Budapest – A Complete Digital Nomad Travel Guide from a Local
Budapest has become a digital nomad hive due to its beautiful architecture, friendly people and the value for money one gets in the capital city of Hungary.
According to Nomadlist.co, Budapest ranks number #11 in the top destinations for digital nomads. Someone living there for a short while can get around with about $1,500/month. But what can a remote worker get for this expenses every month? Well, quite a lot like you’ll see in detail below
If you want to live on the cheap as a digital nomad in a European capital like Budapest, you are in the right place. We’ve talked with a local and created this awesome guide so you can live and enjoy this spectacular capital. Moreover, we’ll tell you also a bit about the local practices and what you can expect when visiting Budapest and Hungary in general. Knowing a few Hungarian customs will definitely help a digital nomad like you!
Before we get down to the details, an introduction about the city is probably due.
Budapest is the capital of Hungary, in Eastern Europe, and is one of the top destinations for digital nomads! Why you might ask…
Well, once in Budapest, you’ll find everything a digital nomad is looking for in a city:
- Reliability of Internet
- Cost efficiency
- Social lifestyle and city vibe
- Safety
- High quality of life
The city is crawling with WI-FI hotspots so you’ll have fast internet everywhere in the city to complete your freelance tasks on the go. Moreover, the mobile data from the networks (Telekom is pretty big there) is double compared to the global average, which is pretty neat!
Next, we’ll be talking about how to find an accommodation and to find your way across the city
Ready? Let’s dive in!
Living and Accommodation
The first thing you’ll want to do before travelling to Budapest is probably to find a place to stay. Basically, there are two options: Hotel or AirBnB. Being a digital nomad in Budapest, you’ll probably want to opt in for an Airbnb as we’ll explore below.
Why do we include hotels? Well, if you’re coming for a shorter stay, or if you want to stay (let’s say a week) at a very nice place than there are some really awesome hotels which won’t hurt your pocket…that much 🙂
A) AirbBnB / Bed and Breakfast
Now for AirBnBs, there are many many options. And as a digital nomad in Budapest, this will probably be your first option for short-medium term accommodation.
Normal rent leases for the locals are usually signed for at least 6 months and that’s a bit of a commitment for us nomads.
It’s very important you get an accommodation in Budapest way before you get there because this city has gotten HOT. This is probably the only and best way to get a good deal if you stay a few months.
What you can do is reach out to the owner of an apartment you like on AirBnb and ask for a BIG discount. Don’t be afraid and ask it straight up, but make sure you let the owner of the flat know about your wish for a longer commitment. Bargaining isn’t uncommon in Hungary so keep trying. If you are a freelancer or a low cost digital nomad, the money you save up could help you survive more between the contracts so DO TRY to negotiate
Another approach to this is to suggest to the owner to book on the platform for a 30% – 40% of your stay online (the starting date should be your arrival), and the rest offline. That way, they avoid online fees, and you can (AT LEAST) split the difference.
This one trick for digital nomads works in a lot of cities around the world, especial in Eastern Europe and South America.
You can potentially book an entire month in a central Airbnb for about 600-700 USDs (with this discount).
B) Hotels in Budapest
Anything above four stars that has great reviews online usually won’t disappoint you. We’ll leave the specifics up to you of course, about amenities like a pool, sauna, etc.
If you want to get a good deal, I’d suggest you check out Hopper. If you plan a trip on their app, you can get special deals for hotels. Of course, you should double check prices on other booking sites, but usually they have the best rates.
The best value for money hotels and with outstanding design which we would recommend in Budapest are:
St George Hotel is situated in a 700-year old building, in a wonderful Buda position, close to the Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church. It has only 26 rooms and suites, simply decorated with some wonderful flooring, art and antiques. Beautiful!
The main selling point of this hotel is the Incredible roof terrace restaurant, which has amazing city views. This hotel’s 75 rooms and suites have decor that varies from classic, to kitch-y modern, to quite opulent, and there’s an underground pool, spa and gym, and a garden.
This is maybe the most affordable option of in the style of an urban life magazine. They love white, boxy furnishings, witty art and monochrome flooring. 12 of their rooms are rooms, and four are apartments, so this is a great choice for an affordable family stay too. The location is perfect!
A boutique style hotel with modern interiors in an excellent location. Think egg-style chairs, bright orange features, and 60s-chic lighting.
