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Mohamed Oun
Budapest
#98 of 124
Europe

Budapest

Hungary

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Budapest compare to San Francisco?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Budapest is 60% worse off vs in San Francisco

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Budapest compared to San Francisco, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$43,344
-$229K (-84%) vs San Francisco
Based on 237 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$28,824
-$144K (-83%) vs San Francisco
Tax Rate: 34%

Community Insights

New

Budapest offers a high quality of life for software engineers who can secure a Western-level or high local salary. The city is visually stunning, safe, and boasts an incredible social scene that appeals to young professionals. However, the economic reality includes high inflation and a volatile currency, meaning your purchasing power can fluctuate. For freelancers, the abolition of the old KATA tax scheme has made the city less attractive than it was a few years ago. If you are employed by a multinational company that offers private healthcare and salary adjustments for inflation, it remains a fantastic, fun, and central place to live in Europe.

Resident Sentiment

Current residents, especially expats in tech, generally enjoy the lifestyle and social aspects of the city. There is a strong consensus that having a senior dev salary makes you "royalty" here compared to the local average. However, there is growing cynicism regarding rising prices (especially food) and the political situation. Many view Budapest as a fantastic short-to-medium term destination (2-5 years) rather than a place to settle permanently/retire, largely due to concerns over the healthcare system and long-term economic stability.

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to San Francisco.

Rankings

Cost of Living

Top 31%

#38

of 124 cities

37/100

Current value (lower is better)

Safety Index

Top 31%

#39

of 124 cities

66.1/100

Current value

Comfortable Weather

Middle of the pack

#62

of 124 cities

43/100 weather score

Current value

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Budapest compared to San Francisco?

Avg. Property Price
$4,583 / m²
54% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Budapest to maintain the same standard of living.

$

Do you have kids?

Cost of Living
58% cheaper than San Francisco
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Budapest

EPAM Systems logo
EPAM Systems
Ericsson logo
Ericsson
Nokia logo
Nokia

The Good

  • Affordable Cost of Living: While rising, rent and services remain significantly cheaper than in Western Europe or the US, allowing for a comfortable lifestyle on a senior engineer's salary.
  • Vibrant Social Scene: Budapest is famous for its ruin bars, thermal baths, and active nightlife, making it very popular for young professionals.
  • Good Public Transport: The BKK system (trams, metro, buses) is reliable, cheap (especially with a monthly pass), and runs 24/7 on key routes, making a car unnecessary.
  • Safe City: Generally very safe with low violent crime rates, even late at night in the city center.
  • Central European Hub: Excellent location for travel; Vienna, Prague, and the Balkans are easily accessible by train or short flights.
  • Tech Ecosystem: A growing number of multinational companies (Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, Wise) and startups offer English-speaking environments.

The Bad

  • High Inflation: Hungary has recently experienced some of the highest inflation rates in the EU, significantly increasing the cost of groceries and dining out.
  • Currency Volatility: The Hungarian Forint (HUF) is unstable compared to the Euro/USD, which can devalue savings if not converted.
  • KATA Tax Changes: The popular low-tax KATA regime for freelancers was effectively restricted in 2022, making contracting/freelancing much less profitable and more bureaucratically complex.
  • Healthcare Quality: Public healthcare is often described as underfunded with long wait times; private health insurance (often provided by tech employers) is considered essential.
  • Language Barrier: While work is in English, dealing with government bureaucracy, landlords, or utility companies often requires Hungarian, which is notoriously difficult to learn.
  • Political Climate: Some expats express frustration with the local political environment and perceived corruption, which can affect long-term sentiment.

The Verdict

You'll love it if...

Young, single professionals or couples looking for a vibrant European city experience without the exorbitant rents of London or Amsterdam. Engineers working for multinational corporations who earn above-market local rates (or remote workers with USD/EUR income) will thrive here, enjoying a luxury lifestyle that would be unaffordable elsewhere.

Skip it if...

Freelancers relying on the old low-tax frameworks, as the tax burden has increased significantly. Those with families requiring public schooling (unless opting for expensive international schools) might find the language barrier and education system challenging. People sensitive to air pollution (winter smog can be an issue) or those seeking a highly progressive political environment might also be uncomfortable.

Updated 11/29/2025

Weather4.3/10-51% vs San Francisco
Safety66+68%
Pollution53+8%
Events1-98%
4.3/10TechCities weather score vs 8.7/10 in San Francisco

0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

Weather snapshot

Average High
16°C(vs 19°C in San Francisco)
Average Low
6°C(vs 12°C in San Francisco)
Sunshine Hours
1,988h/yr-1074h/yr(-35%)
Hottest Month High
27°C(vs 22°C in San Francisco)
Coldest Month Low
-3°C(vs 8°C in San Francisco)
Rainy Days
70/yr+21/yr(+43%)

Community & Quality

Budapest community pulse

Budapest has 1 Luma events listed.

98% fewer events than San Francisco.

Community Events

Middle of the pack

#70

of 124 cities

1 event on luma

Current value

Pollution Score

Middle of the pack

#75

of 124 cities

52.9/100

Current value (lower is better)

Tax Rate

Middle of the pack

#81

of 124 cities

34%

Current value (lower is better)

Home Affordability

Bottom 27%

#92

of 124 cities

≈12.7 yrs to buy 80m²

Current value

Net Income

Bottom 23%

#97

of 124 cities

$28,824/yr

Current value

Purchasing Power

Bottom 22%

#98

of 124 cities

SWE Affordability
12.7 years
8.1 years longer than San Francisco
Muggy Days
7/yr+6/yr(+3200%)
Cloud Cover
50%(vs 34% in San Francisco)