The economy is not good, but like in other countries the goverment "cook" the books/numbers to fit their interests.

If I were you I would consider other factors as well. When I moved here I got the feeling that most Hungarians really hate forigners but now I know that they really hate Humans. Like my Hungarian neighber told me when I asked him why they hate forigners so much.

Also take into considaration the birocracy. ex. A few months ago I got a letter from the district that there is some kind of problem with my residency and that I have 30 days to fix it or I can be prosecuted and fined.

I immidately went to the district office to find out what is wrong (I got the residency over a year ago). I got a number to that clerk and waited for about 2 hours. When it was my number I waited for another hour because it was his lunch brake. When it was finnaly my turn he asked to see my identity card. I handed over my Hungarian passport. That clerk almost cried, he looked at it trying to find a problem where there isn't one. After a few minutes he takes out my residency application and cross out with his pen my mothers name.Then asks me to write it again half an inch to the right because it wasn't written in the right place. I thought it was a joke so I loughed but he was serious. So I wrote my mothers name half an inch to the right and I made sure that it is in the "right" place. I can't believe that I wasted a day for this.

Take these things into consideration before you move. You don't want to find out you made a mistake before it is too late.

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I don't doubt that what you are saying has occurred. Hungarian bureaucracy is potethic. Which is sad because this country to thrive if they reduced the bureaucracy and the 27% VAT/Sales tax. I was only confused how you had a "problem" with your "residency" if you hold a Hungarian passport as that would mean that you are a Hungarian citizen but I guess that is not the case! Little confusing!

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As I understood it was suppose to be a problem with my lakcim-kartya. I translated it to a resident card.

When I gave my passport he was shocked because I guess he didn't know I was a citizen (I don't have Hungarian name) and he probably thought he could hassle me. But when he realized I was a citizen he looked for a way out and "invented" this stupid thing about my mother name. At least it won't happen again...I hope.

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LOL! Yes in Hungary there is no "universal" number like we have ssan.
Here they have a different numbers for different thing (which incidentally is not a bad thing when comes to identity theft).
So in Hungary along with your name, date of birth, address they want to know your "mother's name" to differentiate you from others with the same name I guess. This is kind of funny however because in Hungary until fairly recently most woman would carry their husband's name and attach the "-ne" part. I.e. David Smith's-ne. Indicating the wife of David Smith. So sad because it takes away from the INDIVIDUALITY of woman and Hungary has been in the dark ages in this respect. I think it changed in this last decade only but sadly you still see doctors, lawyers, high ranking cops etc., use it as if they didn't have a name. But this is the culture I guess. Hungary still can get past the "lakcim" or address card. A leftover from COMMUNISM. A convenient tool for the secret police etc., to find you at 2 AM and to claim that there is no "homelessness" as everyone has an address. Kind of funny but don't look for Hungarians to see it as FUNNY!The government yet to figure out that they could put ALL the pertainant information on ONE piece of paper. Give it another 10 to 20 years!

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The economy is not good - its not terrible either, I would say it was bearable.

Wages are low, my friend charges 2,500huf per hour to teach English and he thinks thats a good wage.

One of the strangest things is that a lot of things can cost more in Hungary than in the UK - like branded shampoos and perfums and crisps.

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PS.
Also without meaning to sound rude, I find your survey a little silly.
Police in the UK are not allowed to give you a lift home! I also have a feeling it is the same here. I have found the police here to be OK - just ok.
When it comes to mafia, Hungary is not nearly as bad as italy. There is small mafia problem here, but not too bad.
The laws have logic, but there is an awful lot of waiting in endless lines for paper work.
As for the economy it really depends what sector you work in - tourism is doing very well, other areas are doing real bad - so it is really hard to say.
Also civil unrest in Hungary - that is like the weather! One week it is terrible the next normal and happy.

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Hungary has the highest VAT/Sales tax. A whopping 27%! (Imagine the culture shock as my home state has a 6% sales tax). But surprisingly prices are cheaper on a lot of things compared to the US, not sure about G. Britain. As it is the custom in Europe the tax is included in the displayed price so you know what you are paying unlike the US where the shelf price does not include the tax but it is added on to the price at the register! If they started doing it here maybe the people would be more sensitive to this outrages 27%!