However, hotels for long term are quite expensive and we as digital nomads prefer to invest our hard earned money more into experiences and authentic places rather than hotel chains.
Areas for accommodation (and live like a local)
Here is a map made by our local friend David (thanks David!) to simplify the area selection process for you.
As you can see on, there are three main areas our local guide recommends you for settling in when in Budapest.
This areas tick off most of the things digital nomads are looking for in a city, as mentioned above: cost and living conditions, access, safety, atmosphere.These areas are:
- Újlipótváros
- Belső-Terézváros
- Belső-Erzsébetváros
- Lipótváros
One thing you’ll notice is that all these are on the Pest side of the city. That’s because most “attractions” in Budapest are in Pest. If you want a more calm, or a greener area, we’d suggest the 11th district (which is a new / hipsterish area in the city), or the 12th district (which is the most green area of the city).
Exploring Budapest
This city has actually a ton to offer. You will probably need a few good weeks to explore the city so probably a semi long layover of about months should be enough for you to get to know Budapest well enough. After all, this is the beauty of being a digital nomad. You can create your own schedule and trully enjoy the host city at your own pace.
Care for some sightseeing and architecture?
You can wander around in the newly renovated BUDA CASTLE, which is gorgeous (but please do not eat in one of the ripoff restaurants there). You certainly want check out the Fisherman’s Bastion if you get up there (it’s free to visit after a certain hour in the evening, whilst paid during during the day, so be sure to check that out)!
It is super easy to access from it the city center. Just use bus line 16 to go reach on top the hill. Be sure to download the BKK Futár app to your phone to plan your trips around the city! You can get it from Google Play or Apple Store!
Want to see a huge church? Go to St. Stephen’s Basilica! Entrance is free, but you can make an OPTIONAL donation, though it may initially feel like it is mandatory, it is NOT! 🙂
If you are a religious person, you can also go there for Mass! 🙂
Did you know that one of the world’s largest Synagogues is in Budapest? I discovered that when I was 15, so don’t feel ashamed for not knowing! It is in Dohány street, and it is gorgeous, though a bit on the pricey side!
Do you prefer nature and parks?
Fear not, there are plenty of these too!
Take the Metro line 1 (the world’s second oldest metro line, or as the locals like to say, continental Europe’s oldest metro ), go to Heroes’ Square and take a few photos. Afterwads, head to Városliget to enjoy the green side of the city!
For other green spaces and parks, Well on the other sjust jump on the other side of the town, Buda side where you’ll find plenty more forest!
Take a walk at Normafa if you want to feel fully immersed in nature! You’ll feel like in a faraway forest in the mountains rather than in one of Central Europe’s capitals!
Activities in the city
Budapest is famous for its old, great designed thermal baths. Are you into spa and warmth?
You might be in the right city then. Budapest has a ton of them. Part of it due to the roman invasion and their cultural remains, part of it from the turkish invasions and their cultural remains, part of it because they are really chill.
Now baths are a bit on the expensive side too, be sure to check out the pricing before you get a heart attack! You can do that HERE. (my favorite is the Rudas baths, with its ancient turkish part).
Another side-note is that the baths are not always open for both men and woman, it is mixed on some days only, so check that out too before stepping out of the tram in flip-flops!
Eating Out in Budapest
Hungry? Where to eat in the capital of Hungary?
The classic Budapestian joke
That’s the joke every hungarian has heard at least a thousand times. But don’t use this joke too often though, you might get unexpected results.
There are restaurants on every corner, but before you go in any of them, please take a look at the easy checklist:
- Are prices listed on the menu in euros?
- Is a chalkboard menu of hungarian dishes, written in english, hanging outside?
- Is there someone trying to lure you in?
- Are you on Váci street?
If any of the answers was YES, please do NOT step in. That is except if you want to be disappointed or ripped off. This is not true for all restaurants of course, some of them may have these in the list and still be great, but as a rule of thumb, stick to the ones below and you’ll avoid any problems. We’ve carefully selected them for you so you can enjoy the best hungarian food in Budapest.
Aside from the ones above, we’ve added an extended list below just in case they are closer to where you live.
Hungarian Food:
Mákos Guba // Kék Rózsa Étterem // Pozsonyi Kisvendéglő // Centrál Kávéház // Kőleves
International Food:
MANU+ // Mozata // Leila’s Cuisine // IGEN // Khan
Brunch anyone?
STIKA Budapest // Juicy + // Kuglóf // TOPRUM // HILDA
Feeling Fancy?
