Here are the cheapest Budapest districts for renting an apartment

Photo: www.facebook.com/Rizsavi Tamás

A quick guide to the average fees and the best districts with the lowest prices.

Finding the perfect place to rent that is close to your job or university, modern and comfortable, and has a reasonable price is quite the job in itself. Especially if these prices have recently increased.

23 European Union countries saw a significant increase in terms of rent prices. Despite not producing the highest growth,

rent costs in Hungary experienced a huge jump during the past decade.

However, we have some good news. The only silver lining of coronavirus is the effect it had on apartments offered for rent.

The selection of properties on the market became wider, while prices decreased compared to last year.

Unfortunately, those who would like to live in Budapest for educational or occupational purposes still need to open their wallets wide.

As the coronavirus situation is still delicate and we can not know for sure whether a new wave will hit the country in autumn, property owners are being precautious when it comes to augmenting renting prices.

Masks could be back in autumn in Hungary?

According to data from ingatlan.com,

the average price of a Budapest apartment will be around HUF 140.000 (EUR 400) this September,

as opposed to HUF 150.000 (EUR 428) from last year.

The cheapest places of Budapest are in the X^th, XX^th, XXI^stand XXIII^rddistricts.

Here, the average renting fee was around HUF120.000 (EUR 342) in June. If you work in the city centre or go to university somewhere around Kálvin tér, Gellért tér or Nagyvárad tér, these districts might sound far-away. Especially the XXIII^rd, as it is closer to the Airport than to the inner areas of the capital. However, public transport can get you in there relatively fast, as there is the option of metro, trams or several bus lines.

The most expensive districts probably will not surprise anyone.

The II^nd and the V^th districts lead the list with HUF 180.000 (EUR 514).

The I^st, II^nd and XII^th districts lag behind a little, the average price for an apartment goes down to HUF 150.000 (EUR 428) there.

Prices depend on several factors. Based on experts’ opinions, eduline.hu writes that the number of tourists returning to Budapest and the bigger Hungarian cities will definitely affect how much we will need to pay. It is due to the fact that the more tourists come to the country, the more owners offer their places for rent as an Airbnb. If this happens, university students or anyone looking for new accommodation will have fewer choices, especially in the city centre.

How universities will teach starting from September is also an important factor. If they return to normality and presential classes, not only the number of Hungarian students will increase but also that of foreigners on Erasmus, for instance.

To anyone wishing to study in the Hungarian capital from this September, rentingo.com advises starting looking for your future place as soon as possible. The best-priced apartments in good conditions and close to universities will disappear from the market the fastest. It is important to consider details such as renting a room alone or a whole apartment with friends, a furnished or unfurnished place, etc.
When you have found your perfect place and are ready to sign your contract, pay attention to some details.

First of all, always sign a contract!

This way you can avoid many problems. Next, it is advised to make sure it is actually the owner offering his property for rent and not some sort of scam. When drawing up the details of the contract, make sure to write down what was already in the apartment, let it be furniture or kitchen appliances. Even taking pictures will not hurt anyone. Make sure to precise whether the contract is a fixed-term contract or a non-fixed term one. It is especially important for students when it comes to the current Covid situation. In case a fourth wave hits Hungary and the country has to close itself again, thus universities go back to distance learning, it might be a good idea to include this in the contract so that you do not get stuck in Budapest with an apartment to pay for until next summer.