Foreign nationals purchasing property in Hungary paid 1.5 times the national average price in the first half of 2025, according to data from real estate agency Otthon Centrum.
Among them, Chinese buyers emerged as the biggest spenders, investing an average of HUF 139 million per transaction, significantly above the national average.
The capital city, Budapest, remains the most popular destination for international property buyers, but only 2.4% of buyers in the first half of 2025 were foreign nationals.
Chinese spend the most, Germans buy regionally
On average, foreign buyers spent HUF 89.3 million on real estate — nearly 50% above the Hungarian market average. This price difference is largely due to location preference: over half of the foreign buyers chose Budapest, where property prices are considerably higher than the national mean.
Chinese nationals spent an average of HUF 139 million, typically buying high-end properties in Budapest’s city center. German buyers, by contrast, paid HUF 60.7 million on average, with most purchases occurring in Somogy and Zala counties.
Cash is King!
Nearly 90% of foreign buyers paid in cash, with only 14% opting for mortgage financing. Most (55%) chose pre-owned houses, while in Budapest, brick-built apartments were the top choice (34.5%). New-builds only accounted for 10.5%, and panel apartments were largely avoided by international buyers.
Interestingly, retirees dominate the foreign buyer pool: 28% were over 65 years old, significantly higher than the 10% proportion among Hungarian retirees. In contrast, only 6.9% of foreign buyers were under 30, a lower rate than seen among domestic buyers.
