Hungary’s minimum wage among the lowest, even after a more than 10% raise

Hungary introduced an 11% increase in its minimum wage in January 2026, bringing gross monthly pay to HUF 322,500 (around EUR 839) and net earnings to roughly HUF 214,600 (around EUR 559). While the rise is the largest recorded across the European Union this year, fresh data from Eurostat shows the country still lags behind most member states.

„Numerology” with minimum wages

Converted into euros, Hungary’s minimum wage now stands at around EUR 838, up from EUR 707 a year earlier. This improvement is partly due not only to the wage hike but also to a roughly 6.5% strengthening of the forint against the euro. Nevertheless, Hungary ranks as the fourth lowest in the EU, according to Népszava.

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Wide disparities across the European Union

Minimum wages vary significantly across Europe, according to the Eurostat summary. Bulgaria sits at the bottom with EUR 620 per month, followed by Romania (EUR 795) and Latvia (EUR 780). Several other countries, including Estonia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Malta, also remain below the EUR 1,000 threshold.

By contrast, neighbouring countries outperform Hungary: Croatia offers EUR 1,050, Poland EUR 1,139, and Slovenia as much as EUR 1,278. At the top of the scale, Luxembourg leads with EUR 2,704, followed by Ireland and Germany, where minimum wages exceed EUR 2,300. This creates a striking gap of up to EUR 2,000—a bit less than HUF 800,000—between the lowest and highest earners across the bloc.

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Cost of living narrows the real gap

However, the picture becomes more nuanced when adjusted for purchasing power. According to comparative analyses, differences shrink considerably when local price levels are taken into account. In real terms, the gap between the highest and lowest minimum wages is closer to 2.4 times rather than fourfold.