Supermarket prices in Hungary

True, it feels like they nearly doubled in a year. I started price hunting and shopping at farmers markets instead of big box chains.

We went to a number of supermarkets yesterday and today and I was quite surprised how much the prices have changed over the last 8 months and also how much more expensive items are compared to Portugal (same supermarket). Do your feel that prices have gone up a lot? Are there specific items that increased much more than others?
-@nz7521137

Things have really gone up. Far more than the Eurozone.

It makes no sense other than HUF dropping and Eurozone inflation far less than HUF (Eurozone: 15%, HU: 25%).  So much for being pally with Putin.

Off the cuff, it's butter that's really gone up. Perhaps 2x the price 1 to 2 years ago.

It's probably cheaper to go to Aldi (aka Hofer) in Austria than here.

I started to buy more seasonable veggies and fruits, they are cheaper than import stuff, you find more often 30% discounted meat nowadays in several ALDIs, which makes it competitive to the old prices I was able to get a lot of Salmon for 4600 HUF / kg which is an amazing price... I reduced use of bread and butter, instead eat more rice... In any way it is really 25% here in Hungary, compared to less % in most of Europe, but there is one country with higher %, I forgot, which one.

I did not live in other countries for very long time since 3 years i was not able to see the difference, people and media talk about that so that is what I could confirm. Have a nice weekend.

@fluffy2560 In Hungary mum gets lunch delivered every day and the price is very reasonable. Also she has neighbours that always bring stuff from the garden, which we can also enjoy while here. Out f the city I think that everybody has a veggie garden.

However, supermarket prices have gone up a lot. Maybe only place worse is the UK (I read/hear).

I think that a small household like ours doesn't notice inflation so much, but a household of 4 or 5 will really feel the price difference. We don't go out much (neither in Györ nor in Portugal). Going out can drive cost of living sky high.

Hungary's prices are still relatively low, but we switch between the countries. We had our car breaks done in Hungary, which was half the price Austria was charging. We did give €25 tip.

I tend to eat out for lunch a lot because we have a lot of wine taverns in my town and they offer set 2 course meals at a good price and also good potions so will only have a light bite in the evening.

Hungary's prices are still relatively low, but we switch between the countries. We had our car brakes done in Hungary, which was half the price Austria was charging. We did give €25 tip.
I tend to eat out for lunch a lot because we have a lot of wine taverns in my town and they offer set 2 course meals at a good price and also good potions so will only have a light bite in the evening.
-@SimCityAT

All those service type industries are cheaper as wages are much lower in HU.  They are increasing.  And of course if you open your mouth and show you're a foreigner, it's 50% more immediately.

@fluffy2560 In Hungary mum gets lunch delivered every day and the price is very reasonable. Also she has neighbours that always bring stuff from the garden, which we can also enjoy while here. Out f the city I think that everybody has a veggie garden.
However, supermarket prices have gone up a lot. Maybe only place worse is the UK (I read/hear).

I think that a small household like ours doesn't notice inflation so much, but a household of 4 or 5 will really feel the price difference. We don't go out much (neither in Györ nor in Portugal). Going out can drive cost of living sky high.
-@nz7521137

My MIL is getting the same.  She's incapable now of doing any gardening which is a shame as she has a large garden with fruit and nut trees and land for growing stuff.

We're a family of 4 (6 if we count the cat and dog) and it's very noticeable.  We rarely go out.   I am at home 70% of the time at the moment so I usually make lunch so no need to go out.

We notice inflation on public transport tickets, air tickets,  car insurances, food, materials (like building materials especially). 

Everyone has started to look at cutting back

There are stories in the UK of people having their Internet service disconnected to save money.  That's quite shocking to me.  Being online is a necessity these days. Like electricity, gas and water.  It'll screw any e-services agenda government might have.

@fluffy2560 The old folks don't seem to need much to be happy, it seems. Good on them. And they rarely complain about the food they get for lunch (enough for dinner as well).

My wife needed a dental crown early 2023. The price in Györ was less than half than what was offered in Portugal. In Portugal that must be considered luxuary for expats and other rich people. Other friends also flew to Budapest for larger dental work.

