What struck you about Hungary?

Of course I have my own views, Hungarian people tend to respect old age, are friendly, welcoming, many other pluses (and also minuses). However rather then shooting questions it would be good if the starter of the thread would give some of own views. (after all you are getting paid and should know at least something about Hungary).

My first experience in HUngary is not at all like most others.
I spent 6 weeks in Hungary my first time in communist 1978 Hungary.
In 1986  I returned to another version of communist Hungary.
Needless to say I had my husband do his family visits alone a few times later on.
It tk my dog dying and the wall to fall for me to return .
Now I'm living here and like it most times.

Pluses minuses everywhere, loads of pluses here in Hungary, but starting to get expensive. I think I like to live here but my lifestyle is getting unaffordable (cigarettes, alcohol, restaurants (although not relevant right now), afraid of Orban being replaced and taxes for retirees as well as a "bonus".

Right now things are fine (apart from Corona).
The plus side of things is that Hungary is part of the EU and standard of living etc is improving (and good for me property prices as well). I have to see what I do, but longer term I fear for taxes (also pensioners) direct or indirect.
Alanya (Turkey) or Batumi (Georgia) preferred locations. Working/looking anti-cyclical . Also in the countries enough young people (health care and others).
I hope to die from a heart attack and not a years long cancer.

cdw057 wrote:

I think I like to live here but my lifestyle is getting unaffordable (cigarettes, alcohol, restaurants (although not relevant right now)

Go and live in the UK, you need a mortgage to buy a packet of cigs. €15 (5,478.43 Hungarian Forints) for a packet.

If you go to London, a pint of beer can cost you €7 (2,555.82 Hungarian Forints) Hungary is dead cheap compared to other countries. It's just a shame that wages are also shockingly low.

SimCityAT wrote:

cdw057 wrote:

I think I like to live here but my lifestyle is getting unaffordable (cigarettes, alcohol, restaurants (although not relevant right now)

Go and live in the UK, you need a mortgage to buy a packet of cigs. €15 (5,478.43 Hungarian Forints) for a packet.

If you go to London, a pint of beer can cost you €7 (2,555.82 Hungarian Forints) Hungary is dead cheap compared to other countries. It's just a shame that wages are also shockingly low.

Costs here are hidden.  It's a LOT more expensive here compared to wages as you say. 

My personal medications here cost 30K HUF a month which would be close to 1100 EUR a year and that's government pricing.   In the UK, being over 60 or certain conditions, they would be free.   If anything made me leave, it could well be healthcare related.

BTW, I was at the petrol station and a litre of 95 is about  425 HUF (1.27 EUR).  That's Euro normal prices but without Euro-normal salaries.

cdw057 wrote:

...
I hope to die from a heart attack and not a years long cancer.

I hope to live forever and in perfect health. 

Obviously we're not given the choice of where the grim reaper takes us.

Now I'm 60, the prospect of limited time is making me think about my own mortality and what I should spend my time on.

fluffy2560 wrote:

BTW, I was at the petrol station and a litre of 95 is about  425 HUF (1.27 EUR).  That's Euro normal prices but without Euro-normal salaries.

I had a disagreement with an American friend, how that prices have risen, yet they are a fraction of the price we pay in Europe. She still thinks they are hard done by.

SimCityAT wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

BTW, I was at the petrol station and a litre of 95 is about  425 HUF (1.27 EUR).  That's Euro normal prices but without Euro-normal salaries.

I had a disagreement with an American friend, how that prices have risen, yet they are a fraction of the price we pay in Europe. She still thinks they are hard done by.

Their problem is the high cost of healthcare.

