Hungary’s rental market gained speed in March, with average rents climbing 1.6% month-on-month both nationwide and in Budapest, outpacing February’s pace and lifting annual increases to 7.3% across the country and 6.4% in the capital, according to the latest KSH-ingatlan.com index.
László Balogh, ingatlan.com chief economist, said the uptick reflects seasonal spring activity and rising average wages, though median Budapest rents held at HUF 255,000 mid-April as low and high-end listings thin.
Western Transdanubia posted the strongest monthly gain at 2.8%, followed by Central Transdanubia and Northern Hungary at 2.4%, while Pest County lagged at 0.4%. Annual leaders included Southern Transdanubia at 11.8% and Central Transdanubia at 8.7%.
Budapest districts diverge
Budapest saw gains across categories, though Buda hills (Districts I, II, XII) rose a modest 4.1% annually versus 8.8% in other Buda areas (III, XI, XXII) and 6.7% in transitional Pest districts (X, XIII, XIV, XIX, XX). District XIII medians hit HUF 250,000, XI HUF 270,000 and VI HUF 285,000 among active areas.
Outer Pest trades lower at HUF 1.1-1.8 million/sqm annually, with District XVI lowest at HUF 1.1 million and XIV nearing HUF 2 million. No major city averages below HUF 100,000 anymore; Debrecen medians returned to HUF 220,000 from September 2025’s HUF 240,000 peak.
Sub-HUF 200,000 Budapest listings are scarce, while above HUF 300,000 proves hard to lease. Regional seats like Szeged, Győr and Debrecen approach or exceed HUF 200,000 medians; Békéscsaba, Miskolc and Szekszárd hold HUF 110,000-130,000.
