Retire in Hungary
To retire in Hungary from outside the EU without a job or family tie, you need €250,000 in a Hungarian real estate fund for a permit of up to 10 years. Pensions are not taxed.
What it takes, what it costs, and where retirees settle, from Hungary's law and official data. Checked on Oct 8, 2026.
- Retiree visa
- €250,000 (about $279,430) invested in units of a real estate fund registered by the Hungarian National Bank, held for at least 5 years (or a €1,000,000 donation to a Hungarian university). Act XC of 2023; Immigration Directorate. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Price level
- ~58% of the US Household consumption, 2025. World Bank. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
- Tax on a foreign pension
- 0% Pensions are not taxed. Personal Income Tax Act; PwC Tax Summaries; IRS. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
- Travel advisory
- Level 1 of 4 Exercise Normal Precautions. US State Department. Updated Apr 14, 2026.
- Health spending
- $1,420/person Per year; US $13,473. World Bank. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
- US tax treaty
- None No income tax treaty with the US. IRS. Checked Oct 7, 2026.
Do you qualify?
Since Hungary's aliens law was rewritten in 2024, there is no permit for retirees or people living on a pension or savings. The guest investor permit is the one route that needs neither a job, studies nor a family tie in Hungary: you buy at least €250,000 of units in a Hungarian real estate fund and hold them for 5 years, and the permit runs up to 10 years.
Guest Investor visa: documents and feesRetiring in Hungary, topic by topic
Visa
Guest Investor visa requirements
Documents, government fees and the other routes to residency.
Healthcare
Healthcare for retirees
The hospitals retirees use, what insurance covers, and Medicare abroad.
Money
Banking, pensions and tax
How US, UK and Canadian pensions reach a local bank, and what you report at home.
Budget
Cost of living
Official prices and a budget built from your own rent.
What it costs
Household prices in Hungary run at about 58% of US levels. Rent is the line nobody publishes officially, so the cost of living page builds your budget from your own rent.
Build your budgetOfficial poverty line, person living alone, per month, 2024 reference year
Hungarian Central Statistical Office. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Where retirees settle
Budapest
- Capital, 1,685,209 people (2025), 117 m above sea level
- Semmelweis University Clinical Centre
Pécs
- City in the south, 139,412 people (2025), 153 m above sea level
- University of Pécs Clinical Centre
Balatonfüred
- Resort town on Lake Balaton, 12,906 people (2025)
- Balatonfüred State Heart Hospital
Keszthely
- Town on Lake Balaton, 17,455 people (2025)
- Keszthely Hospital
Wikidata; Semmelweis University; PTE Clinical Centre; Balatonfüred Heart Hospital; Keszthely Hospital. Checked Oct 8, 2026.
Hungary compared
Visiting Hungary first
Most people spend a few weeks in Hungary before they apply for anything. Two things to sort out for that trip:
Kiwi.com
Flights to Hungary
Compare routes and dates before a scouting trip.
Airalo
eSIM for Hungary
Mobile data from the day you land, without a local SIM.
Partner links: we may earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you. How this works.
Retiring in Hungary: questions
Is Hungary safe for retirees?
The US State Department rates Hungary Level 1, exercise normal precautions.
Do I pay tax in Hungary on my pension?
No. Hungary exempts pensions from income tax, and its definition covers pensions paid from abroad: income a tax treaty treats as a pension and, without a treaty, the matching benefit paid by a foreign body. Other income, such as interest, dividends and rent, is taxed at 15%. With the US treaty no longer in effect, US citizens still file a US return.
Can Americans retire in Hungary?
Yes, but not on a retirement visa, which Hungary does not have. Without a job or family tie, the route is the guest investor permit: €250,000 in a Hungarian real estate fund held for 5 years, for a permit of up to 10 years.
Is Hungary a good place to retire?
Prices run at about 58% of US levels, pensions are not taxed, the UK State Pension is uprated there and US Social Security can be paid into a Hungarian bank. The catch is residence: without a job or family tie it takes a €250,000 fund investment.
Where do retirees live in Hungary?
In Budapest, in Pécs in the south, or on Lake Balaton in Balatonfüred or Keszthely, each with a hospital in town.
