Updated November 2026. What changed this year: building costs are expected to rise 5 to 6% in 2026, and a new energy renovation grant announced on 19 October could cover up to half the cost of some projects from 2027. You have the keys, a folder of Pinterest boards...
Updated October 2026. What changed this year: District VI's ban took effect in January, and on 22 October District I published a draft that would close the Buda Castle to short-term rentals from 2028. I will update this page when the council votes in November. I live...
Updated October 2026. What changed this year: the government announced on 19 October that Wekerle Plusz will replace the Otthon Start loan, with tighter rules and a higher rate on used homes. Nothing is law yet, and I will update this page when the decree lands. A...
Updated September 2026. What changed this year: the Otthon Start loan boom that pushed prices up through 2025 has cooled, and official data now shows prices dropping quarter on quarter for the first time since the surge. Every year I watch Hungary's property market...
Updated September 2026. What changed this year: the government moved solar connection, home-battery reporting and smart-meter rollout into new rules in late August 2026, with deadlines that run into 2027. Andrew designed the electrics for our smart Balaton winehouse,...
Updated August 2026. What changed this year: after a decade of German, Austrian and Dutch buyers at the lake, agents logged a single foreign purchase in the first seven months of 2026, and Hungarian buyers now set the price. We brought in our grape harvest this...
Renting in Budapest now runs about 260,000 HUF a month for the average flat, and the July 2026 figures (published 13 August) show prices still edging up rather than settling. The market cooled from last year's scramble, but landlords have not blinked. If you are...
Updated July 2026. What changed this year: on 22 July 2026 the government confirmed it will not relax the rules. Those rules keep most below-grade spaces off the legal housing market, despite a tight supply of flats. My first place after leaving home was a basement...
Updated July 2026 District VIII is the latest to reach for the brakes. This month Józsefváros began drafting its own caps on short-term lets, following District VI, which banned them outright on 1 January 2026. That is what makes short-term rentals in Budapest a...
If you've ever looked at a property listing in Hungary, you've probably come across közös költség, or common costs. It's a monthly fee paid towards the running of an apartment building, but what it actually includes depends entirely on the building. That's where much...
I’m Anikó Woods, a Canadian-Hungarian who’s been knee-deep in life here since 2017 - bureaucracy, culture, and everything in between.
Hungary can be a maze of paperwork, surprises, and cultural oddities – but you don’t have to figure it all out the hard way. Join my exclusive newsletter, and you’ll get:
Get the real, unfiltered advice about living in Hungary you won’t find anywhere else. Join now and be part of the conversation!