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There is something called in Hungary which is roughly called the unhealthy food tax which of course adds an additional costs on to thing like crisps

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I completely agree :)

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I mean we have so many different tax policies for example there is Junk food tax, which is taxes on certain salty and sugary packaged foods. This is to stem consumption and boost funding for public health services, so I think this is alright, as for the 27% I know there was a some Eurostat figures released which showed that despite the 27% tax "Hungary is the European Union’s cheapest member state when it comes to buying clothes" So that's a fun fact and it is the 4th cheapest EU country for food ^^

Sure its not great I don't like paying high taxes but nobody does but considering that I don't think food prices are outrageous well of course it will depend on what you are buying but generally we get used to it.

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I wouldn't necessarily consider it "great" just because Tesco and the Chinese bring in lot's of inferior cheap clothes in to Hungary!!! Second many countries including neighboring Romania which had a 24% VAT/Sales tax is reducing them even further. Hungary only managed to reduce the tax on pork. Yes a national meat source but also very unhealthy. As with anything the government does it really hasan't trickled down to the consumer. If you don't believe me check the prices and they are practically the same as they where a few months ago. Did it trick Hungarian customers? Apparently so because the pork consumption increased in January and the chicken decreased somewhat. The government in Hungary is quick to announce changes many of which never materialize and the one's that do are either not passed on to customers as a savings but past on to consumer as a cost like the "yellow check" transaction fees! Not very smart!

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Maybe you can explain this: Why did the government lowered the VAT on pork from 27% to 5% but left the VAT on beef and poultery on 27% ?

Does it mean that pork is healthier than poultery/beef?

I have no problem with high taxes on unhealthy things such as cigarettes or alchol but why is there a 27% tax on some of the most basic healthy food items? and I consider non-processed meat (not sausages or alike) a basic healthy food.

The only thing I can think about is that somebody in government is invested in the pork industry. But I could be wrong...

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The logic in Hungary is not really common sense. I think the VAT on pork has nothing to do with the health or no health....Most of the Hungarians eat pork only...even with higher VAT was cheaper than other meat. Hungarians generally do not buy red meat....not sure if it's a tradition or going back to the time when was a mad cow disease ... In many European countries since then the red meat is not popular. So people who are buying red meat are me and you and other emigrants.....so why we can't pay more for it??? Somebody has to support Hungarian economy.

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Ha, ha that is funny! I guess that is why "expats" are relatively "welcomed" in Hungary! As to beef, I think it is expensive because Hungarian beef whatever there is is shipped abrode
where it fetches a better price in euros!

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According to this: http://www.globalmeatnews.com/Industry-Markets/Hungary-s-poultry-industry-calls-for-equal-VAT-for-pork-poultry-meat

The cosumption of poultery is 32kg per capita annually and for pork only 28kg. So most of Hungarians consume more poultery than pork. At least that used to be before they lowered the VAT on pork...in my opinion there is big money in this....corruption!!!

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Well I'll not go over board with "welcome" as the average Hungarian is not very good business person. They are too emotional ...and lazy at the same time.But the government knew very well that the tourists and expats are bringing lots of money into the Hungarian economy. So the law is made for a max benefit.
Young Hungarians probably don't mind people from the other countries but the old/older one are jealous and they can't understand the whole situation/benefits.... As an example.....I have a bigger dog ( Komondor) which I save from the shelter...well many older Hungarians are spitting on the dog and looking strangely at me when I walk the dog, saying that lots of people don't have a food and I feed such a big dog.....
Maybe next time I should adopt some old Hungarian.......No way !!! I rather adopt 5 dogs! But this is the mentality here.

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With this I can understand when Romania dropped its VAT from 24% however, when the country has a 38.8% of debt to GDP ratio I think you can do that easily^^. Where as we have about 75% Dept to GDP ratio so its a slower processes.

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With this I can understand when Romania dropped its VAT from 24% however, when the country has a 38.8% of debt to GDP ratio I think you can do that easily^^. Where as we have about 75% Dept to GDP ratio so its a slower processes.

