Economy 22 January 2025, 9:05am

Gross wages north of HUF 750,000 in Budapest - How much can you earn in the countryside?

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Budapest has the highest earnings in Hungary, while Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county has the lowest. The national average net salary is HUF 421,000, but apart from the capital, only Győr-Moson-Sopron County offers higher salaries, while the other counties have lower net earnings.

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The average gross earnings of full-time workers stood at HUF 633,500 between January and September 2024. Average net earnings, excluding benefits, were HUF 421,300. But the vast majority of Hungarians took home much less than that. This is because there are huge regional differences in wages in Hungary.

While salaries are high in Budapest at national level, the northern and eastern regions lag behind.

In the capital city, the average gross wage was HUF 766,000 in the first three quarters of last year, according to the latest county-level data of the Central Statistical Office (KSH). This is more than HUF 130,000 higher than the national average. The average gross wage in Győr-Moson-Sopron was HUF 671,000, which is due to the county's development and its proximity to the Austrian border.

There is one county where wages are just a hair lower than the national average, and that is Komárom-Esztergom. Here the average gross wage was HUF 630,000 in the period under review.

In all the other counties, salaries are even lower. In Fejér (HUF 615,000), wages were above the HUF 600,000 gross threshold, while in Tolna the average was only HUF 590,000.

Meanwhile, there are three counties where the average gross salary is below HUF 500,000. The counties of Békés, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, and Nógrád had the lowest earnings in Hungary in Jan-Sept last year.

As mentioned above, the average net salary exceeds HUF 500,000 only in Budapest.

Meanwhile, in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg and Békés counties the average net wage it is just over HUF 300,000.

Both gross and net average earnings excluding benefits increased by 13.7% compared to the same period last year. However, earnings increased at different rates in different counties:

The fact that the minimum wage and the guaranteed wage minimum have been raised by 15% and 10% respectively has played a major role in the significant wage increases in lagging regions.