Food costs for a family of 6 can be steep. A larger dog eats as much as a human (unless only dry stuff). So, X fingers that it doesn't continue like this.

We consider ourselves very lucky in Portugal, but where you live is very good as well. We have friends living in Telki and they like it as well. I also like Pilisvörösvar, where other friends live.

Hungary's prices are still relatively low, but we switch between the countries. We had our car breaks done in Hungary, which was half the price Austria was charging. We did give €25 tip.
I tend to eat out for lunch a lot because we have a lot of wine taverns in my town and they offer set 2 course meals at a good price and also good potions so will only have a light bite in the evening.
-@SimCityAT

We like to cook our own stuff. But many Portuguese like to have a full lunch and many restaurants offer a "prato do dia" at a very reasonable price (usually about 10 EUR with 1 drink and 1 coffee).

Hungary's prices are still relatively low, but we switch between the countries. We had our car breaks done in Hungary, which was half the price Austria was charging. We did give €25 tip.
I tend to eat out for lunch a lot because we have a lot of wine taverns in my town and they offer set 2 course meals at a good price and also good potions so will only have a light bite in the evening.
-@SimCityAT
We like to cook our own stuff. But many Portuguese like to have a full lunch and many restaurants offer a "prato do dia" at a very reasonable price (usually about 10 EUR with 1 drink and 1 coffee).
-@nz7521137

About the same here,

Soup, half a chicken with salad, a glass of wine = €10

@fluffy2560 The old folks don't seem to need much to be happy, it seems. Good on them. And they rarely complain about the food they get for lunch (enough for dinner as well).
My wife needed a dental crown early 2023. The price in Györ was less than half than what was offered in Portugal. In Portugal that must be considered luxuary for expats and other rich people. Other friends also flew to Budapest for larger dental work.

Food costs for a family of 6 can be steep. A larger dog eats as much as a human (unless only dry stuff). So, X fingers that it doesn't continue like this.

We consider ourselves very lucky in Portugal, but where you live is very good as well. We have friends living in Telki and they like it as well. I also like Pilisvörösvar, where other friends live.
-@nz7521137

The centre of dentistry is moving East.  About 5 years ago it was shifting to Romania and Bulgaria and by now it's reached Turkey.  Same for the loci for plastic surgery.

Those villages you mention are not far away from here.  People use Telki as a cheaper Budakeszi like Biatorbagy is a cheaper version of Torokbalint.  Mrs F has relatives in Pilis.  None of them have railway stations.  At least here we have Budapest buses. Torokbalint also has them but the others don't. It's an important feature.

I did complain about the dog being another mouth to feed 4 or 5 years ago but they are all driven by how cute she was (then a puppy).  She's turned into my dog because I'm the only one who reliably takes her for a walk. They all tolerate her but don't do enough in my mind. I can see how people get attached to their pets.  Oh and no state healthcare for animals so that's yet another expense.  The cat gets by on mice (probably) but definitely birds.

@fluffy2560 For us a flight to BUD or VIE is already over 3:30 hours, which is a long way. So dentist is only interesting because it can be combined with a vitit to MIL.

Our neighbour friend has 2 big dogs and he told us how much dog food costs. I think he is spending more on the dogs than on himself for food. There is health insurance for pets. No idea whether this is worth it, but my friend in the UK says YES.

Are you planning to stay in Hungary for good? Of do you feel that you should get to the mothership (UK) one day. I don't want to live in Germany anymore.

I am impressed in how many places you have lived. I assume that was at least for a year each location. We only lived in 8 countries and never in the Americas or Asia.

@fluffy2560 For us a flight to BUD or VIE is already over 3:30 hours, which is a long way. So dentist is only interesting because it can be combined with a vitit to MIL.
Our neighbour friend has 2 big dogs and he told us how much dog food costs. I think he is spending more on the dogs than on himself for food. There is health insurance for pets. No idea whether this is worth it, but my friend in the UK says YES.

Are you planning to stay in Hungary for good? Of do you feel that you should get to the mothership (UK) one day. I don't want to live in Germany anymore.

