Moving FROM Hungary

cdw057 wrote:

Dear Forum Members,

Me and my wife have lived in Hungary for 6 years and I have to say quite happily. Having said that prices for services and normal purchases have increased massively, longer term it is just going to be expensive. We have had an appropriate offer on our property ( I have to say quite a good profit over the years) and decided to move somewhere else (Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia (we do not know)).
I have to say I enjoyed my years in Hungary and would probably have for some more. Still if somebody gives a good offer we almost are obliged to accept.

I just have the right age to make this last step. (60) moving across domiciles and even outside EU brings a lot of bureaucratic challenges.
We are currently thinking about Ananya (but also Burgas and Batumi)

I will continue to follow the forum from whatever location, I have some very good memories.

Shame to see you go.

You are right, the prices here have really increased.   Not only that, there are longer lead times on everything from electronics to building materials.

I am always monitoring the petrol prices - they are close to 500 HUF on the autopalya and the cheapest I've seen is about 415 HUF at Auchan as of Monday.   

One of my HU relatives was in Croatia and says petrol is 550 HUF a litre.   World instability and OPEC cartels.

Even fast food is on the rise - lunch for 4 at KFC could top 8000-9000 HUF.  Not cheap.

BTW, one of my US colleagues lives in Sofia, Bulgaria and has gone to Bucharest on a job and tells me it's MUCH better in Bucharest, Romania.

Georgia is a little unstable for my taste and politically undeveloped, Turkey too right wing Islamist for me.   We've always thought of running away to the Canary Islands - like Tenerife or Gran Canaria.  Nice all year weather, mountains and the sea would be good.  Case of YMMV!

cdw057 wrote:

We are currently thinking about Alanya (but also Burgas and Batumi)

According to Numbeo comparing Heviz to Burgas:

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/c … Comparison

Consumer Prices in Burgas are 3.57% lower than in Heviz (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Burgas are 6.54% lower than in Heviz
Rent Prices in Burgas are 19.63% lower than in Heviz
Restaurant Prices in Burgas are 8.82% higher than in Heviz
Groceries Prices in Burgas are 2.77% higher than in Heviz
Local Purchasing Power in Burgas is 4.90% lower than in Heviz

Not sure you would be gaining that much... Some things are less, and some things are more. As eventually inflation will hit every place. Not to mention some places have higher likelihood for political, social, and economic instability, which is why they are inexpensive to live there ... now... but that may cost you a lot later in the next coup d'état.

radiumpotato wrote:

cdw057 wrote:

We are currently thinking about Alanya (but also Burgas and Batumi)

According to Numbeo comparing Heviz to Burgas:

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/c … Comparison

Consumer Prices in Burgas are 3.57% lower than in Heviz (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Burgas are 6.54% lower than in Heviz
Rent Prices in Burgas are 19.63% lower than in Heviz
Restaurant Prices in Burgas are 8.82% higher than in Heviz
Groceries Prices in Burgas are 2.77% higher than in Heviz
Local Purchasing Power in Burgas is 4.90% lower than in Heviz

Not sure you would be gaining that much... Some things are less, and some things are more. As eventually inflation will hit every place. Not to mention some places have higher likelihood for political, social, and economic instability, which is why they are inexpensive to live there ... now... but that may cost you a lot later in the next coup d'état.

You really did some homework.
I have to agree with you, save a bit here and there but in the long run it may work out to be even .
I also think right now it not a great time to pack it up and head to new territory with s many political upsets happening.
New customs, language ect.
Then again maybe just putting things into a self storeage fr 3 months and checking place out in person could be an idea.
I wouldn't just haul everything with me and settle just anywhere.
Heviz is a bit nice and who knows what these new places really can offer you.
We just spent a few days years back in Romania, it was alright, pretty but by even HU standards it was poor. The parks looked sad, no flowers growing , more like weed gardens.
The roads were't to great and just a feeling of depression was in the air.
It remeinded us of Hungary maybe 30 years ago before it was cleaned up.
They can always return to Hungary if they just take off with the mind set of just checking places out.
Sad to say though usually it takes several months for reality to set in and the real face of a new place to be shown.
We moved to New Mexico from S. Ca.
Sold our house and took eveything with us, hired a huge moved co. to bring a household full of itmes plus 2 cars and a dog.
We had only flown in for 4 days before hand to look around.
It had been a nice springtime when we visited plus my extended family who lived there were treating us like guests. We stayed in a hotel and just cruised around the torust places.
After settling in NM my husband decided within weeks that he hated the place.
He didn't even bother looking for a job there fr over 6 months. He decided to just take off to Hawaii to start a business and send for us later after things got ging. I worked in NM and held down the fort.
After a few months of that I had my husband come and collect us and our entire household of junk, shipped everything to HI.
After a year in Hawaii we realized it was not our time to be there, son hated it, very expensive with no god jobs on the Island we had moved to, it's Honolulu or bust really if you need to seriously work over there.
( We must of spent a good $15,000 or more just on these moves,not counting the money spent living off our savings for long periods of time)
Moved back to NM , husband wasn't too happy but open a business there and we gave it a try for almost 2 more years, went to Vegas after that then Hungary. I know all abut thinking the grass is greener somewhere else, most times it is really just full of crabgrass.
We wish you the best of luck and don't forget you can always come back to HU.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

