Unbelievable prices: This is how much Hungarians’ favourite beach food costs now

One of the most popular beach foods is undoubtedly lángos, both among Hungarian and foreign tourists. Unfortunately, the price of it has skyrocketed in the past year. The cheese and cream lángos at the Dagály beach buffet costs HUF 2400 (EUR 6.47). That is 40 percent more expensive than this time a year ago. Of course, this does not come as a surprise: food prices in Hungary have risen by roughly the same amount in a single year.

Year after year, the Vakmajom Facebook page compares the Dagály’s lángos prices, especially the one with cheese and cream (because that’s the only one worth eating, Pénzcentrum adds). The prices rises between 2021 and 2022, and between 2022 and 2023 are staggering.

Here are the prices Vakmajom personally took pictures of in the past years:

As can be seen in the post, the price of one lángos with cheese and cream started at HUF 1100 (EUR 2.96) in 2020, that is, 3 years ago. Then, in 2021, the price had increased by 18 percent, to HUF 1300 (EUR 3.50). In 2022, it was already 31 percent more expensive than a year before, HUF 1700 (EUR 4.58). This year, the price increase is even more shocking: 41 percent, making the price of cheese&cream lángos HUF 2400 (EUR 6.46).

As this clearly shows, prices in beach bars are likely to continue to rise this summer, mainly due to rising raw material and energy costs and labour shortages, Pénzcentrum explains.

Oeconomus predicts that in 2023, the price of a plain lángos will be between HUF 900-1300 (EUR 2.42-3.50) on beaches.

Beach cafeteria operators cannot buy ingredients at official prices

At retail level, households can buy sugar, flour, cooking oil and milk at a fixed price (price capped prices). So, the average prices for these products have not changed significantly compared to April 2022. However, wholesale prices of these products have also increased considerably, which may also affect beach cafeteria operators.

Neither cheese nor sour cream is included in the price freeze. In fact, the latest figures show that the price of sour cream has risen by 75.3 percent and the price of cheese by 45.4 percent.