Even a dump one bedroom flat in the US will run you over $1,000 a month.
You have to pay to be in the US medicare system after age 65, no choice unless you have some other sort of healthcare coverage.
To me Hungary is cheap with no real worries.
My 73 year old sister needed some dental work in Minn.
She went to the dental school and her church tossed in about $1,000 towards her dental work, still cst her over another $1,000 out of pocket at a school. She has nice teeth, think it was a root channel and a couple of crowns done only.
My crown popped off my back tooth just the other day.
I'm not even giving it a second thought about cost to either glue it back or make a new one.
In the US I'd be having a mini- heart attack as they cost a few thousnad bucks each.
We still live very frugal here overall.
Don't go without anything needed but also don't waste money.
I did that in  my youth.
Our son will be set for a bit if we keel over, unless uncle Orban or Sam get ahold of our savings.
Only thing I'm sorry about is not buying a nicer flat when we bought ours.
We paid cash on hand after living with no income in Hungary fr over 18 months.
Can't change the past though.
It's OK , fully paid off and has at least doubled in value over the years, at least until the bottom drops on real estate,nt wrried about that either. At least we didn't pay any rent for 12 or more years, broke even either way.
Petrol is high here but I remember a decade or so ago it cost even more then now.
When we bought our flat the dollar exchange was only 200 forints to the dollar, now the dollar isn't super strong either but better then it was when we bought this place.
I have given up on worrying about money within reason.
Someone will always be richer  and someone else will always be poorer.
Someone will be more talented or more pretty or whatever.
Doesn't matter as none of us can take it with us.
I don't expect to pass from any illness ever but I do think I will have an accident, stranger will kill me by their mistake.
My beloved sister was nearly killed when she was in her early 30's while walking in Hollywood with me and our children.
The 4 of us had a  nice lunch at a Thai place and were walking back to my sisters little VW bug.
We were on the public sidewalk and didn't notice workers above us on a scaffold. One guy dropped a heavy duty hammer from about 40 plus feet up.It grazed my sisters head , went right through her hair.
It would of killed her right then and there in front of us if she had walked even one bit faster or to the side by a few degrees. God, that jerk could of even killed on of our children. He got an ear full and my sister dared him to come down and get his hammer. He didn't dare say a word.
You could hear the echo of the hammer hitting the pavement.
I expect a similar fate but with it being a zero.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

...
The 4 of us had a  nice lunch at a Thai place and were walking back to my sisters little VW bug.
We were on the public sidewalk and didn't notice workers above us on a scaffold. One guy dropped a heavy duty hammer from about 40 plus feet up.It grazed my sisters head , went right through her hair.
It would of killed her right then and there in front of us if she had walked even one bit faster or to the side by a few degrees. God, that jerk could of even killed on of our children. He got an ear full and my sister dared him to come down and get his hammer. He didn't dare say a word.
You could hear the echo of the hammer hitting the pavement.
I expect a similar fate but with it being a zero.

Boy, she was lucky.

I was walking with Mrs Fluffy and one of the Fluffyettes was also walking and one was in a pushchair.  We were in a seaside town in the UK and it was a busy but narrow road.  A large articulated truck (US: semi) came past us and a large metal piece flew off and missed me by about 30cm.  It would have killed me stone dead.  It was like a lump of the truck roof that had been ripped off.  Must have weighed a good 2kg and the truck was doing at least 50km/h.  Truck didn't stop to see if we were OK.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

...
The 4 of us had a  nice lunch at a Thai place and were walking back to my sisters little VW bug.
We were on the public sidewalk and didn't notice workers above us on a scaffold. One guy dropped a heavy duty hammer from about 40 plus feet up.It grazed my sisters head , went right through her hair.
It would of killed her right then and there in front of us if she had walked even one bit faster or to the side by a few degrees. God, that jerk could of even killed on of our children. He got an ear full and my sister dared him to come down and get his hammer. He didn't dare say a word.
You could hear the echo of the hammer hitting the pavement.
I expect a similar fate but with it being a zero.

Boy, she was lucky.

I was walking with Mrs Fluffy and one of the Fluffyettes was also walking and one was in a pushchair.  We were in a seaside town in the UK and it was a busy but narrow road.  A large articulated truck (US: semi) came past us and a large metal piece flew off and missed me by about 30cm.  It would have killed me stone dead.  It was like a lump of the truck roof that had been ripped off.  Must have weighed a good 2kg and the truck was doing at least 50km/h.  Truck didn't stop to see if we were OK.

Wow, some of us have guardian angles working overtime!
In my sister's case I guess it just wasn't, "Hammer Time"!

What struck you about Hungary?

It was all new to me when  first visited in 2009. It really felt like Eastern Europe rather than the Western Europe I was more accustomed too.
I feel safe and comfortable spending time here and there are always nice people to socialise with. But I grew up in Whitechapel London so Im good at dodging bullets and avoiding vampires.

What were the things that surprised you the most after your arrival?
It has improved since those days but I will never get used to seeing guys openly urinate in the street . Its worse in the countryside with the prostitution and littering  issue.