I am impressed in how many places you have lived. I assume that was at least for a year each location. We only lived in 8 countries and never in the Americas or Asia.
-@nz7521137

Dog food goes up and down like petrol/diesel prices.  I've just been to Tesco and bought 20 x very large tins of dog food. It's 409 HUF/tin with Clubcard.  That's cheap. Normal prices is 699 HUF a tin. A large dog like a Goldie will eat 1 x tin a day.  It's also usually under 500 HUF at Auchan.

If your dog or cat is over 7 years old, it's difficult to get insurance. It is worth it in the UK but here, I don't think it's worth it. Vets are not that expensive.  And if it's too much, it's curtains for Fido/Fluffy/whatever.

I've had a whole bunch of different work trips in different places - some long and some short.  It might seem a lot but I'm 62 and I've been doing what I do for 30+ years so it's not surprising I'd have been doing my stuff in a few places.   I don't normally pay for holidays. I try and combine work trips with tourism.  Mrs Fluffy always used to come with me but since we had the kids, we've had to just try and get by.  As they've got older, it's been far less of a problem.   I've never lived in the Americas but I've done stuff in the Caribbean. Mainly it's Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa and the Far East.

Yesterday we picked up some brackets to put up a mirror.

We wanted sturdy ones made from metal because of the weight of the mirror.

In the past we used plastic barckets but want to make sure the mirror dosen't come down using plastic.

They were only 4 in a pack and cost 2,500.

I looked at a pack of triple A batteries,forget the price but I know I was thinking I'd pay that much in the states.

Checked out new knobs for a cabinet, the ugliest cheapest ones were 649 each.

They are nickle and diming everywhere.

Food prices are higher but we usually go to the farmers market.

Some vendors are tippin' and asking as much as a big store, we avoid those day dreamers.

We purchase punpkin oil, I like to take a tlbs per day of it.

Used to be 2,500 a bottle at Aldi, now it's 4,500.

Alcohol is still reasonable, figures now that I barely drink.

We don't really eat much, I can't eat more then one egg at a time for breakfast and one slice of toast with a ton of side veggies.

We buy avacados mostly lately from Lidl, they are around 1,500 for 6 small ones.

I only use butter or olive oil and coconut oils these days. Sometimes lard but try to keep away from sunfloer oils.

Those are up in price.

We eat only 2 times per day, breakfast and an early dinner.

I am not hungry much and my husband doesn't want to gain weight.

We check out sales advertized in the papers or online but often change our minds once we see what's up.

Lately we can't leave any shop, Aldi, Lidl or Tesco without spending at least 10,000 at a time.

I'd say we spend over 35,000 per week and I swear we don't over buy or purchase snacks like chips or cookies.

No idea what we are spending that much on since we always cook at home and think we are buying healthy but budget minded items.

The price of household cleaning products and papers products is out of control for what you get.

Yesterday I picked up an order of suppliments, only ordered about half my usual. Over 20,000 just in the one shop.

As far as dentists go, they are still reasonable here.

My friend in AZ needs a new crown, her dentist broke it while giving her a new crown on another tooth! She has to wait until Jan. for her insurance to cover the cost! $ 1,000 deductible per year!

I'm rather glad I no longer own a dog.

Mine passed in 1999 and he was getting a bit pricey his last few years with vet fees.

Feeding him wasn't an issue then but now on a budget he would be eating us out of house and home with these current prices.

I know I used to feed him home made dog food at times. That would be super expensive now with adding all the vitamins I used to put in plus sea weed and his chicken livers and beef hearts with brown rice and stock. Carrots and cabbage, good thing he was a Hawaiian outside dog during that time becuase Al Gore would be having a heart attack with all his gas emissions!

Nura-Max then Science Diet was my go to for feeding a 108lb dog. He ate as much as another human by body weight.

@fluffy2560 Funny, I am also 62 years old, but I - kind of - retired in 2015. We have no kids and no pets, so life is easy. I think is is hard to be employed when you know that you actually don't have to work. My wife was born in Hungary, but has an Austrian passport. So if push comes to shove I guess we might end up in Vienna one day.

