Semi retire to Hefiz or Keszthely. Who knows the area?

I am from California. I now live in Hegymagas. A 25 minute drive to Keszthely. Know the Balaton region well. And my wife is Hungarian. Feel free to write here or PM me for details.

Also see my interview at Expat.com:

https://www.expat.com/en/expat-mag/249- … magas.html

Hi,
The area is very nice. It is located between Wienna and Budapest. You can fly to Wienna instead of Budapest. However, the wintr there can be very quiet, so if you do not mind this it maybe OK for you Guys.
House prices can be pricey for Hungary and you need to be very careful.
Budapest  - Keszthely has a direct train service, which is good. If you choose to drive it can be a bit long and in the winter it may not be a good idea.
As for teaching English, all ex-pats has this idea. It may ot may not work.
I hope this helped.
Good wishes
Eva Godden

Thank you, Eva. We are seeing a very broad range of home prices in the area so we will rent a place first while we search. Yes, we like being near to Austria. And teaching is just something to pass the time. I still have the tax business and we plan to travel a bit.
Thank you for writing. Perhaps we'll all meet one day!
Jim and Valentyna

jdatbs wrote:

And teaching is just something to pass the time. I still have the tax business

For what it is worth, any business (i.e. money making or income generating) activity in Hungary that you do in Hungary, including sitting in Hungary and doing tax returns for Americans or teaching English, to be legal work here will require you to register as either a business or freelance worker in Hungary and pay all the punishing income taxes (about 35% if you are a sole proprietor or freelance worker -- a bit less if you register as a KATA business) plus charging and collecting any required VAT on your work here.

And if you are a resident here doing business, ALL your world wide income is then taxed here, at the local income rate mentioned above. You may get some reprieve from the US-Hungarian tax treaty on some types of income.

Thus, to work here legally does have issues. If you have already considered these issues and still see working here profitable, great. Go for it. Else, it may simply be easier to just enjoy your retirement.

EvaMargaret wrote:

Keszthely has a direct train service

And very nice, comfortable modern buses (which are often faster than the train).

http://menetrendek.hu/

Thanks for the info. I hadn't gotten to the point where I actually did the math and haven't given any thought to the taxation of worldwide incomes. Your advice sounds well taken!
Jim