Moving to Budapest: a guide on how to save money!

Call me naïve but, before I moved to Budapest, I expected the cost of living there to be far cheaper than the UK, or at least Manchester. However, having lived here for almost a month now, I can say that this is not the full story. To reconcile my ignorance, and to help prospective students who are thinking of moving here (which you should!), below, I have provided a guide on some tips and tricks I have learnt to save money!

1. The various cards
   • ELTE student card:
     • Although public transport is famously cheap in Budapest, obtaining a student card makes this even cheaper. By using the BudapestGO app, and inputting your student number, the cost of a monthly pass is brought down to only £4. Giving you both total access to all public transport and the whole of Hungary (not just Budapest!) your money is made back almost instantly!
   • ESN student card
     • ESN stands for Erasmus Student Network, an organisation that you will soon learn is your best friend.
     • One excellent feature of this card is the reduced fare on Ryanair flights. Costing around £15 for the whole year, this gives you a 20% discount on all flights between your host city and home, as well as a free 20kg suitcase!
2. Walking
   • Budapest is a very walkable city! Despite public transport being affordable, if you are unable to obtain your student card (which is likely especially during the start of the year) you may find that these fares start to build up, before you know it, £20 has been spent. Walking is by far the best way to get to learn about and see Budapest plus, there is the bonus of staying active!
3. Shopping – bring essential items
   • A lesson I learnt the hard way is that being a Brit comes with many challenges. For example, not finding staple supermarket items such as breakfast tea or Robinsons’ squash. Instead, I found myself walking 13,000 steps, traipsing myself halfway across Budapest, just to visit ‘the British Store’. After spending 2700 HUF (around £6.00), I left the store feeling bitter sweet – I was finally reunited with Yorkshire tea but, in doing so, had taken out a mortgage. Perhaps you are someone who can live without these luxuries however, if, like me, you feel you may struggle, I would suggest bringing some over in your suitcase so to not be faced with a hefty, unavoidable, price tag!

Although these are not hard and fast rules, I hope they are of some use. Had I known about these facts before moving, I genuinely think my finances would be a bit better off. With that, I hope you have found this helpful, and good luck!