Are there any practices that are particularly out of step with your culture of origin?
If so, what are they?
As above. And possibly the lack of customer service and abruptness of supermarket staff.

Did you get used to these and adopt some of these traditions or norms?

I was also really surprised how many huge shopping centres existed in Budapest and the outlying areas given the low population compared to the UK.
But I have got used to that now.
When shopping Hungarian families seem to walk towards you in a line, oblivious of other people,  but I automatically dodge out of the way these days.

Do you think you would take some of the customs of Hungary with you if you were to return to your home country or move to another country?

I love the spas, the forested countryside, the bigger gardens and the often larger city apartments.
It still feels like a less expensive place to visit or live to me. But I generally dont have expensive tastes and live within my means.
I have also met many interesting characters.

If I'm in Hungary too long I do miss the sea  so I would easily return full time to a coastal area.

cdw057 wrote:

However rather then shooting questions it would be good if the starter of the thread would give some of own views. (after all you are getting paid and should know at least something about Hungary).

These types of questions are posted by expat.com staff to simply generate discussion. The same question at many forums at this site :

Austria: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=925656

Netherlands: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=925691

Ireland: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=925679

etc.

Why are you being so critical and negative? The site seems to me, simply trying to generate some new and interesting discussion topics specifically to generate some long term resident feedback. 

Rather than critical review: Why not simply answer the questions as relevant to you?

Cheryl wrote:

When you first settled in Hungary, you might have been struck by cultural aspects of life in Hungary and you might even have anecdotes about your integration here.

20 years ago. So things have changed too much now to be probably relevant to today's expats.

Cheryl wrote:

What were the things that surprised you the most after your arrival?

20 years ago... how non-western European it was. Very simple and to my mind better. But that was of course a biased view. I was seeking simplicity. I am sure many Hungarians simply wanted a decent Fridge.... 

Cheryl wrote:

Are there any practices that are particularly out of step with your culture of origin? If so, what are they?

Again, "when you first settled in Hungary" it was gravitating toward the simplicity. That no longer exists.

Cheryl wrote:

Did you get used to these and adopt some of these traditions or norms?

"Traditions" are rapidly changing. Politics are playing more and more a role. As is in most of the world.  It is complicated.

anns wrote:

....
It has improved since those days but I will never get used to seeing guys openly urinate in the street . Its worse in the countryside with the prostitution and littering  issue.

Lack of public toilets and the problem of charging for them.   Whereas in London it's a public health issue for the benefit of all people, it's seen as some kind of paid for service here.  Why pay 100 HUF to use the facilities when you can wee in the bushes for nothing.

It's the same in other planes like Germany, especially on the motorways.  Paid for toilets with no-one in them and the  parking area bushes full of toilet paper, waste and smelly ground. 

anns wrote:

....
I was also really surprised how many huge shopping centres existed in Budapest and the outlying areas given the low population compared to the UK.
But I have got used to that now.

I was here when they built them all. I  was one of the first visitors to Tesco's first out of town hypermarket (Pólus).   If you look at the maps or satellite images, you can see these very large panel built blocks of apartments.  They built these large shopping centres to service those densely built dormitory areas.  None of them are in the centre.   

In one way it's interesting because Váci Ut is not like a traditional high street or main street that one can see in places in the UK or even in say Amsterdam or Frankfurt.   Wasted time in communism was responsible for the large dormitory areas and the lack of city centre development.    So they lost out there.

Now of course, it's all about cars - out of town shopping areas need vehicles to get to them and the road planning around shopping malls is just appalling.  There was also the concept of the local ABC copied more professionally as Tesco Extra or Lidl/Aldi/Penny Markt now.

You can see the poor urban planning on the airport road.  It's a ridiculous design - if there's an accident, you've had it.  There are too many bridges and a ridiculous mall right next to the airport road - been stuck there for hours. 

The lack of a metro extension out to T1 and T2 is not likely.   T1 is of course now defunct BUT I read recently there will be a T3.   Let's hope they put in a Metro 4 extension for all the terminals.  At the other end, I want them to build Metro 4 out towards where I live.  But no sign of that although it was planned to go as far as Budaors.  If they did get on with it,  I could get Metro 4 direct to the airport. It would be massively convenient. 

anns wrote:

....
If I'm in Hungary too long I do miss the sea  so I would easily return full time to a coastal area.

There's always Croatia - pre-pandemic it was driveable in about 4h.