...
Moved back to NM , husband wasn't too happy but open a business there and we gave it a try for almost 2 more years, went to Vegas after that then Hungary. I know all abut thinking the grass is greener somewhere else, most times it is really just full of crabgrass.
We wish you the best of luck and don't forget you can always come back to HU.

Grass isn't going to be greener in LV.  It's going to be shrivelling up. 

I'm reading about water shortages at the lake there - it's really empty.   Apparently some parts of Hungary are being classified as semi-desert now due to low rainfall. 

It's a serious consideration - people might start prioritising to live somewhere water is cheap and plentiful.   

I was talking to a guy from Perth, Australia a couple of years ago and they have little water there and the way of life has this thread of avoiding using water or recycling - bath water goes on the garden.  Didn't stop him playing golf at weekends on what looked like a very manicured and green course.

Indeed Burgas is becoming expensive. as for cost of living, if it is the same it is fine, but a good and well priced property is difficult, hence our preference for Alanya (but going outside EU has its own challenges). Lets see what happens

cdw057 wrote:

Indeed Burgas is becoming expensive. as for cost of living, if it is the same it is fine, but a good and well priced property is difficult, hence our preference for Alanya (but going outside EU has its own challenges). Lets see what happens

Looks nice in Alanya

I'd never heard of it but it seems to be popular.  In the winter, the weather will be better than here for sure.

A lot of rain as it seems in winter, but temperatures are fine. Big airco bill in the summer, but I am a very early riser (4:00 AM), quality of life is good, markets, many restaurants (although not very international (like in Hungary). Cheaper and overall more comfortable. (I have to see how things work out)

Amazingly restaurant prices are about the same in Alanya as they are in our area, however markets are great and so are cigarette prices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_1eykGJkzQ&t=329s
admittedly in German , but a great great choice, even if the presenters are vegan

cdw057 wrote:

Amazingly restaurant prices are about the same in Alanya as they are in our area, however markets are great and so are cigarette prices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_1eykGJkzQ&t=329s
admittedly in German , but a great great choice, even if the presenters are vegan

Looks good in the market there.   Nice tomatoes and rather cheap. 

But mankind cannot live by tomato alone. 

I am not surprised people there are also speaking Russian.   Turkey has become a bit of a place for the Russian rich who don't want to be famous.

BTW, years ago Mrs F and I used to smoke Malboro Lights.  They were cheap here - like 90 Euro CENTS a packet of 20 or so.   But we reckon they were all fake at the price. Who knows what was really in them. Luckily about 20  years ago when my kids were young, we just fizzled out on the smoking around them after we all went on holiday.  We just never started again.   Not sure Turkish ciggies will be legit brands.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

You really did some homework.

Actually I didn't. Numbeo did all the work. 

I simply did a city comparison search. Trivial effort. And since it is crowd sourced from many people, you can also see ranges of information on any single city (which may give a more realistic experience on the ground than only one source --- as a single blog or video might be biased).

Today I got a message from my eldest sister telling us to sell and get the heck out of HU and to return to the USA.
Guess she is afraid of an invation from the middle east.
She did the "Hippie Trail" in the very early 1970's and hated almost every single middle eastern country they traveled to.
She is seriously afraid for us over here, says we are too close to Turkey and the rest of the middle east now that Biden dropped the ball.
Over dramatic maybe, sort of sweet that she cares that much about our safety.
You may wish to consider political events ATM before making a big move out of the EU.
Hate to think you could be sorry later, better to pay more now then to pay later.
Even if your property has been sold in a solid deal and you took the cash, you can still stay here in HU and rent until you decide what your next big move is.
My husband and I are older then you and your wife but we can still get outta Dodge if needed, maybe the last thing we ever do but we can do it.
Age is a number you put on yourself.
We are still in the wait and see stage with world events.
Not willing to make a big move ATM either way.
The US doesn't look like the dream is happening for many people and we honestly don't know where is a safe haven.Probably only available now to the super rich who bought a bunker in the Ozarks of the US at this point in time.

