Prices at the Hungaroring: Outrageously expensive or the cheapest in Europe?

The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend of Formula 1 has begun with fans arriving from all over the globe, and along with them, a heat wave that is raging across the country. However, if attendees want to cool down with a drink during the races, they will have to dig deep into their pockets. Visitors from Hungary and abroad had their say on the prices at the Hungaroring. Some prefer to bring food from home, while others say the track is by far the cheapest in Europe.

Some may feel the weekend costs an arm and a leg

“Our reader encountered staggering prices at the Hungarian Grand Prix of Formula 1,” begins a recent article from Pénzcentrum, which takes a look at the prices of the Hungarian Grand Prix. Readers sent the news portal pictures of the situation at the race weekend’s venue, and indeed, as the portal writes, the event is not for those on a tight budget.

The photos show that 3.3 decilitres of beer costs HUF 1,650 (EUR 4,22), while half a litre costs HUF 1,950 (EUR 4,99). Those who do not drink are slightly better off, as a can of non-alcoholic lemon Gösser sells for HUF 1,250 (EUR 3.20).

To get some food with the refreshments, one will have to dig even deeper. At one of the vendors photographed, a sausage with bread costs HUF 5,500 (EUR 16 – as calculated by the vendors), a double patty burger is HUF 5,400 (EUR 16), and a chicken burger goes for HUF 5,200 (EUR 15). One serving of grilled chicken breast with bread and pickles is HUF 4,950 (also calculated by the vendor to be EUR 15). A portion of French fries costs HUF 1,900 (EUR 6), a slice of bread is HUF 400 (EUR 1.5), while a portion of sauce (ketchup, mayo, or mustard) is HUF 500 (EUR 1.5).

As Pénzcentrum points out, the conversion of the prices from HUF into EUR is also peculiar, as the exchange rate used by the vendor appears to be slightly different from the official rates. According to the paper’s calculations, the restaurant uses an exchange rate of around 350 forints.

At another booth at the Hungaroring, shown in a video by Blikk, the exchange rate is slightly different, with 1 euro costing approximately 375 forints. At that location, a bottle of water or a soft drink sets you back HUF 1,500 (EUR 4), while a beer is HUF 2,000 (EUR 5,5). A Magmum ice cream sells for HUF 2,000 (EUR 5,5), and if attendees would like a pick-me-up, they can buy an espresso for HUF 1,000 (EUR 3).

Blikk spoke to two vendors about their prices, asking if inflation had made it necessary to raise prices. Both vendors said that they had not raised prices this year. In the video, Blikk’s reporter also talked to some fans coming to the Grand Prix, asking their opinions on the prices at the Hungaroring. One Hungarian visitor laughed and said, “Ah, everything is very expensive! So I packed with me as many sandwiches as I could, and as much water as I could.”

Photo: Hungaroring / FB

Prices at the Hungaroring are not too high from a foreigner’s perspective

Tourists interviewed by Blikk, on the other hand, said that the prices at the Hungaroring are totally acceptable. One Englishman, for example, asserted that “Hungarian prices are very good, the best in Europe.” A group from the Netherlands told the magazine that they find the prices at the Hungarian Grand Prix nice and that food and drinks are “not that expensive.”

Two fans from Germany were on a similar opinion, saying “In general, compared to the other countries, it’s amazing. It’s pretty cheap. […] We looked at other grand prix prices and really, in comparison, [the Hungarian Grand Prix] was the most affordable with the things you get for the price.” Tourists from the Czech Republic thought the same, expressing their pleasant surprise at how inexpensive the Formula 1 weekend has been so far, and also how economical Budapest has been for them on the whole.

Not all Hungarian visitors were unhappy with the prices at the Hungaroring either, with one man telling Blikk that he did not think the food and drinks were outrageously expensive. If someone takes the trouble to come out for the weekend, the prices are suitable. Another Hungarian woman expressed a similar view, comparing the prices to nightclubs.

A third woman, also from Hungary, said the tickets for the weekend were also affordable, although she added that they were affordable “for some.”

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2 Comments

Face the FACT(s) ; says:

20/07/2024 at 12:42

Life is EXPENSIVE.
It doesn’t get CHEAPER.
NOTHING is GOING to get CHEAPER in Hungary.
Hungarians – we have HAD years of coming to terms with – to UNDERSTAND this FACT, not assisted but FEED into by the Orban led Fidesz Government, in our millions – playing the “pro-active” part of LEMMING’s role, that have SUPPORTED voted for the Orban – Fidesz Government.
Inflation – post NO capping – noticing PRICE increases ?
Orban, his Fidesz Government are POWERLESS to control the Hungarian Economy, in the categories that FALL under – come under, the NEEDS – the daily NEEDS of life, living in Hungary.
Vat – pressurization on the forint the Economy in a cataclysmic trend of DECLINE – Fact.
Hungarians we then have to live with EXPLOTATION of our “own” DNA – there Greed & Selfishness.
Ugly, and it contributes to the on-going COLLAPSE – right across the board of life in Hungary.
We are a 21st century version of a Vesuvius – the happenings in 79AD in Pompeii, Italy, that the BIG cataclysmic BLOW builds and it’s FORCE, the ramifications of it’s POWER – the after effects on Hungary, the nadir of our DECLINE as a country is IMMINENT.
Freedomofspeech says:

22/07/2024 at 09:07

Is it just me or do other commenters tire of this pessimistic person posting essays interspersed with CAPs bad-mouthing everything Hungarian and hiding behind ever-changing aliases?
Try a little optimism or take a power.