@fluffy2560 Funny, I am also 62 years old, but I - kind of - retired in 2015. We have no kids and no pets, so life is easy. I think is is hard to be employed when you know that you actually don't have to work. My wife was born in Hungary, but has an Austrian passport. So if push comes to shove I guess we might end up in Vienna one day.
-@nz7521137

Oh no, don't live in Vienna, live out in the countryside. You get the best of both worlds. Close to nature and near to Vienna for concerts and the airport. Plus Vienna is getting expensive to rent or buy.

I am lucky my town is on a main train line and I can be in Vienna within an hour. A lot sooner if I drive.

@SimCityAT I will look into that. I lived in the 16th and the 19th for all together 10 years. Maybe your side of Vienna is still beautiful, but the north and the east are not great.

@Marilyn Tassy We have lots of Chinese shops and the products are very good value for money. Small technical items I buy on Aliexpress and they are also very good so far.

I see that vegetables are very expensive in Hungary. Carrots are twice the price compared to Hungary. Every food item seems to be little to much more expensive. Strange. The sad thing is that it will all get worse. Fruit is stored in huge warehouses at 1C. Imagine what high energy prices will do to the product prices.

@fluffy2560 Funny, I am also 62 years old, but I - kind of - retired in 2015. We have no kids and no pets, so life is easy. I think is is hard to be employed when you know that you actually don't have to work. My wife was born in Hungary, but has an Austrian passport. So if push comes to shove I guess we might end up in Vienna one day.
-@nz7521137

I know lots of people who are retired, don't have to work but keep their hands in. 

If it gets too much hassle, they can drop it knowing they can just go home to their pensions. 

@SimCityAT I will look into that. I lived in the 16th and the 19th for all together 10 years. Maybe your side of Vienna is still beautiful, but the north and the east are not great.
-@nz7521137

I agree, better to live outside of Vienna, not in the middle. It's a similar situation here. We live right on the edge of Budapest city limits, about 200m as the crow flies. So we get the countryside/burbs benefits but in 20 minutes by bus we can be at Moscow Square (I'm not changing it's name, it was Moscow Square when I came so it will always be). We cannot see Budapest from here as the hills block the view. It helps deflect city noise too (I suppose).

This thread has turned into "Absolutely Anything Else".   We should all go over there really.

@SimCityAT I will look into that. I lived in the 16th and the 19th for all together 10 years. Maybe your side of Vienna is still beautiful, but the north and the east are not great.
-@nz7521137

I agree, better to live outside of Vienna, not in the middle. It's a similar situation here. We live right on the edge of Budapest city limits, about 200m as the crow flies. So we get the countryside/burbs benefits but in 20 minutes by bus we can be at Moscow Square (I'm not changing it's name, it was Moscow Square when I came so it will always be). We cannot see Budapest from here as the hills block the view. It helps deflect city noise too (I suppose).
-@fluffy2560

And our public transport is very good and cheap. We have a year train ticket its costs something like €900 but it means you can travel on any train journey at no extra cost. So you basically travel the whole of Austria with just that one ticket.

Even the yearly Vienna public transport ticket costs €353. Only worthwhile if you live in the city.

@SimCityAT I will look into that. I lived in the 16th and the 19th for all together 10 years. Maybe your side of Vienna is still beautiful, but the north and the east are not great.
-@nz7521137

I agree, better to live outside of Vienna, not in the middle. It's a similar situation here. We live right on the edge of Budapest city limits, about 200m as the crow flies. So we get the countryside/burbs benefits but in 20 minutes by bus we can be at Moscow Square (I'm not changing it's name, it was Moscow Square when I came so it will always be). We cannot see Budapest from here as the hills block the view. It helps deflect city noise too (I suppose).
-@fluffy2560

And our public transport is very good and cheap. We have a year train ticket its costs something like €900 but it means you can travel on any train journey at no extra cost. So you basically travel the whole of Austria with just that one ticket.

Even the yearly Vienna public transport ticket costs €353. Only worthwhile if you live in the city.
-@SimCityAT

Mein Gott that seems crazy expensive.

The Germans had that 9 EUR ticket recently. 

I think their new one is 49 EUR a month.  I would have thought 25 to 30 EUR a month here would be about right.

I am not entirely sure but I think pensioners travel for free on trains in HU.

Over retirement age in the UK and free bus pass. Certainly worth having in London.