I agree! You can't gain much with moving a little further. Have you looked around outside of Budapest?

Livia Kretsch wrote:

I agree! You can't gain much with moving a little further. Have you looked around outside of Budapest?

Best to use the Quote button otherwise it's hard to know who is being addressed or the context.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Today I got a message from my eldest sister telling us to sell and get the heck out of HU and to return to the USA.
Guess she is afraid of an invation from the middle east.
She did the "Hippie Trail" in the very early 1970's and hated almost every single middle eastern country they traveled to.
She is seriously afraid for us over here, says we are too close to Turkey and the rest of the middle east now that Biden dropped the ball.
Over dramatic maybe, sort of sweet that she cares that much about our safety.
You may wish to consider political events ATM before making a big move out of the EU.
Hate to think you could be sorry later, better to pay more now then to pay later.
Even if your property has been sold in a solid deal and you took the cash, you can still stay here in HU and rent until you decide what your next big move is.
My husband and I are older then you and your wife but we can still get outta Dodge if needed, maybe the last thing we ever do but we can do it.
Age is a number you put on yourself.
We are still in the wait and see stage with world events.
Not willing to make a big move ATM either way.
The US doesn't look like the dream is happening for many people and we honestly don't know where is a safe haven.Probably only available now to the super rich who bought a bunker in the Ozarks of the US at this point in time.

I flew every week in Europe during the first Gulf War and it wasn't a problem.  I had the plane almost to myself most weeks!  Not more than 6 to 10 people.

People in the US think everything is so much closer than it really is.   They are just panicking for no reason.  It's 4h by plane to say, Tehran, from here.  Absolutely far away - 1000s of km.  War was next door in Serbia and it never had much impact here. 

In any case, there's no way the Taliban could invade Europe.  They cannot even run their own country, never mind launch an invasion anywhere else.  And why should they come here?  They won already and humiliated the West.  And now they'll be in bed with the Chinese and Russians and Pakistanis.

If there will be a war closer to here, it'll be US against Iran (or China which is not close all).  Whether anyone else joins in is a bit difficult to say but I'd say not.   Current perceptions and commentators I'm hearing on the radio are that the US is seen as not being a reliable partner.  It was thought after Trump it could only get better and  now it seems, Biden has really made a huge miscalculation following through on Trump's deal.  All done for US domestic politics.

What I don't get is why Korea got the red carpet treatment forever (and still technically at war with the North) but Afghanistan didn't?   Or Japan?  Nation building takes generations.   Would it really have mattered if NATO had continued in there for 20-30-40 more years?

Sorry, woefully off topic. Just shocked at the tragedy Trump and Biden have started.

Had a nightmare last night about the Taliban chasing us.
My husband was driving a soupped up 1970's muscle car and some Taliban guys were laying on the truck(boot?) with their hands breaking through the back window and trying to grab me. I was poking them in the hand with a knife. Can move out of a country but can't move away from watching too much news!
Noticed the US gov. has required several US airlines to allow them to use their planes to take people out of Afganistan.
Wonder if they will have to get vaxed before flying out and remove their shows and wear a mask?
So sick of the BS double standards going on in this crazy world.
Where are they taking these people? Too  Disneyland?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Had a nightmare last night about the Taliban chasing us.
My husband was driving a soupped up 1970's muscle car and some Taliban guys were laying on the truck(boot?) with their hands breaking through the back window and trying to grab me. I was poking them in the hand with a knife. Can move out of a country but can't move away from watching too much news!
Noticed the US gov. has required several US airlines to allow them to use their planes to take people out of Afganistan.
Wonder if they will have to get vaxed before flying out and remove their shows and wear a mask?
So sick of the BS double standards going on in this crazy world.
Where are they taking these people? To  Disneyland?

Sounds like one of the action scenes in a Terminator movie.   

