New data reveal significant rental price surge across Hungary over the past one year once again

New data once again reveal a significant surge in rental prices across Hungary over the past year. In June, rental prices for flats increased by 1.3 per cent nationwide and 1.4 per cent in Budapest compared to the previous month, while year-on-year rents rose by 7.3 per cent across the country and 6.7 per cent in the capital, according to the rental price index published by the Central Statistical Office (KSH) and ingatlan.com, and released on Monday to MTI.

New data reveal significant rental price surge

According to the KSH website, 93 per cent of the listings observed last month were for flats in multi-unit buildings, while the remainder advertised single-family houses. Of the nationwide listings, 43 per cent were from private individuals, compared to 42 per cent in Budapest.

In a statement from the property platform ingatlan.com, chief economic expert László Balogh noted that rental prices across the country rose 7.3 per cent year-on-year in June 2025, according to the rental index, while residential property prices surged by 14 per cent. The disparity was even more pronounced in Budapest, where rents increased by 6.7 per cent, whereas property prices jumped by 19 per cent.

Budapest’s treasures for sale: downtown state-owned buildings could quietly end up in private hands

Rental prices increase in Hungary — Renting an apartment in Budapest’s downtown is becoming increasingly expensive. Photo: depositphotos.com

Demand for rentals set to rise from Wednesday

According to ingatlan.com, by mid-July there were 16,500 rental property listings available to tenants—up from 14,300 a year earlier, representing a 15 per cent increase. This significant expansion in supply is limiting landlords’ ability to raise prices. Additionally, the middle of the rental season typically brings a surge in available listings, which could be even more pronounced this year.

Viktor Orbán announced: local governments will decide on your relocation!

Balogh also highlighted that during the first half of the year, investors shifting from government bonds to real estate were a driving force in the housing market. As a result, the number of rental listings could rise further by August, potentially easing upward pressure on rents in the medium term. These current rental market trends may benefit the nearly 130,000 university applicants—a 13-year record high—who are seeking accommodation this year.

Home Start programme could support ‘normalisation’ of rental rates, state secretary says

A subsidised credit scheme for first-time home buyers could boost the rate of owner-occupied residential property in Hungary, supporting the “normalisation or even reduction” of rental rates, state secretary Miklós Panyi said in a talk on the Home Start Programme posted on social media.

In the talk with Gergely Gulyás, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office, Panyi said the Home Start Programme could give people looking for investment real estate an incentive to put their money elsewhere, causing the market to “cool”.

The programme, set to launch on September 1, will offer all first-time home buyers, regardless of age or family status, a 3pc fixed-rate loan up to HUF 50m for the purchase of flats in multidwelling units up to HUF 100m and detached homes up to HUF 150m. The down payment for borrowers is set at 10pc.

Panyi said that ownership of real estate with a value under HUF 15m or of a part of a home, up to 50pc, would not exclude potential borrowers from the Home Start Programme.

Continue reading on the topic of real estate.

To read or share this article in Hungarian, click here: Helló Magyar