People are moving out of Budapest

People have begun to prefer the agglomeration of Budapest to the capital itself. The governments declarations that popularize building family houses and the skyrocketing housing prices in Budapest may play a significant role in this.

The rate of moving in the city and out to the agglomeration is turning upside down, according to Magyar Idők. Approximately 137,000 people moved from Budapest to the surrounding settlements between 2001 and 2011, according to the data of the Bureau of Statistics. The traffic was merely 37,000 people in the opposite direction. Recent data show that the population of Budapest and Pest County have changed at a very similar rate between 2011 and 2016: the capital’s population grew by 35,000 people, while the county’s population increased by 33,000.

“After nine years, more people moved out of Budapest than in. The halt of urbanization is due to the measures encouraging constructions and the greatly increasing housing prices per square meters in the capital”, chief analyst of OTP Ingatlanpont Dávid Valkó stated. The most popular destinations are the surrounding settlements with favorable accessibility like Érd, Szigetszentmiklós and Dunakeszi. Ócsa, Dabas, Pécel and Monor might also be a good choice due to their relatively cheap and developing public transport opportunities. Dávid Valkó highlighted that people may get a family house in Monor for about 490-650 euros. As he pointed out, the prices of used flats in Budapest have increased so greatly that they cost approximately the same as a new house in the agglomeration.

The decision whether to move in a flat or a house in a constant dilemma. Dávid Valkó states that most people choose based on their emotions, though the value for money should be a decisive factor. The upkeep of a flat might be cheaper and its future selling may be easier. On the other hand, buying a house provides an opportunity to expand, renovate and keep pets, while there is too little room for these in a flat. Agglomeration, however, makes transport a more critical issue.

ce: ZsK

Source: Magyar Idők