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Assuming you are correct, it is a sad thing! Why? Well Hungary under Soviet occupation has had a "chicken soup" communism. People could still start a small business working out of their basement or garage and I believe could have up to 6 employees. Something unheard of in many communist countries during the Cold War. Hungary was truly envied during those years. Romania on the other hand while it was not occupied had a crazy person at the helm for a very long time. Yet Hungary was unable to capitalize on this. Yes I know Romania is relatively rich in natural resources something Hungary is lacking but still......One of the first three that received NATO membership etc. Yet is seems it wasn't enough! Of course one could say that Hungary paid for the "bloodless" changeover by leaving communists in government, electing numb skulls like Gyurcsany and by desperately clinging to the "bureaucratic" system they lived under for so long! Indeed Hungarians have been their own worst enemy!......bar Trianon I guess!

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I think you really get what you want here. Yes VAT is high, but income tax is 15% flat only. Generally speaking there is no such thing as council tax in Hungary and where there is it is nominal.

RE bureaucracy e.g. I have just experienced excellence in client centered work of my local authority here when asked for some guidance on a complex case and the officer said she is unable to fully inform me but promised to talk to her boss and ring me back in less than a week time. I did not really expect this from her however for most of my surprise the phone rung yesterday and she gave me all the details promised. Made my day...
If you are an optimist you will be very happy here while any pessimists will find all the bad things here as everywhere.

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INDIVIDUAL work ethic is what you are really talking about! I was speaking institutionally! But I guess I maybe like them , who knows if I got 400 dollars pay and had two or three kids at home and had to work at a second job or even a third on occasion. Incidentally this site did not publish a comment about this topic because they considered it TOO POLITICAL! So I'm leaving this site!!!

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Having lived in Hungary many years ago I am somewhat familiar with why red meat is not popular in Hungary. I remember my mother saying on several occasion that eating beef is like chewing on shoe leather. The reason for it at the time was that farmers slaughtered their cows only when they stopped giving milk. By that time they were old and their meat was tough.
Perhaps Hungarians since learned how to raise cows for slaughter, but old habits die of slow death. During my many visits to Hungary I never once ordered a steak! However, Hungarian beef stew (gulyas) tastes great, primarily because it is cooked for hours!
Good appetite!

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Indeed! You in the ballpark. I would add that sending the "good" beef to another EU country will fetch mucho Euro and it is more profitable then selling it to the Hungarian public. So the government in a recent move decided to reduce the VAT/Sales tax on pork by 5%! Never mind that Hungary has a high cancer death rate. I guess that they figure that if they make the folks work until 65 and eat pork they won't have to pay much in a way of a pension (which is low anyway)! The government figured this out!

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I can't see the connection between unprocessed pork (not hot dogs etc) and cancer. They lowered the VAT on pork to 5% but I know they increased the tax on cigarettes significantly (don't now the number but since I am not a smoker I don't care). So, if they really wanted to "kill" people it would make sence to lower the tax on cigarettes, alchol, processed meat etc...much worse than pork. I think they lowered the tax on pork because someone in the government is invested in the pork industry and obviously lower pork prices are better for business.

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OK. Except that fact that pork is not all that healthy meat. According to the USDA meat list it is a meat that should be cooked the longest, should not be eaten half raw, prone to have parasites and worms, spoils relatively easy and is typically fat meat (but that depends what part you look at I guess). Bacon should be eaten as a "treat" as it is not so good for you. Now I'm not Jewish, Muslim or Seven Day Adventist but these folks won't eat pig. But I guess it is a personal choice and that's fine. Likely the high cancer death in Hungary can be contributed to late detection and less aggressive treatment.

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If you check what kind of hormons and antibiotics is used in the US (which is forbidden in the EU) on all kind of meats you will be amazed. Much worse than a few worms... also, GMO food is widely used in the US and forbidden in Hungary. The truth is that no one knows the effects of GMO foods, it's kind of a gamble but the USDA approved it. It's big money so who cares if in a few decades we will find it is causing all kind of health problems...as long as we get our money now it's approved.

