Buying realty in Hungary does not guarantee getting a residence permit. However, the presence of property together with a good passive income and no criminal records in the past significantly increase the chances of getting a positive response from the authorities. The cost of living here is low, when compared with other European countries; the climate is mild, and taxes are not burdensome. How much you will have to pay for the maintenance and maintenance of housing in Hungary, what income and expenses you should expect.
Property taxes
A single purchase tax
After the registration of the property rights within one to two months, the new owner receives a letter from the tax department about the need to pay the state fee. Its size depends on the cost of the property: up to €11,000 – 2%, over €11,000 – 4%.
This notification is usually received by the lawyer who handled the transaction. In this case, the owner transfers the money to the deposit account of the lawyer, who tranfers the sum to the settlement account of the department and passes the client a document confirming the payment.
Features:
If you purchase primary housing, the state provides a benefit: objects worth up to €41,550 are not taxed; if the property is more expensive, the rate is 4%.
If you buy a house and not an apartment, the one-time fee is 10%, regardless of the value. You can avoid paying only if you buy land without construction and build a house on it within four years.
Annual property taxes
There is a land tax in Hungary, which is 1.0-1.5% of the property value. But it applies only to private property.
Apartment owners are usually exempt from the annual tax, but there are exceptions. For large resorts, such as Lakes Heviz and Balaton, there are specific requirements, since most of the housing there is rented by tourists. Therefore, if you purchase a resort property, you will have to pay a tax on the housing stock property.
In this case, the basis for the calculations is the initial cost of the property or floor space. The rate depends on the current indicator of the consumer price index, which is calculated by the Hungarian Statistics Center. During the last two years – €5-6 per sq.m or 3.6% of the cost of an apartment or house.
The notification of the need to pay the tax comes to the post office. If the amount is too large for you, you should contact the tax department and ask them to divide it into several parts. The terms of repayment and details will be indicated in the receipt received.
Residential property for sale in Hungary:
350 000 €
Apartment in Budapest, Hungary
65 m²321
Online ViewingRemote TransactionRental property
8th district, Corvin boulevard, modern urban environment near the city center, near the metro, in a new modern building built in 2017, apartment on the 3rd floor, 65 m2, 2 bedrooms, kitchen open to the living room, 2 bedrooms, separate bathroom, balcony 15 m2, the apartment is fully furnished and equipped.
Perfect Invest Hungary Ltd.
767 000 €
Apartment in Budapest, Hungary
80 m²322
Online ViewingRemote TransactionRental property
District 5, historic center, famous pedestrian Váci Street. This luxury apartment on the 3rd floor of a beautiful historic building with lift has undergone a complete designer renovation, fully furnished and equipped. It features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen open to the living room. Large windows overlook a quiet side...
Perfect Invest Hungary Ltd.
640 000 €
Apartment in Budapest, Hungary
85 m²322
Online ViewingRemote Transaction
5th district, Belgrád promenade, near the Erzsebet bridge, in a beautiful completely renovated historic building with 2 elevators, apartment on the 3th floor, after a major luxury renovation, 85 m2, open kitchen with living room, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. High-quality materials were used in the decoration: Italian and Spanish tiles, oak...
Perfect Invest Hungary Ltd.
413 222 €
House in Vonyarcvashegy, Hungary
120 m²
Residence
Hungary. Vonyarcvashegy. House with garage and plot on Lake Balaton.
€413,223
Search: 33926
• Built: 2002
• Completely renovated: 2023
• Plot size: 830 m2
• Area: 120 m2
• Terrace: 9 m2
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 1
• Living room: 1
• Kitchen: 1
• Storage: 1
A...
Europe Gmbh
2 600 000 €
Villa in Budapest, Hungary
430 m²654
A newly built villa is for sale in the elite green 12th district of Budapest. In the 12th district of Budapest, in a picturesque environment, next to a protected area, a luxury villa from a developer is for sale. Luxury and elegance in a picturesque green area, modern, energy-saving technology, harmony is present in everything.Living area 430...
