Moving to Hungary from Bulgaria
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Bulgaria to Hungary — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Bulgaria to Hungary, you would find that Hungary is 24.3% more expensive than Bulgaria overall. A BGN130,000 salary in Bulgaria would need to be roughly HUF30,100,000 in Hungary to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Hungarian.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Bulgaria to Hungary.
What does your salary buy?
BGN130,000 → HUF30,100,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Hungary
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 3.2% more
Groceries
pay 11.1% more
Transportation
pay 14.0% more
Housing
pay 46.6% more
Childcare
pay 4.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 27.5% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Hungary cost about 15% more than cities in Bulgaria.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Bulgaria to Hungary, and how the trend has changed.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Bulgaria and Hungary stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Hungary performs significantly better than Bulgaria across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Bulgaria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hungary leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Hungary performs significantly better than Bulgaria across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Hungary generally does better on infrastructure, though Bulgaria leads in electricity per capita.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Bulgaria generally does better on employment & economy, though Hungary leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Hungary generally does better on family life, though Bulgaria leads in education spending.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021), National Revenue Agency, Bulgaria (2016), National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Sofia | Budapest |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/28°F (6°/-2°C) | 43°/31°F (6°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/48°F (20°/9°C) | 71°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) | 78°/59°F (26°/15°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 49°/37°F (9°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Sofia | Budapest |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/23°F (2.2°/-4.9°C) | 37°/27°F (2.6°/-3.0°C) |
| Feb | 41°/27°F (4.9°/-2.9°C) | 41°/29°F (5.1°/-1.8°C) |
| Mar | 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.3°C) | 51°/36°F (10.6°/2.0°C) |
| Apr | 60°/41°F (15.7°/4.8°C) | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.8°C) |
| May | 69°/48°F (20.3°/9.0°C) | 72°/53°F (22.4°/11.5°C) |
| Jun | 74°/54°F (23.5°/12.1°C) | 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.4°C) |
| Jul | 79°/57°F (25.9°/13.8°C) | 82°/62°F (27.9°/16.4°C) |
| Aug | 79°/56°F (26.0°/13.4°C) | 81°/61°F (27.4°/16.0°C) |
| Sep | 73°/51°F (22.6°/10.4°C) | 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.8°C) |
| Oct | 62°/42°F (16.6°/5.7°C) | 61°/45°F (16.1°/7.0°C) |
| Nov | 49°/34°F (9.6°/1.2°C) | 47°/36°F (8.5°/2.3°C) |
| Dec | 39°/27°F (4.1°/-2.7°C) | 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.7°C) |
Data:
National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology,
Hungarian Meteorological Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Bulgaria and Hungary. To live, work, or study long-term in Hungary, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Hungary's immigration authority.
Bulgaria passport holder visiting Hungary
Visa Free
Hungary passport holder visiting Bulgaria
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Hungary than Bulgaria?
Day-to-day costs in Hungary run about 24% higher than Bulgaria on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Hungary?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a BGN130,000 comparable salary, that's around HUF7,525,000 in Hungary for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Hungary?
With 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Hungary can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Bulgaria and Hungary.
Is Hungary safe for expats?
Hungary performs significantly better than Bulgaria across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Hungary is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Bulgaria.
How is healthcare in Hungary compared to Bulgaria?
Bulgaria generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hungary leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 34.6 doctors per 10,000 people in Hungary, compared to 43.3 in Bulgaria. Hungary scores 79 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Bulgaria: 73).
What's the weather like in Hungary compared to Bulgaria?
The average high temperature in Budapest is 60°F, compared to 59°F in Sofia. Budapest receives around 21.0 in of rainfall per year, while Sofia gets 22.5 in.
What language do they speak in Hungary?
The official language in Hungary is Hungarian. In Bulgaria, the official language is Bulgarian.