Free transport over retirement age in Budapest BUT supposedly only applies to EU citizens or those with permits under international agreement (i.e. Article 50 maybe)..

Another Brexit benefit.

@SimCityAT I will look into that. I lived in the 16th and the 19th for all together 10 years. Maybe your side of Vienna is still beautiful, but the north and the east are not great.
-@nz7521137

I agree, better to live outside of Vienna, not in the middle. It's a similar situation here. We live right on the edge of Budapest city limits, about 200m as the crow flies. So we get the countryside/burbs benefits but in 20 minutes by bus we can be at Moscow Square (I'm not changing it's name, it was Moscow Square when I came so it will always be). We cannot see Budapest from here as the hills block the view. It helps deflect city noise too (I suppose).
-@fluffy2560

And our public transport is very good and cheap. We have a year train ticket its costs something like €900 but it means you can travel on any train journey at no extra cost. So you basically travel the whole of Austria with just that one ticket.

Even the yearly Vienna public transport ticket costs €353. Only worthwhile if you live in the city.
-@SimCityAT

Mein Gott that seems crazy expensive.

The Germans had that 9 EUR ticket recently.

I think their new one is 49 EUR a month. I would have thought 25 to 30 EUR a month here would be about right.

I am not entirely sure but I think pensioners travel for free on trains in HU.

Over retirement age in the UK and free bus pass. Certainly worth having in London.

Free transport over retirement age in Budapest BUT supposedly only applies to EU citizens or those with permits under international agreement (i.e. Article 50 maybe)..

Another Brexit benefit.
-@fluffy2560

This is for the whole of Austria

https://www.klimaticket.at

Thre are local region tickets

We do have the rail card tho that costs €66 which gives us 50% off travel.

Looking at monthly expenses in Hungary it is not bad at all (assuming own house), electricty, gas, local taxes, public transport, very, very fine. Of course normal products are increasing (quite a bit), but bottom line with the fixed fees, things seem to be very fine in Hungary.

Looking at normal (?) people in Western Europe (mortgage, energy, local taxes, garbage disposal, ...) Conclusion is that Hungary is not too bad (OK for a couple without alcohol and cigarettes it might be EUR 400/500 pm), but the rest is lets say cost-effective.

As some will know, we currently live in Turkey (pluses and minuses) and from a cost perspective it is ridiciously cheap, we live in the center and go to restaurants as much as we can (EUR 20 for 2 (starter and main and a soft drink is not too bad (and quality is good))

Still HU is part of EU and Turkey is not (worries on how things will go). In HU there is also national tendencies, but I can tell you in TR as well.

Still like in Hungary in Turkey walking on the street is safe (very safe), unlike Netherlands or UK.

Perhaps we will return, luxury life for little money, but living in a complex where people complaining about maintenance fees (EUR 25 pm) and want to save on this or that, it is sickening, peole can buy an appartment for EUR 50 K (MINIMUM) and complain on a few EUR (good maintenance is important).

In a way I miss own house with own decisions.

Chaotic I understand (and as usual)

Not directly relevant, still monthly budget here (You and Me know about Hungary)

-Electricity (EUR 13)

-Water (EUR 1) (Turkey has Caucasus)

-Water is apparently not safe for drinking so we buy bottled water (EUR 20 pm)

-Gas 2 bottles per year (I think EUR 20 per bottle including tip)

-Cigarettes (I smoke 3 packages per day), EUR 1.70 per package, EUR 160 pm

-Alcohol (expensive in Turkey), lets say half a liter whiskey (Jameson) per day EUR 500 pm

-Restaurants, we try to go 4x pw, depending where to go (Western/Local), can vary between (for 2 (without alcohol)) EUR 20 and EUR 60 (latter for Chateau Briand and starters) I would say EUR 600 pm

-Normal shopping (bread, vegs, fruit, cola (mix with the whisky), chips, ....) EUR 300 pm

-Market (my wife likes to go and haggle), garlic, onions, strawberries, bananas, sharp peppers, apples, oranges, .... EUR 60 pm (maximum), side note in Hungary products on market are more expensive than supermarket, in Turkey it is the reverse.