WESTINVEST
285 000 €
House in Keszthely, Hungary
120 m²
Residence
Hungary. Cserszegtomaj. The house is 120m2 with a plot. Area:120 m2 Plot area:2300 m2 Bedrooms:2 Bathrooms:2 Living rooms:1 Kitchen:1 Number of floors:2 Built:1995 From Lake Balaton:5.2 km, 8 min. From Heviz resort:4.8 km, 10 min. 285,000 € Panoramic view Thermal bath Shopping centre Yacht Club equipment Water supply on site Gas on the street...
Europe Gmbh
2 550 000 €
Villa in Budapest, Hungary
350 m²
Residence
Hungary. Budapest. Family home with panoramic views.
Listing ID: 1676
Family home with panoramic views
€2,550,000
Budapest, District XII
Area: 350 m²
A family home suitable for two generations, offering panoramic views, is for sale in the Mártonhegy area of Budapest’s District XII.
A unique property...
In the 5th district of Budapest, in its historical center, a spacious panoramic apartment is offered for sale after major renovation. A classical building on University Square.
Excellent infrastructure of the area and transport links.
Area: 110 sq.m.
Balcony
Number of rooms: 3 (living room, 2 bedrooms)
Separate kitchen
Bathrooms: 2...
WESTINVEST
275 000 €
Flat in Budapest, Hungary
63 m²32
In a ready-made modern residential complex built in 2019 on the popular Korvin Alley, a 2-bedroom furnished apartment is for sale.A chic green walking alley with boutiques, shops, restaurants and cafes, with a picturesque illuminated fountain in the evening, a large fitness and wellness center with a swimming pool, saunas, SPA services, with an...
WESTINVEST
675 453 €
House in Budapest, Hungary
200 m²643
We offer you this three-storey industrial property on a 975 m² corner plot, suitable for use as a company site, workshop, warehouse, or two-family residential home. The fully serviced building has 3×63 A industrial electricity and an official site permit.
Industrial / Commercial Features
The lower two levels provide 400 m² of workshop and...
Maija Software
2 695 000 €
Villa in Zalacsany, Hungary
490 m²
Residence
Hungary. Zalacsany. Luxury villas at the Zala Springs Golf Resort.
Area: 490 m2
Plot size: 1,500 m2
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Living room: 1
Kitchen: 1
Storage: 3
Number of floors: 1
Lake Balaton: 10 km, 12 min.
Heviz: 10 km, 12 min.
Energy efficiency class: AA++
Price: €2,695,000
Search: 4065
Luxury villas at the...
Europe Gmbh
669 154 €
House in Badacsonytomaj, Hungary
251 m²
ResidenceRental property
Hungary. Badacsonytomaj. New house with garage and garden on Lake Balaton. Size:251 m2 Land area:1628 m2 Bedrooms:4 Bathrooms:3 Living Room:2nd Kitchen:2 Storage room:1 Number of floors:1 Built:2025 From Lake Balaton:5 km, 0 min. From the Heviz resort:30.4 km, 36 min. Energy efficiency class: 669,154 € New house for sale with panoramic views of...
Europe Gmbh
352 980 €
Flat in Budapest, Hungary
57 m²
Residence
Hungary. Budapest. Apartment 57 sq m
Városmajor Street, Budapest, Budapest
NEW
2 bedrooms 1 bathroom | Apartment
352,960 sq m
125,000,000 HUF
Published: July 1, 2026
INTERIOR DESIGNER, RENOVATED TO PREMIUM QUALITY IN ONE OF THE MOST DEMANDED AREAS OF THE 12TH DISTRICT!!
In one of the most popular areas of the 12th...
Europe Gmbh
221 945 €
Apartment in Heviz, Hungary
68 m²
ResidenceRental property
Hungary. Heviz. Apartment 68m2 Area:68 m2 Bedrooms:2 Bathrooms:1 Living Room:1 Kitchen:1 Number of floors:4 Built:2002 From Lake Balaton:7.2 km, 11 min. From the Heviz resort:0 km, 0 min. 221 945 € Large garage Directly in Heviz Panoramic view Thermal bath Shopping center equipment Plumbing on site Gas on site Gas heating Sewerage on site...
