Hello there!

Hi Don and welcome to Expat.com!

I hope that other members will advise you soon.

Good luck,
Harmonie.

That sounds sooo cool, imagine in a Don LaFontaine voice:


"He studied Hungarian in Oxford..."

"... so he could teach English in Budapest."

"But the reason remained his secret."

"until early 2012."

:-)

Good luck and don't hesitate to ask if there's something specific you need help with!

Hello, Don and welcome on the forum. It is good to speak a bit of hungarian since English is not wide spoken here.

Your question require a complex answer so what exactly you need to know?

Accomodation, finding a job or the average amount you need to spend on food?
You should really if you have time come here for a week and try to live like a resident( go to the vegetable market, supermarket, pubs, parks etc etc) the whole stuff and you will find the answer to your questions.
Best,L

Thanks very much to the folks that responded to my post.

To pick up on Girlie's point, I will be coming to BP towards the end of the year to pick out an apartment and intend to spend about a week in the city. I'll probably stay in an apartment-style hotel and see how the budget goes for food, drinks, etc. The only must-have for me is an internet connection at home as I plan to do much of my work online.

I am looking at apartments on a couple of websites, aiming to rent in either district 6, 7 or 9. How difficult is it to get an apartment? Most of the places I've been looking at online have a 12-month minimum rental, whereas I'd prefer a shorter lease to begin with, even if it means paying a bit more upfront.

I've also heard horror stories about Hungarian banks charging ridiculous fees. I'm thinking it might be better just to use my UK account. Anybody have an opinion?

Again, thanks so very much for all the help thus far. I look forward to contributing more myself in the not-too distant future.

Cheers and all the best,
Don.

Hi Don

I am a fellow Scot in Budapest and I love it here.

I have no problem with my bank account here, though I keep the bulk of my savings at home.  There are a few language teachers here that should be able to give you some advice with that.

I adore living in BP.  My Hungarian is not brilliant but it certainly helps to speak a little and it is much appreciated.

Good luck with your move here!

Hollycat,

Thanks so much for your advice. I think I'm going to make the move, even if it doesn't work in the long term. I've got a number of ideas for sustaining and growing a business in Budapest (all artistic!) and if I can just be sure I'm not going to fall on my a**e, I'll do it (them).

I really think I have to make an effort to learn basics of the language, even if I don't end up speaking it so well. I work with a number of Hungarians right now and they say the best way is to immerse myself in the language and swim with it.

Where are you from in Scotland? Do you go to the Caledonia (if that's not a cliche)? I loved BP so much when I was there last year I'm determined to at least make a try of living and working in a fantastic city.

Anyway, thanks for the help and hope to speak again soon,

Cheers,
Don.

Hi Don,

I'm one of those weird mixes, honorary Scott but originally Hungarian, have spoken HU my whole life but have never lived here, actually grew up in Oxford and Aberdeen. I also hang out in the Cale!! I am happy to help with Hungarian language learning too...

I have found that doing general stuff is better done in English except public administration... When I speak HU to shop staff they tend to be rude and fed up but if I speak English they want me out of the shop so do everything really quickly... It will help to learn the basics just avoid anything to do with public admin as best as you can..

The other issue with Budapest, the same as all other places with expats is that there are in fact 2 market one for the locals and one for expats, expats tend to pay more for rental...

And yes there is no one bank that will serve all of your needs, unless you pay for the priviledge, but that is the same almost everywhere.... see the post on Banking in Budapest.

If you have specific questions then post away..


Zabz


Other costs to consider, Monthly (BKV) public travel pass: 9800HUF