Budapest · Europe

Hungary

Budapest is the affordable way into an EU medical, dental or engineering degree. English-taught programs, EU-recognised diplomas, a capital city that costs half of Vienna, and the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship for those who qualify.

Tuition / yr: $5k – $17k
Living / mo: ~$750
Work rights: 24 h/week
After study: 9-month job search
Intakes: September · February
Language: English

Why Hungary

Medicine and dentistry at a fraction of the cost.

01 EU-recognised medical degrees
02 Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship
03 Low living costs

The honest take

What we tell our own families about Hungary.

Why students love it

Medicine and dentistry in English, recognised across the EU

Living costs among the lowest in the EU

Stipendium Hungaricum: full scholarship for many nationalities

Budapest is beautiful, safe and central for travel

Nine-month job-search permit after graduation

What to plan for

Hungarian language is hard; daily life outside campus needs basics

Medical program tuition is not cheap: €12,000–18,000

Winters are cold and grey

Job market for graduates is smaller than Western Europe

Bureaucracy can be slow; get help with residence permits

Getting around

Leave the car at home.

Budapest's metro, trams and buses run all night and a student monthly pass costs less than a pizza. Trains reach Vienna in under three hours.

BKK metro, tram, bus

Student monthly pass for enrolled students of Hungarian universities.

Ft 3,450 / month

MOL Bubi bike share

Cheap, everywhere in the centre.

Ft 1,000 / month

Trains to Vienna, Prague, Zagreb

Book early on MÁV for student fares.

Ft 8,000–15,000 per trip

Add BKK student monthly pass to my budgetAbout Ft3,450 a month

Food & groceries

What a week of eating really costs.

Markets, Lidl and Aldi make groceries very affordable. Étkezdék (lunch canteens) serve two-course lunches for the price of a coffee in London.

Gulyás

Beef soup with paprika; a full meal.

Lángos

Fried dough with sour cream and cheese, at every market.

Chicken paprikash

Creamy paprika stew with dumplings.

Kürtőskalács

Chimney cake from street stalls.

Build your cart

Supermarket prices in Budapest, HUF. Quantities per week.

Milk (1 L)Ft420
0
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Bread (loaf)Ft550
0
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Eggs (12)Ft1,100
0
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Rice (1 kg)Ft700
0
—
Chicken breast (1 kg)Ft2,400
0
—
Pasta (500 g)Ft450
0
—
Apples (1 kg)Ft650
0
—
Bananas (1 kg)Ft600
0
—
Tomatoes (1 kg)Ft900
0
—
Cheese (500 g)Ft1,900
0
—
Coffee (250 g)Ft1,500
0
—
Yogurt (500 g)Ft500
0
—

Your weekly cart

Ft0 ≈ $0

Per month

Ft0

Eating out

Canteen two-course lunchFt2,200
Cafe cappuccinoFt1,100
LángosFt1,500
Restaurant dinnerFt5,000

Where to live

Dorm, shared flat or studio: pick one and watch the budget.

University dorms are cheap but basic and limited; most international students share flats in districts VI, VII, VIII and XI near the campuses. Budapest rents rose sharply, but are still a fraction of Western Europe.

Where students actually live

District VIII (Józsefváros)
Semmelweis students, cheap, fast-changing.
Ft 130,000–180,000 room
District XI (Újbuda)
BME campus, Danube, quieter Buda side.
Ft 140,000–190,000 room
District VII (Erzsébetváros)
Ruin bars, nightlife, walk everywhere.
Ft 150,000–200,000 room
District XIII
Residential, good metro, families and students.
Ft 130,000–170,000 room

Before you pay anyone

Use the university housing service, Ingatlan.com and reputable agencies; beware of Facebook deals
Two months' deposit is standard; get it in the contract
Utilities (rezsi) are extra and rise in winter
Register your address card (lakcímkártya) for your residence permit

Student life as an international

Budapest is a big-city student life at small-city prices: ruin bars, thermal baths, Danube evenings and cheap trains to five capitals.

English-medium programs have large Middle Eastern, Iranian and Asian communities.

Thermal baths (Széchenyi, Rudas) as a study break

Sziget Festival every August

Cheap trains to Vienna, Bratislava, Prague

Student card gives half-price on almost everything

Work: 24 hours a week in term with a study residence permit; full time in holidays. Wages are modest (Ft 1,700–2,500 an hour).
Healthcare: Many universities include health insurance; otherwise private student insurance from about €30 a month. Stipendium Hungaricum includes coverage.
Safety: Safe; watch for taxi and currency-exchange scams in tourist spots.