I also had a dream a couple of days ago where I was in bed in a shop window (why?!) and the "Afghan government" came in and said they had to do some work. I apologised for being in bed but the guy (aka "Afghan government")  said it didn't matter and carried on doing something around the back somewhere.  I don't know what happened after that. 

US can take millions of Afghans in.  Plenty of space and resources.  I suppose they'll form a government in exile.  Putting them in Disneyland would be a real change and a nightmare for them.   Trapped in a make believe world filled with hideous characters and terrible decor.  Oh, sorry,  that could be anywhere government wise.

The US airlines are going to do feeder duty.  So they'll pick up folks from say Abu Dhabi and shuttle them somewhere else.  Kabul to Abu Dhabi will be US military planes. I have been watching the planes to-ing and fro-ing around the region.  It's pretty busy.

Just read the Taliban is confiscating  US passports from people.
Not cool.
Maybe they are going to use look alikes to take their fighters into other countires undercover?
This enitre situation is getting weirder by the day.
I can't believe the US gov. didn't know something like this would happen. It's almost like Biden is being used as a scapegoat for some agenda that we so far are in the dark about.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Just read the Taliban is confiscating  US passports from people.
Not cool.
Maybe they are going to use look alikes to take their fighters into other countires undercover?
This enitre situation is getting weirder by the day.
I can't believe the US gov. didn't know something like this would happen. It's almost like Biden is being used as a scapegoat for some agenda that we so far are in the dark about.

Biden always said he would pull out but he could have made his own agenda and not just followed Trump's set up.  It's really not going to do much for international relations between the US and others.  If the US leaves from the airport, then everyone else will go as well.  No-one is capable of holding the place.

There are videos of British passport holders outside the wall of the airport saying they cannot get in.  They say there are 4000 US citizens left there.  But where are they?  No-one seems to know. 

And if the Taliban is so much our new best friend why aren't they doing anything about assisting people to leave?  They don't seem to be even in control of their own victory.    If US citizens were up near Tajikistan or Uzbekistan they should get out that way or via Pakistan. 

Just heard there are many pieces of equipment left behind - 2000 armed vehicles, 45 Blackhawk helicopters and thousands of weapons/radios etc.   Biden's armed the enemy!   

And the Chinese and Russians are enjoying the spectacle of it all.

What a waste of lives, resources and nerves over the last 20 years.
I always like to think outside the box if possible.
The US must of known it wasn't a good idea to leave equipment behind so why did they do that?
Perhaps we have something more powerful coming soon?
Carpet bombs?
It's really sad, so many people caught there in the mix who just want to live their lives without drama.
I'm embarrased ATM to say I'm American. We never like to cut and run like this.
It looks so weak and unprofessional of my gov.
I remember when I was dealing cards in Vegas.
We always had a group of new young recruits from the Nelis AFB come in for a good time before heading out to danger in the middle east.
I always felt terrible when the cards didn't go their way, they all were nice young men that didn't seem to have a clue they had just fallen into the machine.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

What a waste of lives, resources and nerves over the last 20 years.
I always like to think outside the box if possible.
The US must of known it wasn't a good idea to leave equipment behind so why did they do that?
Perhaps we have something more powerful coming soon?
Carpet bombs?
It's really sad, so many people caught there in the mix who just want to live their lives without drama.
I'm embarrased ATM to say I'm American. We never like to cut and run like this.
It looks so weak and unprofessional of my gov.
I remember when I was dealing cards in Vegas.
We always had a group of new young recruits from the Nelis AFB come in for a good time before heading out to danger in the middle east.
I always felt terrible when the cards didn't go their way, they all were nice young men that didn't seem to have a clue they had just fallen into the machine.

It's easy to get suckered into the military if you believe in the politicians.  I ended up in it post-The Falklands War.  In the US, it's a way of getting an education, in the UK we say the same, usually about trades.  There is that.  Just foot soldiering is not the best idea but having some skill like mechanic or drone pilot is going to serve you well in a post-military situation.  The military have been churning out well educated and skilled people for years and they are really good at it.

I don't know why they didn't destroy their equipment or fly it out?  Makes no sense.  They could have flown it out to a logistics base and shipped it somewhere safe.  Each Blackhawk costs about USD 6M.  Hummer military vehicle costs over USD 200K.

My Dad told me that when the Germans retreated they let the oil out the vehicle engines and put sand in the fuel.   Not a particularly effective effort. They could have just set fire to them.

I've heard now that the Taliban are using the data/IT systems left behind to look for people.  I don't know why they didn't burn that as well.