-Meat (largely lamb) and eggs as well as sauces with butcher (EUR 12 for a kg) EUR 70 pm

-Repairs/maintenance, EUR 20 pm (carpet cleaning, divan, isolation, ....)

-Internet 100 mb (EUR 12 pm)

-Telephones (two for me and my wife), EUR 20 pm

-Depreciation on TV, computer, furniture, ... I would say EUR 100 pm

-Local taxes (garbage, maintenance on streets, ...(WELL DONE) EUR 7 pm (too low, but ..)

-Maintenenance fees of building (inclusive of Concierge and management company) EUR 20 pm (should be at least 3 x higher, but another matter)

-Netflix/Audible (EUR 20 pm)

-We do nost have a car anymore (even if I have difficulties in walking EVERYTHING within 500m (most 200M)) (How people drive in Turkey (I am scared))

-Public transport (for my wife) EUR 10 pm maximum (side note VERY good, better as in Hungary)

-Tips for bureacracy support (changing driving license, residency permit, pushing people, ..)  EUR 30 pm maximum

-Some others I forgot... EUR 200 pm (but too high I think)

I hope the above gave a bit of insight in Turkey, in some things Hungary are not expensive at all (energy is more expensive, but still very, very cheap, shopping is expensive (sad), local taxes in Hungary are ridicious low (same situation in Turkey).

DIFFERENCES

-Smoking (cheap)

-Restaurants (although it is fine), but more restaurants here, 10 good restaurants at least within 500m

-Mindset, in Turkey people are VERY friendly, but things are in common (NOT in time). In Hungary we had a gardener who knows a lot of people, but he knows when dealing with Christof be on time (good tip, good ,.), He did and he was paid for this. In Turkey we asked for things, but delay here, delay there, ..., still very friendly and good (difficult).

This thread has turned into "Absolutely Anything Else".  We should all go over there really.
-@fluffy2560

It is still quite a bit about the cost of living, but I am happy to move.

@cdw057 Interesting. Maybe you should stop drinking alcohol and smoking. The latter is much easier, I think. I quit from one day to the other over 25 years ago and am very happy with that decision. Alcohol I didn't try yet. Who wants to live forever.

TR is really cheap, if one is living off non-TR income. Like Portugal. I am not sure whether the EU will last. D is going down fast now that they have been sacrificed in the war against Russia. Cheap energy gone means the end of the German Chemical industry and all industry that is energy intensive. The plan to get out of hydrocarbons means no long term commitment to other gas imports (= buying on spot market = very expensive LNG). All very sad.

BTW. Did you know that you can tune the Numbeo cost of living calculator to quite exactly reflect your own cost of living in the location you are in? Based on this basket of goods and services Numbeo can then calculate the cost of living elsewhere.

Holy cow!! 500 Euros a month on cigs?

I remember when they cost 35 cents a pack in Ca. When they went up to 50cents I quit. ( i was in my teens) Once I found out I was to be a mom at age 20 I quit for good.

I probably never touched a drink for 25 years from being a new mom to moving to Hungary. Just once in a blue moon when we entertained or went to a concert.

They used to sell cigs by the piece here in Hungary.

They also sold them in vending machines by the piece, hench my 8 year old husband and his frie

nds smoked at a young age.

He quit ages ago and hardly ever touches alcohol.

I force him to have a sip once in awhile.

My eldest sister visited Turkey in the late 1970's.

A tourist in her hotel was stabbed to death so they packed up and left Turkey the next day.

Of course she was a young Hippie so perhaps it wasn't a 5 star hotel.

Off later today for some grocery shopping...Another 10,000 plus down!

@Marilyn Tassy We have lots of Chinese shops and the products are very good value for money. Small technical items I buy on Aliexpress and they are also very good so far.
I see that vegetables are very expensive in Hungary. Carrots are twice the price compared to Hungary. Every food item seems to be little to much more expensive. Strange. The sad thing is that it will all get worse. Fruit is stored in huge warehouses at 1C. Imagine what high energy prices will do to the product prices.
-@nz7521137

We love our avacados but lately they do not rippen even within a week. They must be storing them in some warehouse under strange conditions.

