Thinking of buying in Budapest? See why investors still rule the real estate market
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On Tuesday, listed real estate broker Duna House said investors accounted for 43 per cent of home purchases in the capital in April.
Current real estate market in Budapest
According to the latest data from Duna House, almost half of all sales concluded in Budapest in April 2025 were for investment purposes – a trend that could give new impetus to the structure and pricing of the capital’s market.
Based on Duna House data, 43% of home buyers in the capital purchased real estate for investment purposes in April 2025. This proportion has risen steadily since January, reaching a record high of 45% in March. Meanwhile, the number of sales declined both nationally and in Budapest, indicating that the Budapest market remains attractive to capital investors despite the decline in demand.
Dominance of financially strong buyers
Investors spent an average of HUF 74.8 million on the properties they purchased, significantly exceeding the average expenditure of first-time buyers at HUF 66.4 million (EUR 164,000). At the same time, prices continued to rise in the capital, especially in the inner districts, where the average price per square meter for brick apartments reached and, in some parts, even exceeded HUF 1.3 million.
“While in April last year, the majority of properties sold on the Pest side fell into the HUF 600,000-800,000/m² price range, this year apartments priced between HUF 1.2 and 1.4 million/m² dominate the market,” said Péter Szegő, PR and analysis expert at Duna House, pointing out how the predominance of investment purchases is also transforming the composition of supply.
The question for foreign buyers is would you own an apartment in Minsk or Moscow? Think of that as the looming future of Budapest if the present government is not evicted from office.