Shocking wage divide in Hungary widens: How much the country’s poorest workers earn

Recent data for the third quarter of 2025 show a huge wage divide across Hungary, with Budapest workers continuing to pull far ahead of their regional peers. According to figures analysed by Pénzcentrum, the capital’s average net monthly salary reached HUF 573,000, nearly HUF 100,000 above the national average of HUF 476,000. (At the time of writing this article, 1 euro costs 373 forints.)

The capital pulls ahead

Budapest’s outsized earnings indicate the “capital city effect,” where the high wages of the capital inflate the national average. Outside the capital, the picture is markedly less favourable, as Pénzcentrum illustrates in its report. Győr-Moson-Sopron, the second-highest paying county, still trails Budapest by HUF 77,000 with an average of HUF 496,201, making it the only other region above the national average. Other western and central counties, such as Komárom-Esztergom and Fejér, show solid industrial salaries, but the majority of Hungary’s counties lag well behind.

At the lower end, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg reported the country’s lowest net average, just HUF 357,587, followed by Békés (HUF 363,876) and Nógrád (HUF 371,740). This creates a yawning gap of around HUF 215,000 per month (more than 60%) between the highest- and lowest-paid regions.

Sectoral leaders

Top-paying sectors are concentrated in industrial and energy-intensive fields. The energy sector, including electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning, dominates several counties. Tolna County leads the national wage chart with an extraordinary net average of HUF 1.16 million, largely due to high-skilled roles at the Paks nuclear plant. Pest County and Budapest also feature in the top three, with averages around HUF 900,000.

Other sectors offering high remuneration include mining and quarrying, particularly in counties like Fejér, Baranya, and Hajdú-Bihar, where specialised engineering and management positions command HUF 700,000–880,000. The processing industry drives top wages in western counties, such as Győr-Moson-Sopron, Veszprém, and Vas, with net averages of HUF 630,000–780,000.

Lowest earners highlight regional inequality

At the other extreme, the lowest-paid jobs are overwhelmingly in public administration, education, and hospitality. In Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, civil servants earn just HUF 181,625 per month, highlighting the entrenched wage disadvantage in eastern and southern counties. Even Budapest’s lowest-paid sector (agriculture, forestry, and fishing) averages HUF 294,588, still far above the poorest counties.

The nationwide wage rise of 9.2% over the past year masks significant regional variation, with counties such as Baranya, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Tolna, and Hajdú-Bihar seeing increases above 10%, while Győr-Moson-Sopron and Nógrád remain below 8%.

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A divided workforce

Overall, the data show that Hungary’s wage landscape remains highly polarised. While high-skilled, industrial, and energy sector roles in the west and the capital prosper, lower-paid, often physical jobs in the east continue to struggle. The result is a persistent, structural wage gap that shows little sign of closing in the near term.