We used to never return produce to the store but last time we bought avacados at Aldi on sale every one of them was rotten inside. We took them all back for a refund.

I know carrots are 700 a kilo!

We usually go to the farmers market for at least half our weekly produce.

That's hit or miss sometimes. Often even for a lesser price the product isn't worth it.

We don't buy much online, just order vitmains but we run into the shop for pick up.

My husband is a do-it =yourself person.

I thik he enjoying fixing broken household items.

He rewires small electronics and spends hours figuring out the best way to reapir something that most people wuld of tossed away.

Keeps his brain busy at least!

Perhaps it's just an old habit from the old commie days. People had to repair their own things or wait months for a new one.

If he ever takes a car or anything in to be repaired by someone else it's really a big event.

I used to tell him to open a small fix-it shop but he's not into it. Does it for his own pleasure not for profit.

He sometimes gets really mad at these shops keeps, he can remember a loaf of bread being 5 forints.

We all slowly turn into our parnets, my mom used to bre us to death with her tales of a items being such and such price.

I too can remember buying candy for 1 cent and a nice candy bar for 5 cents.

We were in Prataker the other day, I know that store has a huge mark up on items but seeing a pack of chewing gum going for 649 Fornits was a bit much.

@Marilyn Tassy Reagrding the avocados I feel with you. They are really hit and miss, even in Portugal where they are grown. It woud be great to find a way how to select the good ones only.

Everything that we bought is very good quality and usually lasts forever. So usually these items can be repaired either by myself or by a specialist. Simple car maintenance I do myself as well, but I also have a workshop that works for little money.

Overall we find the cost of living in Portugal very good. We own our own apartment, drive a modest car and only go to restaurants and bars to meet with friends. We are living in a holiday destination and thus we don't need to travel for beach holidays. We just drive 30 minutes and are able to sit by the ocean. So ... life is good.

This is for the whole of Austria
https://www.klimaticket.at

There are local region tickets


We do have the rail card tho that costs €66 which gives us 50% off travel.
-@SimCityAT

That seems really expensive even if  it is for  the whole of Austria. 

If it was the whole of Europe then maybe.   People might take the train as an alternative to flying.

The railcard sounds better if you take the train only sometimes.

BTW. Did you know that you can tune the Numbeo cost of living calculator to quite exactly reflect your own cost of living in the location you are in? Based on this basket of goods and services Numbeo can then calculate the cost of living elsewhere.
-@nz7521137

Its a guide, but nothing special.

BTW. Did you know that you can tune the Numbeo cost of living calculator to quite exactly reflect your own cost of living in the location you are in? Based on this basket of goods and services Numbeo can then calculate the cost of living elsewhere.
-@nz7521137

Its a guide, but nothing special.
-@SimCityAT

I tried it and found it pretty accurate. Untuned it was pretty useless to me, but with the tuning it provided very good results. What it cannot consider are changing habits (e.g. because of lack of availbility) in different locations.

@cdw057 Interesting. Maybe you should stop drinking alcohol and smoking. The latter is much easier, I think. I quit from one day to the other over 25 years ago and am very happy with that decision. Alcohol I didn't try yet. Who wants to live forever.
TR is really cheap, if one is living off non-TR income. Like Portugal. I am not sure whether the EU will last. D is going down fast now that they have been sacrificed in the war against Russia. Cheap energy gone means the end of the German Chemical industry and all industry that is energy intensive. The plan to get out of hydrocarbons means no long term commitment to other gas imports (= buying on spot market = very expensive LNG). All very sad.
-@nz7521137

I stopped smoking about 25 years ago too. I was never a convinced smoker. I just decided to quit one day. It was a bit difficult but you can do it if you immediately do something distracting when the trigger happens. Like if you have coffee, then immediately do something active. Like go outside and do some gardening (take the coffee with you). It's just an example. The trigger (coffee) gets disassociated from cigarettes.

I also stopped drinking about 5 years ago after I was warned by a doctor I was risking liver damage (he was commenting on my liver enzyme test results). No choice but to stop. It was hard at first but like everything, you get used to it and soon you don't miss it. Shame about all that cheap artisnal wine down at Balaton. Some of that was really good stuff.