Yes, they like money in Hungary but it is nothing compare to the US...on every Dollar it says "IN GOD WE TRUST" and every one knows that the real god is the Dollar. I mean look what happened in Flint, Michigen. They decided to take water from the Flint river to "save" money. Gave millions of dollars to build a pipe from the river and a new system. Just imagine who got all these contracts and all the money involved... anyway, we all know the outcome...I can't imagine somthing like this happening in Hungary or anywhere in Europe...because unlike in the US, they will take your money but up to a point...I mean they won't kill you for it...in flint people drunk lead and other metals but who cares as long as we make money. Yes, in Hungary it's all about money but in the US it's ALL and ONLY about the money.

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Alright, alright I see that I touched a nerve, LOL! Back home I often order from "Omaha Beef". Their meat is the best although not cheap. The flip side of what you think of European food is that for example they don't have to list the "ORIGIN" of the food. Many times it will just list who is "MARKETING" it. Like it is Marketed by Merkel Ghmb, Hamburg, GE. No mention that it is from Nicaragua, Ivory coast or China. So really you don't know what you get. TESCO is famous for selling crap. Many of their managers won't buy meat from their own store so go figure!

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Tomrock, you are only hitting the highlight. Not only are all animals in the US loaded with antibiotics and growth hormones but even the methods used to grow and slaughter the animals is so inhumane it boggles the mind. The GMO issue is pure Monsanto leverage. The actual crop yields are lower than natural seeds. Plus, if you keep back a portion of the harvest to seed next year's crop you have violated the patents subjecting yourself to millions in lawsuits. If you lve next to a farm with GMO crops and the seeds blow into your land the same patent infringement happens. Then you have the issue of pesticide use. Pesticides are by their nature neurotoxins which is similar to what is used to make sarin nerve gas. That cannot possibly be good to eat and it is on the inside not outside of the plant. No long term safety trials have ever been performed and the genes themselves are not stable and are now moving to dissimilar plants. That is another whole issue. The original GMO plants were based on the ability to resist RoundUp (glycophosphates licensed by Monsanto). Those genes have now spread to the very weeds that we were supposed to be killing so now they are also resistant. On top of that, glycophosphates have now been proven to be carcinogens. The whole industry is so screwed up now it is ridiculous. No foods grown in America (and now Ukraine a new vassal state of the US) are safe to eat.

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The religious taboos against pork (or any trafe foods) is based on ancient problems of trichinosis (roundworms). In modern farms it is extremely rare to find. In Europe samples from each lot are tested by tissue examination. I used to perform these tests in Europe and it is a good spot check. I have never seen any animals infected in Europe. Asia yes but not Europe. The animals get it by eating animal waste from other animals, a practice now forbidden since the outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopy (Mad cow or BSE). In Hungary all animals are far less fatty (than in the US) because of the lack of growth hormone and estrogen which is used in the US. There is also the Mangalitsa pig which is about 30% lower in cholesterol than normal pigs.

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Yes, there are some scammers out there. You can tell by the price and looking at the relative amount of fat. Cheap fatty beef is coming from the US and/or South America. Same for chickens. If it has a lot of fat on it then it was grown using US methods. Look at Hungarian chickens and they are very lean and tasty as well. Hungarian beef is actually very expensive and also very lean. I have gotten used to it and order it from our local butcher in bulk then cut it into steaks. No hormones or antibiotics. Interestingly, I go down to Aviano to shop at the US base commissary there and US beef is now more expensive there than here in Hungary. Go figure. I prefer the leaner meat now anyway.

The new danger is salmon coming from Pacific farms contaminated with radioactive pollution from Fukushima. I actually ordered a geiger counter to test fish before I buy it. I am that concerned about the failure for food inspectors to do their jobs.

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With that said average life expectancy"

Hungary 75 (F-79, M-71)

US 79 (F-81. M-76)

And I guess you can blame it on that expensive US health care! LOL!

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You have to be careful with statistics. Just 5 years ago it was age 56 for men in Hungary (78 for women). It was due to the health and living standards left over from the Soviet days and the heavy alcoholism problems in men. Within another 5 years Hungary will have "normalized" to be on par with the rest of Europe. At the same time in the US it is going down, and particularly in white, lower class men so these demographics are shifting quickly in the US which has some of the worst statistics for any westernized nation.

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Yes I get it but I must tell you I rather have a "heart attack" in a mid size city in the East coast than the south of Balaton Lake! I think my chances of survival is about 100% better considering the 40 minute ambulance ride to Kaposvar! LOL!

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