We Came to Budapest to See if it’s Still a Low-Cost Destination

I honestly think that our impression of Budapest was maybe ten years out of date. To me, Budapest was supposed to be the less expensive and more laid-back alternative to Prague. Both have lots of beauty and history on display but Budapest was the affordable option where we could relax ourselves and our budget.

So we planned our summer adventures accordingly. Prague received a brisk weeklong visit and Budapest got a full month. This was our chance to discover whether Budapest still is a low-cost option for experiencing Europe or if it’s just as expensive as everywhere else.

With the month at an end, it’s time for our usual round up of the highlights: what we did, what we ate, where we stayed, and, of course, how much it all costs. 

Budapest has a reputation for being a party destination and, based on the number of roaming bachelorette parties in matching outfits and bros enjoying a cheeky weekend, we’d have to agree. Since we normally go to bed at an unfashionably early hour, our entertainment was of a more tame nature. 

Our first priority was to make our way to the Buda side of the Danube, which is a treasure trove of historic buildings. Instead of taking the tourist funicular, we decided to walk up to Buda Castle and wind our way through the historic neighbourhoods to the Gothic-style Matthias Church and the Fisherman’s Bastion, all of which are the must-sees of the city. 

Although we had an early start on the day, by the time we arrived at the Bastion to soak in the views of the Pest side, we were fighting for camera space alongside all the other tourists. My best advice is to get to the Fisherman’s Bastion at 7am to enjoy the spectacular view all by yourself. 

My other crucial advice is to pop over to Ruszurm’s, the oldest cafe in Budapest, and get a restorative slice of cake (recommend their famous cream cake and a cup of Earl Grey).

We can also recommend a cruise on the Danube. We were worried that this activity would feel a little cheap and touristy, like a hop-on, hop-off bus. Instead it turned out to be one of the highlights of our stay, complete with a glass of prosecco and a lengthy stop to wander the green and peaceful Margaret Island. Excellent value at $16 USD.

Much of our other entertainment was centred right in our neighbourhood, which was the Jewish Quarter.

We had mixed feelings about being based in Budapest’s most notorious party district. On one hand, it provided easy access to important sights in Jewish history like the Dohany Street Synagogue. On the other, it’s Budapest’s most notorious party district — and the party usually trailed into the next morning. 

I did visit the Dohany Synagogue, which is the second largest in the world, and found it to be both beautiful and sad, given the impact of the Holocaust on Hungary’s large Jewish population. The entrance fee is sizable at $26.50 USD but there is a free tour available along with a museum and the synagogue is doing important work to restore the local Jewish cemetery.  

On a completely different note, we joined the day drinkers at Szimpla Kert, which is Budapest’s original and most famous ruin bar.

The environment was wild and creative and there was even a band playing, despite it being mid-afternoon on a weekday. The bar was most certainly charging tourist prices with a shot of palinka, the local spirit, going for almost $7.50 USD but it was a fun, memorable visit. 

Of course, we couldn’t leave Budapest without at least one visit to a historic bathhouse. We chose the Gellert Baths for its spectacular art nouveau interior and, sure enough, when we walked in it was like entering an opera house. We chose to spend a little extra and get a cabin for changing and storing our belongings ($30 USD). Technically these are designed for one person but certainly whole families might use them. 

I enjoyed exploring the lovely facilities and floating in the pools of various temperatures (hot to hotter to even hotter) but a couple hours of basting myself in mineral water was certainly enough.

With this combination of free and paid activities, our entertainment totaled $115 USD, which seemed quite reasonable. 

Equally reasonable were our transportation costs, primarily because we could walk most of the places we wanted to go. Our train ride from Bratislava to Budapest was just $30 USD for the two of us; we used public transit and occasionally took a cab. All of that added up to $65 USD.  

Other costs included my secondary form of entertainment: dining out. We sampled a few of the Hungarian classics — langos, chicken paprikash, dobos cake — but ultimately found that we enjoyed all the Middle Eastern options in our neighbourhood even more. Having a snack or a meal out every couple of days added up to $325 USD for the month, plus another $395 USD for groceries. 

Next up is our Airbnb and, to be honest, I’m not sure if we did the right thing or the wrong thing by paying a premium to stay right in the centre of the city.

We enjoyed walking distance to most of the places we wanted to visit but were less enamoured of the endless parade of tourists outside our building.  

The building itself was rundown, poorly maintained and likely hosted mostly Airbnbs versus long-term residents. Fortunately our apartment was newly renovated and very comfortable. Sure, the main view out the living room window was of the Foxtrott Gentleman’s Club (fortunately long abandoned) but otherwise it was a decently-equipped place to call home for the month.

The big question is whether it was worth the whopping $2,400 USD that we paid for a month. Shockingly, this is the highest amount we’ve paid anywhere in four years of travel.

As noted, we did come to Budapest thinking it would be a lower cost destination, ideally to help us balance out the amount we spent in Prague and Vienna. Clearly that wasn’t the case at all. Of course, we could have paid less if we stayed in a less nice apartment; or if we weren’t in such a prime location; or if we were here in the shoulder season; or if we weren’t traveling with dogs and had a full selection of Airbnbs to choose from. But here we are. 

I think this helps answer the question of whether Budapest is still a budget destination. If you’re coming here for a cheeky weekend and all you care about is the price of beer and street food, sure, maybe it can be a lower-cost alternative to Vienna and Prague. Otherwise, between the significant amount of tourism here and the past two years of inflation, Budapest isn’t really the place to come if you’re looking to save money. 

That said, we’re happy to have finally experienced this beautiful, exciting and somewhat gritty city.