What you really do begin to notice is how other people's lives revolve around these kinds of "addictions". Like people plan to have a few drinks or even get smashed at the weekend. It's kind of weird really.

In social settings people push drinks but oddly, if you tell them you're not drinking on medical advice, this seems to be OK. But if you said, it's against my religion or other belief system, they'd seem to be less accepting. People are strange!

Re: energy - Solar panel recycling is becoming a hot issue. Apparently the first generation panels are at the end of their 10 year lifespan. Germany could be recycling panels, recovering materials and making new panels for more green energy to run industry. I noticed a lot of solar farms next to the autobahns.   

@nz7521137 You mention Portugal, it definitely was on our radar, but I have no income whatsoever, what worries me on Portugal (and Georgia (caucasus, not US) is the high property tax (in my view it is income tax without income). Hence Hungary, but considering the excessive increases (good) we decided to move. No work and tax-free income, lets see how things go in Turkey.

Really not honest to get a high return without doing anything (apart from smaller repairs).

By the way, just owning a property in the Netherlands will be expensive. WOZ locally, but also for annual income declaration. I do NOT want to receive and support or subsidies, but I have to pay.

For returning to Netherlands (I would like though) it is expensive, I probably wait for a few years.

By the way (under current rules) capital gains on property is free after 5 years (like in Hungary)

@fluffy2560 The "world as I know it" is very much focussed on socializing in combination with alcohol. And unfortunately this often becomes excessive.

The recycling of solar panels is as problematic as the recycling of windmill blades. Usually they are just put "out of sight", light so many things and services we don't want to see in our world. Recycled materials might also be more expensive than new ones and who do you think will buy the first? Which brings us back to "prices" (only not in the supermarket) .

@cdw057 We own an apartment and find the taxes when buying and those that we have to pay annually reasonable. However, buying real estate in Portugal is generally very expensive now. Especially in those popular areas like many parts of Lisbon, the coast from Lisbon to Cascais, the Algarve, Porto and a few others. We bought 6 years ago and since then the price has almost doubled. Still, Portugal is attractive for those that come for the right reasons and without the wrong expectations.

We thought about Portugal too.

We love the water and a warmer climate.

My husband is rather tired of the Hungarian attitude about everything.

He is an old ,"Hippie" at heart.

He liked Sweden and Italy in his youth but not up on how it is there currently.

Just his morning we were talking about Hungary and for sure he said if he was younger he never would be here.

We have little interest in buying anything again.

If our son lived near us perhaps we might consider buying but he isn't around and we don't want to leave him property in a place he has no interest in living in.

He is in Japan and would rather buy a country house over there then bother with Europe.

He likes the lifestyle there more then the way of life in Europe or the US.

He only dates Asain women, now married to one. He would be rather loney in the EU.

We really should do more research on Portugal.

We could be fine in a quiet little beach town.

Bought a bag of avacados yesterday, they were actually on sale at Lidl.

Haven't really done an examination on them myself.

Hope I don't have to wait 2 weeks to enjoy them.

The last 2 times we were in Lidl it was not as packed with customers as it usually always is.

Many people are buying just a couple of small items, not too many are purchasing large amounts at once of anything.

Our local Lidl is on Blaha Lujza and draws in many tourists as well as locals.

Only spent 12,000 yesterday,did buy ice cream . I don't consider that real food so it doesn't count.

I read HU inflation was around 23% in May. Apparently there has been a small drop in energy prices.

However, speculation by some economists suggests 425HUF/1 EUR by winter. At the moment it's 370 HUF/1 EUR.

Of course, economists are crystal ball gazers. It's all opinion and interpretation (like the weather). 

If that's in any way correct, it's a big drop in value. I didn't see why they thought the HUF would drop (it explains higher inflation somewhat). But in any case, it's guaranteed imports will become considerably more expensive.   

May's Eurozone inflation rate (when published) is expected to be 6%.

Makes you wonder why it's 23% in HU and more tolerable but excessive 6% in the Eurozone? 

Whatever is going on here, and now I'm speculating, it seems that Hungary will come under pressure to adopt the Euro if only to stabilise prices. The only other way to do that is to increase interest rates.

It's not looking good.