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Shopping Tourism in Hungary Booming due to Weak Forint and Low Fuel Prices

Hungary Today 2022.05.12.

News site rtl.hu has put together a detailed compilation on the topic of “shopping tourism” in Hungary. Of course, this is typical, especially in western Hungary since there are significant differences in terms of prices between the two neighboring countries of Austria and Hungary. They interviewed Hungarians who live in Austria and those who regularly go shopping. It turns out that in Hungary you can save a lot on fuel, among other things, that it is worth organizing shopping trips to Hungary, and that many come to Hungary to go to the hairdresser, dentist, optician, restaurants, and even to buy flowers.

This article was originally published on our sister-site, Ungarn Heute. 

“It’s a big advantage that you can spend your euro salary here in forints,” Hungarians, who live in neighboring Austria but still go home to shop, get fuel, or use various services, told rtl.hu.

The price of fuel is capped at 480 forints (EUR 1.3) in Hungary, and some smaller gas stations near the border have introduced a 50-liter limit, but this does not affect the average motorist, as filling up is much cheaper than in Austria. At 30 liters, the difference is €12-13, but if you combine this with a small shopping (if you buy cooking oil or chicken), you can save a lot more.

Is It Cheaper to Shop Abroad? Price Comparison of Hungarian and Foreign Aldi and Lidl
Is It Cheaper to Shop Abroad? Price Comparison of Hungarian and Foreign Aldi and Lidl

One interesting piece of data out of many: it is 3.5 times more burdensome for a Hungarian family to buy the same thing in the same shop as an English family.Continue reading

A member of the Facebook group “Guten Tag Ungarn,” [Good Morning Hungary] which brings Hungarians together living in Austria, told the news site that he sees Austrians coming to Hungary to shop less and less frequently, as they have recently become very patriotic and prefer to buy Austrian products. A Hungarian, who runs his business in Burgenland, confirmed this to rtl.hu. In his opinion, shopping tourism is no longer so attractive for Austrians.

“Hungary is not so cheap, you have to take advantage of special offers, but they are also very common here. However, if you are in Hungary, of course, you would be stupid not to fill up your tank or buy oil or meat. But clothes, perfume, household appliances are all cheaper over here,” he explained.

Before Christmas, the Világgazdaság business portal had reported that shopping tourism in Hungary from Slovakia is also flourishing, with a significant proportion of Slovakian shopping tourists having procured their Christmas gifts in Hungary.

Our editorial team also knows people who travel to Hungary from England for major dental treatments. It is worth it, even if they have to pay for their flight, accommodation, and food, not to mention the significantly cheaper cost of dental treatment.

Featured photo illustration by Zoltán Balogh/MTI 


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