Europe Gmbh
650 000 €
House in Keszthely, Hungary
300 m²
Residence
Hungary. Cserszegtomaj. House with a plot, sauna, swimming pool, and garage. €650,000 Search: 33763 • Built: 1990 • Plot size: 9600 m2 • Area: 300 m2 • Bedrooms: 7 • Bathrooms: 4 • Living room: 2 • Kitchen: 2 • Number of floors: 3 Utilities • Water • Electricity • Sewage Property...
Europe Gmbh
248 507 €
House in Vonyarcvashegy, Hungary
152 m²
Hungary. It stinks. A house with a garden on the shore of Lake Balaton. Area:152 m2 Plot area:623 m2 Bedrooms:3 Bathrooms:2 Living rooms:1 Kitchen:1 Storage room:1 Number of floors:3 Built:1990 From Lake Balaton:0 km, 0 min. From the Heviz resort:11.7 km, 17 min. 248 507 € On Balaton Thermal bath Shopping centre Yacht Club equipment Water supply...
Europe Gmbh
299 000 €
Flat in Budapest, Hungary
75 m²
Residence
Hungary. Budapest. 75 sq m apartment in the 12th district.
1 Királyhágó tér, Budapest 1126
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom
€299,000
In the prestigious central 12th district, on the beautifully landscaped Királyhágó Square, a sun-drenched 75 sq m top-floor apartment is for sale.
It consists of...
Europe Gmbh
162 437 €
Flat in Heviz, Hungary
43 m²
Residence
Hungary. Hévíz. Apartment in the city center.
€162,437
Search: 55287
• Area: 43 m2
• Bedrooms: 1
• Bathrooms: 1
• Living room: 1
• Kitchen: 1
• Number of floors: 3
Apartment for sale, ready for immediate occupancy, in the center of Hévíz!
In the central part of...
Europe Gmbh
660 000 €
House on Balaton, Hungary
520 m²
Residence
Hungary. Balatonkeresztúr. Two houses.
€630,000
Listing ID: 33930
• Year built: 1997
• Plot size: 910 m²
• Floor area: 520 m²
• Bedrooms: 6
• Bathrooms: 4
• Living rooms: 2
• Kitchens: 2
• Pantries: 2
• Number of floors: 3
A unique opportunity in...
In comparison with other European countries, utiies in Hungary are cheap.
Almost every apartment building has a homeowners' association (HOA), which is mandatory to join if you are the owner of an apartment in the complex. The HOA is fully responsible for the general condition of the house: repairment, maintenance and improvement of common areas.
The monthly fee of the HOA (közös költség) also includes home insurance. Depending on the type of partnership, water and central heating may be included in the total bill.
The fee is calculated based on the floor space of an apartment and the incoming services. Usually it costs about €40-100 per month. The total bill includes a fixed amount for the maintenance of the house (€0.7-1.5 per sq.m) + general renovation. In the latter case, the fee may vary depending on what needs to be done in the house. If there are no specific issues, the starting point is €0.4-0.5 per sq.m. If you need to fix the roof urgently and all the owners of the house agree with this, the general meeting decides to what level and for what period of time you need to increase the fee.
For what else you will have to pay for
Water. The rate varies depending on the city. For example, in Budapest, the cost of a cubic meter is approximately €1.3 + a fixed fee of €0.5 per month. In Biatorbágy, the rates are much higher – about €2.7 per cubic meter.
Gas. It is much more profitable to use gas than electricity: the cost of a kilowatt is €0.03. The cheapest option is to have a circo in the apartment – its own boiler that heats hot water for both batteries and showers. In old houses, this option or a convector/boiler is most often used; in Soviet panel houses, heating and water heating are often centralized.
