Waterfront Holiday Homes in Hungary: When we bought our house in the Balaton Highlands, it wasn’t exactly a calculated investment. More of a wild flirtation with a view and apple trees. It had good bones, a solid roof, indoor plumbing and electricity, but my husband transformed it into a modern, smart, and efficient cottage. What I didn’t realise at the time is just how wide the price range of waterfront holiday homes in Hungary really is and how much the postcode can shift your prospects.
A new June 2025 report drawing on 32,000 listings from Ingatlan.com, lays it bare: the waterfront holiday home market in Hungary has a dramatic price divide that’s only getting sharper.
The Balaton Bubble
No surprise here: Lake Balaton reigns supreme, both as Hungary’s favourite escape and its most expensive real estate playground. At the top of the price pyramid sits Tihany, the scenic northern peninsula known for lavender, wine, and blocking your budget.
- Tihany: 1.7 million HUF/m² (€4,235), with average home prices hitting 180 million HUF (€448,000).
- Balatonakarattya, Aszófő, Zamárdi, Szántód: Prices between 1.4 and 1.6 million HUF/m² (€3,488–€3,987).
- Paloznak: An eye-watering 270 million HUF (€673,000) average price.
So yes, if you’re after a waterfront holiday home around Balaton, bring your wallet and maybe a friendly banker. This region remains the most iconic choice for a waterfront holiday home in Hungary, commanding top euro for its lake views, infrastructure, and perennial appeal.
Tisza-side Temptations
Now for the plot twist: Lake Tisza, often overshadowed by its glamorous cousin Balaton, is having a moment. You can still snag a proper waterfront holiday home for what some people spend on their kitchen renovations.
- Tiszaroff, Tiszaug, Tiszapalkonya, Tiszadada: 131,000–165,000 HUF/m² (€326–€411), with entire homes under 15 million HUF (€45,000).
- Szarvas (on the Körös River): 32 million HUF (€80,000).
- Barcs (on the Dráva River): Under 30 million HUF (€75,000).
And while these aren’t Balaton’s polished resort towns, they offer something quieter, sometimes wilder, and certainly more budget-friendly. Appealing to buyers who value calm over crowds and are more into quiet mornings with coffee on the dock than queues at the lángos stand.
A simple floating cottage near Lake Tisza with dock.
Why the Big Divide?
Some of it is branding. Balaton has decades of cachet. It’s close to Budapest, hosts festivals, and has decent public transport links. Tisza and the eastern regions, by contrast, still feel like insider tips – rural, less developed, and not quite on the international radar.
But in 2025, that’s beginning to shift. László Balogh, Ingatlan.com’s chief economist, points out that rising Balaton prices are nudging buyers eastward. There are now over 20 lakeside locations in Hungary where the average price is below 25 million HUF (€62,000), and more than 1,100 properties currently listed for sale in those areas. For remote workers, retirees, or those craving a rustic weekend escape, the price-per-square-metre maths is hard to ignore.
You Can’t Renovate a View, But You Can Afford One Elsewhere
If you’re dreaming of a waterfront holiday home, don’t assume you’re locked into Balaton prices. Sure, it has the buzz, but so does your espresso machine. The trick is to think about how you’ll actually use the space. Will you be there every weekend? Renting it out? Growing tomatoes?
In our case, the Balaton Highlands property won because it had just enough elevation to keep us out of the mosquito wars, but close enough for a cheeky dip on hot days. If we were shopping now, I’m not sure I’d end up anywhere else – I love where we are. But I would definitely explore Lake Tisza. Its untapped potential and quieter charm are hard to ignore, especially when paired with those price tags.
Should You Buy Waterfront Holiday Homes in Hungary?
The short answer: if you’re clear-eyed and paperwork-ready, absolutely.
But be smart. Don’t confuse owning with residency. Property ownership doesn’t grant you legal residency rights. If you’re a third-country national, you’ll still need a proper visa or permit to stay longer than 90 days. I explain the difference in more detail in my quickstart guide.
Also, from July 1st, some towns may gain the authority under Hungary’s new Identity Protection Law to restrict certain property sales. While the details and enforcement aren’t fully clear yet, it could affect both foreign and domestic buyers depending on local decisions. If you’re considering a purchase in smaller villages or high-demand areas, it’s worth checking the local status first.
So, whether you’re shopping for a lakeside luxury pad or a peaceful fixer-upper with dragonflies for neighbours, Hungary’s waterfront holiday home market has a spot for you, and if you’re strategic about it, your ideal waterfront holiday home might be hiding in plain sight. Just maybe not in Tihany. Unless, of course, you’re also in the market for a yacht.
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Anikó Woods is a Canadian-Hungarian writer, technology specialist, and digital strategist who swapped Toronto traffic for Hungarian bureaucracy. She’s the creator of HOW TO HUNGARY: Budapest & Beyond. Since moving to Hungary in 2017, she’s been deep in the paperwork trenches—fact-checking, interviewing experts, and helping others make sense of the madness. Her writing turns chaos into clarity, with a few laughs (and wine recommendations) along the way.