Moving to Hungary from Poland

moving to

What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Poland to Hungary — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Poland to Hungary, you would find that Hungary is 6.7% cheaper than Poland overall. A PLN284,306 salary in Poland would need to be roughly HUF20,801,110 in Hungary to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Hungarian.

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How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Poland to Hungary.

What does your salary buy?

PLN284,306 HUF20,801,110

To maintain the same standard of living in Hungary

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 16.5% less

Groceries

pay 11.0% more

Transportation

pay 2.9% more

Housing

pay 20.0% less

Childcare

pay 10.2% less

Entertainment and Sports

pay 1.7% less

See full cost of living breakdown
Exchange rate: 1 PLN = 83.69 HUF (July 2026)

Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Poland to Hungary, and how the trend has changed.

Moved in 2023
172 ↓ 5% vs 2022

people moved from Poland to Hungary · OECD (latest data available)

Who's moving to Hungary?

Top countries of origin for Hungary's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Poland and Hungary stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

per 100,000 people per year

PL
0.7
HU
1.0
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

PL
6.5
HU
7.4

Poland performs better than Hungary across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2024

annual government + private spending per person

PL
$3,939
HU
$2,875
Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

affects wait times and access to care

PL
33.9
HU
33.0

Poland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hungary leads in healthcare spending per person.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

PL
41.0
HU
42.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

PL
7.6t
HU
4.5t

Poland generally does better on environment, though Hungary leads in co₂ emissions per capita.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2022

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

PL
23.0
HU
35.5
Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

PL
32.1%
HU
8.1%

Hungary performs significantly better than Poland across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

PL
2.9%
HU
4.1%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

PL
$44,100
HU
$40,600

Poland generally does better on employment & economy, though Hungary leads in top income tax rate.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

PL
78.8 yrs
HU
77.2 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

PL
4.2
HU
4.6

Poland performs better than Hungary across all family life metrics.

Data: Ministry of Finance, Poland, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Warsaw Rain: 20.9 in/yr (532 mm)
55° / 40°F

Avg. annual high / low

Budapest Rain: 21.0 in/yr (534 mm)
60° / 44°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Warsaw Budapest
Jan–Mar 38°/26°F (3°/-3°C) 43°/31°F (6°/-1°C)
Apr–Jun 66°/46°F (19°/8°C) 71°/52°F (22°/11°C)
Jul–Sep 72°/53°F (22°/12°C) 78°/59°F (26°/15°C)
Oct–Dec 44°/33°F (7°/1°C) 49°/37°F (9°/3°C)
View all months
Month Warsaw Budapest
Jan 33°/24°F (0.7°/-4.4°C) 37°/27°F (2.6°/-3.0°C)
Feb 36°/25°F (2.1°/-3.9°C) 41°/29°F (5.1°/-1.8°C)
Mar 44°/30°F (6.9°/-0.9°C) 51°/36°F (10.6°/2.0°C)
Apr 57°/38°F (13.9°/3.6°C) 63°/44°F (17.1°/6.8°C)
May 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) 72°/53°F (22.4°/11.5°C)
Jun 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.6°C) 78°/58°F (25.3°/14.4°C)
Jul 76°/57°F (24.6°/13.7°C) 82°/62°F (27.9°/16.4°C)
Aug 75°/55°F (23.9°/13.0°C) 81°/61°F (27.4°/16.0°C)
Sep 65°/48°F (18.4°/9.0°C) 72°/53°F (22.1°/11.8°C)
Oct 55°/40°F (12.8°/4.7°C) 61°/45°F (16.1°/7.0°C)
Nov 43°/33°F (5.9°/0.5°C) 47°/36°F (8.5°/2.3°C)
Dec 35°/26°F (1.6°/-3.1°C) 38°/29°F (3.2°/-1.7°C)

Data: Institute of Meteorology and Water Management Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Hungarian Meteorological Service Hungarian Meteorological Service

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Poland 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.

Poland passport

Poland passport holder visiting Hungary

Visa Free
Poland passport holders can enter Hungary without a visa.
Hungary passport

Hungary passport holder visiting Poland

Visa Free
Hungary passport holders can enter Poland without a visa.

Data: 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 Poland?

Generally yes: Hungary runs about 13% cheaper than Poland on average, though it depends heavily on the city.

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 PLN284,306 comparable salary, that's around HUF5,200,278 in Hungary for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.

Can I work remotely from Hungary?

With 35.5 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 Poland and Hungary.

Is Hungary safe for expats?

Poland performs better than Hungary across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Hungary is 1.0 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.7 in Poland.

How is healthcare in Hungary compared to Poland?

Poland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hungary leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 33.0 doctors per 10,000 people in Hungary, compared to 33.9 in Poland. Hungary scores 79 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Poland: 82).

What's the weather like in Hungary compared to Poland?

The average high temperature in Budapest is 60°F, compared to 55°F in Warsaw. Budapest receives around 21.0 in of rainfall per year, while Warsaw gets 20.9 in.

What language do they speak in Hungary?

The official language in Hungary is Hungarian. In Poland, the official language is Polish.

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At a Glance

PL HU
Population 38,093,101 9,699,577
Currency Polish Zloty (PLN) Hungarian Forint (HUF)
Languages Polish Hungarian
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +48 +36
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112