Why do German pensioners flood Hungary? – VIDEO

Germans have been moving to Hungary for quite a while now. Historically, there have been multiple bigger waves of Germans coming to live in our country. These days, the number of nationalities are much lower than in those historical times.

According to the Central Statistical Office, there are currently 22,310 German citizens living in Hungary. A report made by the Hungarian Deutsche Welle lets us take a peek into the lives of these Germans who are currently living in Hungary.

Why Hungary?

The most common scenario is the German retirees moving to Hungary to live out their pensions here. Since the cost of living is much lower here in Hungary, even with the exorbitant inflation lately, they prefer our country. They still come out in a more financially beneficial situation than if they stayed in Germany. Instead of the expensive German rent prices, they buy a house here. The Hungarian overhead cut is a fifth of what the Germans have to pay.

All in all, it sounds logical that the retired Germans would choose to stay in Hungary. The area around Lake Balaton is the most preferred by them, near one of the popular summer vacation spots those Germans still in the workforce like to visit in the summer.

There are other aspects that contribute to these migrating patterns. One of such is the political trajectory of the countries. Some Germans are against their country’s migration politics or the measures taken against the coronavirus and opt to move to a place more aligned to their political values. (Read more about the Hungarian migration policy HERE.)

The Hungarian crew of the Deutsche Welle interviewed some Germans who have been living in Hungary for quite a while now.