Organize your move to Hungary

Julie,

In my experience, Hungary has everything you might need.  Just bring clothes that can go through the seasons because they have all seasons here, and be sure to have some shoes that are water proof/resistant for the winter.  I would say that good quality well made clothes are more expensive here than they are in LA.

You can easily buy a car here so there is not a need to ship one unless you live very close.  It is very easy to get around the city in Budapest because public transportation is very good. 

It is important to note that many of the freeways you have to pay in advance to drive on them or you can get a very pricey ticket.  It is a little difficult to tell when the toll starts and when it stops so I would suggest that if you plan to travel alot throughout the country by car to just buy a pass which you can buy in almost any gas station.  It is not very expensive for a month but you can also buy it by day and week. 

And also, to make sure you have a good map that even shows the little villages/towns because, unlike the states, the road direction is determined by the next town or city and not by the actaul direction that you are going (south, east, etc.)  So if you don't know the towns that are on the way to wherever you are going, it is very easy to get lost.

In Hungary, in my experience, they have all the modern conviences as far as appliances, blow dryers, bathroom products, etc. and the markets have a good array of produce and foods. 

There are also health food stores and in regular stores they sell gluten free products if you might need those.

For me it was a very easy transition, just have a good Hungarian to English dictionary so you find specific shops and ask for certain items that you may not recognize because it is a different brand. 

In Budapest you will find a lot of English speakers but in the surrounding cities, not so much. 

The one thing that they do not have is dryers, so be prepared to hang your clothes to dry and take into account that it takes a day or two for things to dry so I would recommend bringing multiples of anything that you even think you might need! When it rains and you get soaked, its not like you can throw something in the dryer real quick.  Of course you can buy clothes here as well. 

It took a bit of time for us to find the right flat to rent out but there really is a nice selection of places for rent so you shouldnt have any trouble finding a place.

I just took for granted that everywhere would have air conditioning but that is not the case and it can get very hot and humid in the summer.  Especially if you are on a top level floor. 

My advice is to ask for air conditioning and make sure there are plenty of radiators in your apartment for heating in the winter.  We once stayed in a place that had only two heaters and they were old so the metal would contract in the middle of the night which would wake us up everytime.  Most places have decent heating - we just didn't know because where I am from it's forced air heating and no one has radiators.  So be sure to ask!

The other thing is that at some point most buildings have to turn on the heat for the building when it reaches a certain temperature outside.  Be sure to ask if there are any limitations because I have a friend who lives in a building and they go by a certain date and not temperature so she was very cold until they turned the heat on and things are not regulated well here so she really just had to suffer.

I hope this was helpful and if I think of anything else I will be sure to post it here

What would you bring and what would you leave behind?

Moving from Switzerland overland we hired a transporter and brought most everything.

Is it a good idea to bring furniture or domestic appliances?

Depends on where you are coming from of course. From a European source, sure bring furniture if it fits in your apartment/flat or house.

Appliances should be 220V capable, so US residents forget bringing your 110V only appliances. Also make sure your country of origin grounded appliances has the Continental plug, else buy real converters before coming. Not the multinational kind you can get at the airport, as those often are not really grounded, but real converters with a real grounding.

For quality appliances made in the EU we mail order from abroad. All the ones available around where we live are made in China and don't take too long to fail.

Same with tools. I just received an order a month ago with tools all made either in the UK or Germany.

Any foodstuffs that are banned in Hungary?

I honestly don't know. I usually try to eat local cuisine and don't try to import food not locally available. Citrus and bananas in the Winter are an exception.

Is it better to bring a car or to buy one once settled in Hungary?

We had to sell our Swiss car and buy one in Hungary due to the extensive regulations and heavy taxes on auto imports at the time.

Any advice for the ones who are moving to Hungary?

If you live in a larger city get out of that city as often as you can and travel around the country. Hungary has a lot to offer and many of its gems are a pleasure to discover.

Note: Hungary has a zero % alcohol limit for drivers. If you are out and about, and want a drink with your dinner, either take a bus or train for your tour or book a local room for the night within walking distance.

Wow, great thread. It helped me alot! Thanks everyone!

Great collection already!

Allow me to clarify:
You can buy dryers, we have one. There's even a "condensing" type which just needs a drain connection and does not exhaust humid air thus can be installed anywhere a washing machine can.
Some washing machines have a dryer built in, but often the dying capacity is less than the washing capacity, so you are only saving space, not hassle.

GPS gets you everywhere, and you can set it to avoid toll roads if you don't have a subscription. The (incomplete) M0 highway around Budapest is toll free, as is everything inside. Highways outside need the subscription.

AC: You don't actually need it in well-built houses. Older built apartment buildings can get uncomfortably hot for a few weeks in the summer though.

There are many forms of heating, many of which you directly control. Again, the scary noises are characteristic to ancient buildings without upgraded piping.