel — 137
Differences between groups of foreign buyers are particularly noticeable in terms of the geographic location of purchases.
Chinese citizens completed 91.5% of their transactions in Budapest, Vietnamese buyers — 96%, and Russians — 84.9%.
Ukrainians were significantly less focused on the capital: only 39.6% of the homes they purchased were located in Budapest. Thus, the majority of Ukrainian buyers chose other cities and regions of Hungary.
Germans, despite ranking first in the number of transactions, showed virtually no concentration in the capital—Budapest accounted for only 8% of their purchases. The KSH notes high activity among German citizens in small towns in the Southern and Western Transdanubia regions.
The average price of a property purchased by a Ukrainian citizen was approximately 96,000 euros, and the average price per square meter was about 1,350 euros.
Nationwide in Hungary, foreigners account for about 5% of the total number of transactions, but their share is significantly higher in Budapest. In 2024, foreign citizens accounted for 7.8% of residential purchases in the capital and 10% of their total value.
In the inner districts of Pest, foreigners accounted for approximately 19% of all transactions and, in terms of value, represented about 26% of the market. Chinese and Vietnamese buyers were particularly prominent here.
Thus, the latest official statistics already allow us to assess the Hungarian real estate market for 2025: approximately 136,000 registered transactions, with the prospect of exceeding 140,000 after final data processing; a 20% increase in prices; and a further significant rise in housing costs in Budapest and most major cities.
However, the breakdown of purchases by citizenship for 2025 has not yet been published.
Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH).
According to Open4business, Budapest’s residential real estate market began showing signs of cooling off following Hungary’s parliamentary elections: in April 2026, the capital’s housing price index fell by 0.1% after rising by 1.1% in March. This marked the first monthly price decline in Budapest in about a year and a half, according to Hungarian real estate market data.
The decline appears moderate so far, but it has sent an important signal to the market, which in recent years has remained one of the most expensive and overheated in Central Europe. Annual price growth in Budapest slowed from 13.7% to 10.9% and, according to market participants, could fall below 10% for the first time since November 2024.
The market cooling comes amid a sharp political shift in Hungary. In April, Péter Mádár’s Tisza party defeated Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz, ending his 16-year rule. The new government was sworn in on May 12, and Tisza secured two-thirds of the seats in parliament—141 out of 199. Fidesz holds 52 seats following the election.
A direct link between Orbán’s defeat and the decline in housing prices has not been proven, but political uncertainty and expectations of a shift in economic policy may have increased caution among buyers and investors. The new government has stated its intention to restore predictability in economic policy, reduce the budget deficit, step up the fight against corruption, and secure the release of frozen EU funds.
An additional factor weighing on investment sentiment may be the situation surrounding the assets of business groups linked to the former government. The Guardian reported that following Orbán’s defeat, some influential figures close to Fidesz began transferring assets abroad, particularly to countries in the Middle East, the U.S., Australia, and Singapore. Péter Magyar also publicly stated that businesspeople linked to Orbán are attempting to move tens of billions of forints out of the country.
For the real estate market, this could mean a decline in activity in the high-end price segment, where wealthy investors and buyers linked to domestic capital have played a significant role. If some of these players are indeed withdrawing funds from Hungary or adopting a wait-and-see approach, this could reduce demand for expensive apartments and houses in Budapest.
At the same time, the fundamental reasons for high housing costs in the Hungarian capital remain. Supply remains limited, and new housing construction is proceeding slowly.
According to Serbian Economist, Budapest, Hungary, ranked first in Radical Storage’s list of the world’s dirtiest cities, compiled based on an analysis of tourist reviews of the cleanliness of popular attractions in 100 major tourist destinations.
According to the study, 37.9% of reviews mentioning cleanliness in Budapest were negative, which was the worst result among all cities surveyed. Rome (35.7% negative reviews), Las Vegas (31.6%), Florence (29.6%), and Paris (28.2%) followed.
The top 20 cities perceived as the dirtiest by tourists also included Milan, Verona, Frankfurt, Brussels, Cairo, Heraklion, New York, Barcelona, Johor Bahru, Seville, San Francisco, Miami, Hyderabad, London, and Osaka. In all these cities, the share of negative reviews about cleanliness ranges from 15.6% to 26.8%.
The authors of the study note that the most criticism for cleanliness is received by mass tourist centers with historic centers and high loads on urban infrastructure. In the case of Budapest, one possible reason is that the waste management system has not been able to keep up with the growth in tourist traffic, which, according to Etias, increased by 8.3% in Hungary in September 2025 and by 12% in the capital itself compared to the same month in 2024.
Radical Storage emphasizes that the rating reflects not objective sanitary indicators, but rather the subjective perception of cleanliness by tourists, as recorded in English-language Google reviews of key attractions in the 100 leading cities in the world according to the Euromonitor index.
The rental market in Budapest (Hungary) in 2025 is experiencing price increases and increased competition, especially in the central areas of the capital, according to analysts and realtors.
According to Global Property Guide, the average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Budapest in 2025 is around HUF 264,000 (≈ USD 713) per month.
Rental rates are rising: in January 2025, asking prices in Budapest rose by 1.8% compared to the previous month, with annual growth of around 9.5%.
For two-bedroom apartments, rental prices in central areas in 2024 ranged from €1,000 to €1,500 per month.
However, in central Budapest (districts 5, 6, 7, 1), the rent for a one-bedroom apartment can be €800–1,500, and in residential areas or outer districts, €600–850.
The share of households living in rented accommodation in Budapest has increased from 12.7% to 17.5% in recent years. The growth is particularly noticeable among young people: a significant proportion of the 20-35 age group rent their accommodation.
The gross rental yield (before expenses) in Hungary is around 5.06% (2025, Q3).
Demand for rentals is growing faster than new housing is being built, especially apartment buildings in central areas, creating a shortage and pushing rents up. In addition, the debate over the regulation of short-term rentals (Airbnb and similar) is intensifying: one district of Budapest has voted to ban short-term rentals starting in 2026, which could affect the overall rental market.
Source: http://relocation.com.ua/budapest-rental-housing-market-analysis-by-relocation/
The Chornomorka fish restaurant chain has announced the opening of restaurants in the capitals of Lithuania and Hungary.
“We are opening new Chornomorkas. Even two: in Vilnius and Budapest! So if you like to fry fish, we miss you very much – join the team,” the chain said in a Facebook post.
According to its website, as of May, the chain operates 36 restaurants in Ukraine, Moldova, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Poland.
“Ukrzaliznytsia has announced the launch of ticket sales for the new international train No. 9/10 Kyiv-Budapest, the company’s press service reports.
“The long-awaited route, implemented in cooperation with the Hungarian railways, will start running on December 15,” the telegram says.
It is noted that the train will be an important step in relieving congestion at popular international destinations by providing a direct connection to Budapest, one of the key transportation hubs in the region. Passengers will be able to conveniently reach Vienna, Munich, Zurich and other European cities.
For comfortable travel, the train will also have compartment and luxury sleeping cars that meet the usual standards for Ukrainian passengers. The schedule provides for departure from Kyiv at 10:16 with arrival in Budapest at 06:00 the next day. The return flight will depart at 22:40 and arrive in Kyiv at 19:11. A ticket in a compartment carriage costs UAH 2800.
Tickets are already available in the app and on the official website of Ukrzaliznytsia.
