Moving to Latvia from Hungary
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Hungary to Latvia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Hungary to Latvia, you would find that Latvia is 3.8% cheaper than Hungary overall. A HUF24,000,000 salary in Hungary would need to be roughly €63,300 in Latvia to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Latvian. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Riga averages 50°F vs 60°F in Budapest, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Hungary to Latvia.
What does your salary buy?
HUF24,000,000 → €63,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Latvia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Groceries
pay 5.8% less
Transportation
pay 3.9% more
Housing
pay 19.1% less
Childcare
pay 66.8% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 21.6% 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 Latvia cost about 9% less than cities in Hungary.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Hungary to Latvia, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Latvia?
Top countries of origin for Latvia's foreign-born residents.
- 116,771
- 42,251
- 32,262
- 14,209
- 5,651
- 3,712
- · · ·
-
30.183
Hungary
Key Indicator Comparison
How Hungary and Latvia 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 better than Latvia 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
Hungary generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Latvia leads in adult obesity rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Latvia performs significantly better than Hungary 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 Latvia leads in water stress level.
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
Hungary generally does better on employment & economy, though Latvia 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
Latvia generally does better on family life, though Hungary leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021), National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (2016), State Revenue Service, Latvia (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 | Budapest | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 43°/31°F (6°/-1°C) | 31°/20°F (0°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 71°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 60°/42°F (15°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/59°F (26°/15°C) | 67°/51°F (20°/11°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 49°/37°F (9°/3°C) | 41°/31°F (5°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Budapest | Riga |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37°/27°F (2.6°/-3.0°C) | 28°/18°F (-2.3°/-7.8°C) |
| Feb | 41°/29°F (5.1°/-1.8°C) | 29°/18°F (-1.7°/-7.6°C) |
| Mar | 51°/36°F (10.6°/2.0°C) | 37°/24°F (2.7°/-4.7°C) |
| Apr | 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.8°C) | 50°/34°F (9.8°/1.0°C) |
| May | 72°/53°F (22.4°/11.5°C) | 61°/43°F (16.2°/5.9°C) |
| Jun | 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.4°C) | 68°/50°F (20.1°/10.0°C) |
| Jul | 82°/62°F (27.9°/16.4°C) | 71°/54°F (21.7°/12.3°C) |
| Aug | 81°/61°F (27.4°/16.0°C) | 70°/53°F (21.0°/11.8°C) |
| Sep | 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.8°C) | 61°/46°F (16.3°/8.0°C) |
| Oct | 61°/45°F (16.1°/7.0°C) | 51°/39°F (10.4°/4.0°C) |
| Nov | 47°/36°F (8.5°/2.3°C) | 39°/31°F (3.9°/-0.5°C) |
| Dec | 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.7°C) | 33°/24°F (0.3°/-4.4°C) |
Data:
Hungarian Meteorological Service,
Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Hungary and Latvia. To live, work, or study long-term in Latvia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Latvia's immigration authority.
Hungary passport holder visiting Latvia
Visa Free
Latvia passport holder visiting Hungary
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 Latvia than Hungary?
Generally yes: Latvia runs about 4% cheaper than Hungary on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Latvia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a HUF24,000,000 comparable salary, that's around €15,825 in Latvia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Latvia?
With 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Latvia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Hungary and Latvia.
Is Latvia safe for expats?
Hungary performs better than Latvia across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Latvia is 2.5 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Hungary.
How is healthcare in Latvia compared to Hungary?
Hungary generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Latvia leads in adult obesity rate. There are 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people in Latvia, compared to 34.6 in Hungary. Latvia scores 75 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Hungary: 79).
What's the weather like in Latvia compared to Hungary?
The average high temperature in Riga is 50°F, compared to 60°F in Budapest. Riga receives around 24.9 in of rainfall per year, while Budapest gets 21.0 in.
What language do they speak in Latvia?
The official language in Latvia is Latvian. In Hungary, the official language is Hungarian.