Electricity. The cost of a kilowatt-hour is about €0.11.
The Internet. Each house usually has its own service company, that is, you can not choose a provider. On average, for a package that includes phone and Internet, you will have to pay about €20-25 per month.
Insurance. An optional service, but if you want to insure specifically your apartment and property-get ready to give about 0.1% of the value of the property per year.
How to pay for utilities. Water bills (if the calculation is based on the meter), gas and electricity are paid separately. In Hungary, there is a prepayment of utilities. So, the owner or tenant initially pays an amount when settling in, which is calculated on the basis of last year's expense or costs for similar housing (if we are talking about a new building). Then, after certain intervals of time, the management company recalculates measures.
The terms and conditions of recalculation vary depending on the resource and the company.
Recalculation of electricity measures happens once a year. If there is an overpayment, the company returns the difference to the card, and informs the owner if they have to pay extra.
Recalculation of the gas – every three to four months, but the system is different: in case of underpayment or overpayment, the corresponding amount is added or deducted from the next invoice.
The water charge is calculated by the meter, and the bill comes about once every six months.
Invoices are sent to the payer's address. For payment, you can set up an auto-payment from your account in a Hungarian bank or make a payment yourself each time via the Internet.
Lease
Profitability. According to local realtors, the profit from the rental of housing in Hungary is on average 6-10% per annum, depending on the type of property, season and region. Meanwhile, rental housing in Hungary continues to become cheaper, and the yield decreased in 2020 by 25%.
Bids. The cost of short-term rent in Budapest starts from €15-20 per day, if we are talking about a comfortable studio apartment. In the season, the rates are increased by one and a half to two times.
In general, it is cheaper to rent a house in Budapest than in most neighboring European capitals.
Taxes. Rental income is taxed at a fixed rate of 16%. The tax is levied on the net profit, that is, after deducting the actual and documented expenses incurred in the rental process, such as lighting, maintenance, administrative costs, etc. But the amount of deductible expenses should not be more than 25%.
Before renting out property, you must notify the municipal authorities. A contract is necessarily concluded, according to which the tenant pays only directly for the apartment or house. If the owner wants to transfer the obligations to pay for utilities, the tenant must enter into contract with resource suppliers in their own name.
Management company. Takes care of all the concerns related to the realty maintenance. The price for the work starts from €50 per month. The main range of services – payment of utility bills, cleaning and airing of the apartment, checking the housing three or four times a month. If you additionally need them to search for tenants, communicate with them, and accept payments, the company charges about 6% of the rental income.
Market trends. Despite the pandemic, the demand for residential real estate in Hungary is growing. And although the overall price growth has slowed down, new buildings began to rise rapidly in price.
Taxes. When selling a home, you must pay capital gains tax. Tax base is the difference between the purchase and sale price. You can deduct the cost of buying, repairing and other investments in the property, which you can document. The base rate is 25%, but the state provides benefits depending on the period of ownership.
If you sell your property in less than a year after the purchase, there are no benefits are provided; if in the second year of ownership, then you must pay only 90% of the tax due, in the third - 70%, in the fourth - 50%, in the fifth - 10%. If more than five years have passed since the purchase, you do not need to pay tax. If you use the money immediately to buy another realty object, you do not have to pay the tax either.
Example. You bought an apartment more than three years ago for €250,000, and you are selling it for €300,000. The tax base is €50,000. Let's assume that the cost of improving the housing and the cost of processing the transaction amounted to €20,000. 25% of €30,000 – €7,500. Since at the time of the sale it was your fourth year of ownership, you need to pay 50% of the amount received, that is, €3,750.
You can also use a calculator to count the exact amount you need to pay.
Additional expenses. The main share of the costs associated with the sale falls on the buyer. The stamp duty and payment of all necessary documents will result in approximately €250; for the services of a lawyer, you have to pay 1-2% of the transaction amount (at least €1,000). But the commission to the realtor, which is 3-5% of the sale price, is often paid by the seller.
