Budget · Budapest · Hungary
Budapest on a budget
What a trip to Budapest really costs, and where the savings are.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Thaler Tamas, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Budapest is affordable for most international visitors. Budget roughly $50–$90 per person per day on a tight budget, $110–$210 mid-range and $280–$750 for luxury, excluding flights. Hotel prices are usually lowest in January–February.
Key facts
- Budget traveller
- $50–$90 a day
- Mid-range
- $110–$210 a day
- Luxury
- $280–$750 a day
- Local currency
- HUF
- Free sights
- 7
Daily budget and trip cost
AMZBooking estimates per person in US dollars, excluding flights, reviewed October 2026. Accommodation is the biggest variable; prices rise in peak months.
| Style | Per day | 3 days | 5 days | 7 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $50–$90 | $150–$270 | $250–$450 | $350–$630 |
| Mid-range | $110–$210 | $330–$630 | $550–$1,050 | $770–$1,470 |
| Luxury | $280–$750 | $840–$2,250 | $1,400–$3,750 | $1,960–$5,250 |
Typical prices
Approximate prices in Budapest, October 2026. They change; use them for planning, not as quotes.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Public transport single ticket | about 450–600 Ft |
| 24-hour travelcard | about 2,500–3,000 Ft |
| Lángos at a market stall | about 1,500–2,500 Ft |
| Weekday set lunch (napi menü) | about 2,500–4,000 Ft |
| Goulash soup in a restaurant | about 2,500–4,500 Ft |
| Half-litre of beer in a ruin bar | about 1,200–1,800 Ft |
| Széchenyi Bath day ticket | about 11,000–16,000 Ft |
| Coffee in a café | about 800–1,200 Ft |
| Mid-range dinner with wine | about 8,000–14,000 Ft per person |
Money-saving tips
- Pay in forints and decline offers to charge your card in your home currency at ATMs and card terminals; the conversion rate is poor.
- Use bank-branch ATMs rather than standalone cash machines in tourist areas, which charge high fees.
- Weekday set lunches (napi menü) are the best-value way to eat a full Hungarian meal.
- Bath tickets cost more at weekends, so go on a weekday morning.
- Check bills for a service charge before tipping, and avoid paying in euros where prices are quoted in forints.
- Exchange booths on Váci utca advertising 'no commission' often give poor rates; compare before changing cash.
Free things to do
- Buda Castle — The vast royal palace on Castle Hill, rebuilt many times since the Middle Ages and restored after the Second World War, houses the Hungarian National Gallery and the Budapest History Museum.
- Széchenyi Chain Bridge — The first permanent bridge between Buda and Pest, opened in 1849 and rebuilt after it was blown up in 1945, is guarded by stone lions at each end.
- Szimpla Kert and the ruin bars — Szimpla Kert has filled a derelict tenement and old stove factory on Kazinczy utca since 2004, crowding its courtyard and rooms with mismatched furniture, a cut-up Trabant car and graffiti, and it inspired a wave of ruin bars across District VII.
- Heroes' Square and City Park — At the top of Andrássy Avenue, the colonnades of Heroes' Square, lined with statues of Hungarian kings and chieftains, frame the Millennium Monument.
- Shoes on the Danube Bank — Sixty pairs of cast-iron shoes on the embankment south of the Parliament commemorate the Jews shot into the river by Arrow Cross militiamen in 1944–45.
- Great Market Hall — The 1897 Central Market Hall at the Pest end of Liberty Bridge has a roof of coloured Zsolnay tiles and three levels of stalls: paprika, salami, goose liver and pickles on the ground floor, lángos and stuffed-cabbage counters and embroidery stalls on the gallery above, and fish and pickles in the basement.
Where to stay on a budget
$$ · Best for nightlife, food lovers, budget and solo travellers
Erzsébetváros (District VII)
The old Jewish Quarter of synagogues, ruin bars and street food
$$ · Best for budget, solo travellers and food lovers
Palotanegyed (District VIII)
The Palace District of 19th-century town mansions behind the National Museum
$$ · Best for food lovers, budget and culture
Ferencváros (District IX)
Ráday utca restaurants, the Great Market Hall and riverside culture
Eating well for less
- Lángos — The upper gallery of the Great Market Hall, market stalls and street-food counters, especially at weekends.
- Túró Rudi — The fridge section of any supermarket or corner shop.
Getting around for less
24-hour, 72-hour and weekly travelcards
Unlimited travel on the metro, trams, buses and suburban HÉV lines within the city, sold at machines and in the BudapestGO app; the 100E airport bus needs its own ticket.
Budapest Card
Combines unlimited public transport with free or discounted entry to selected museums, baths and tours; worth it only with a packed itinerary.
Questions travellers ask
+How much does a trip to Budapest cost?
About $550–$1,050 per person for five days mid-range, excluding flights (estimate), or $250–$450 on a tight budget.
+Is Budapest expensive?
It is affordable for international visitors. Pay in forints and decline offers to charge your card in your home currency at ATMs and card terminals; the conversion rate is poor.
+How much money do I need per day in Budapest?
Roughly $50–$90 on a budget and $110–$210 mid-range (estimates).
+When are hotel prices lowest in Budapest?
Usually in January–February.