ÉS Bisztró // Pata Negra // Zeller Bistro // Monk’s Bistrot // SALT
Special Mentions
You want a good coffee or a cold beer in a very cozy atmosphere? Go to Művész Kávéház!
Want a slow drip coffee, special V60? Are you a coffee specialist? Go to Madal Cafe!
Do you fancy a drink with a view over the whole city and feel like an Austrian-Hungarian King or Queen? Go to the 360 Bar or to TOPRUM for fantastic views. Maybe you can even do some inspiring work the top of Budapest.
Budapest Coworking Spaces
Now that you have a whole booklet of places to go and eat something nice as well as places to discover in Budapest, you may also want a place where you can work from, so that you can be productive and pay those bills 🙂 . And who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with the city and want to settle down in the Capital.
As a Digital Nomad in Budapest, you will probably afford a coworking space too because they are not too expensive.
This way, you will be able to focus on your remote businesss or clients better, without any intereference.
Therefore, here’s our list of coworking spaces we would recommend work from.
You need to keep a few things in mind when choosing your coworking space just like in any other city. If you want to find out how to choose a workspace you check this really good article here. Here I’ll give a more summarized version, focusing on the most important points. These are the following:
- Location
- Price
- Type
- Amenities
Taking these points into consideration, let me list some of the coworking spaces you might capture your attention.
1. KAPTÁR – The oldest and most popular coworking spaces in Budapest
With headlines about WeWork’s rise (and fall) and the growth of coworking’s reach, it is easy to forget that once upon a time, “coworking” was a weird and unknown word. But for Kaptár, it is nothing new.
This coworking space has been in Budapest for around for 8 years, that’s just two years after WeWork was born. Talk about vision and entrepreneurship here….
So who is Kaptár for?
- For people who want to socialize
- For a short term coworking spot in the city
- For those who don’t need too much space
- To try out the first coworking space in the city
2. The Other WorkSpace – opened in late 2019
The most recent arrival in the coworking arena in Budapest: The Other WorkSpace
This is probably the best value for money coworking space we can recommend in Budapest. It’s big enough to meet some interesting people and small enough to do your daily tasks.
So who is The Other WorkSpace for?
- For developers and designers, who need large tables to work on and multiple screens
- For people who want to stay more than a few days
- For those who want to feel a sense a community, but still get work done at the office
- For night owls and early birds, who don’t work at regular hours and need 24/7 access
3. Mosaik – The blue coworking rocket of Budapest
Mosaik, founded in 2015, has a nice design and it makes it easy for you to feel like at home.
This place is not only a coworking space / private offices, but also hosts events and has its own coffee place, or as they describe themselves: “COFFEE · SPACE · EVENTS”
So who is Mosaik for?
- For people who want to want an on-site event area (there is one there)
- For startups founders looking to meet up with peers and hang out in the on-site café
- For companies looking for tons of seats (they have a huge open floor)
- For people who want to stroll near the river sometimes after work
Looking for an entry level remote job?
We’ve got a full guide below explaining how you can get your first remote job and become a digital nomad
You’ve probably heard this name if you spent more than an hour searching for office spaces anywhere in the world. Yes, they do have a few offices in Budapest too.The company boasting a crown in its logo is the company with the largest network focused on serviced offices rental.
As a coworking office space, you’ll basically get the shiny office version of a coworking spot. You could not expect less of this company.
So who is Regus for?
- For people who want to find an office anywhere in the city (14 locations in Budapest)
- For those who want to welcome their customers in extra-shiny office spaces
- For the company owner that doesn’t have spending limits on company office space
- For readers, who like to browse through the hundreds of pages of a contract
Below you can see a summary with the price comparison and you can get an overview of the coworking scene in Budapest. (all the prices have been converted to euros at the current rate to make it more realistic). Regus might be a bit pricey for digital nomads like us, so make sure to ask the pricing before an
Best Cafes To Work as a Digital Nomad in Budapest
1. Fekete Cafe
Located in an old courtyard of the Hungarian capital, the coffee shop Fekete is a hip café and all-day-breakfast restaurant. You will find this hidden gem amongst the old buildings in the city centre of Budapest.
Fekete is a very popular tourist destination so expect some wait for a table, especially on weekends.
In terms of food, Fekete offers a range of trendy dishes like shakshuka, and various quiches.
The coffee is excellent and you will find everything you wish from espresso to V60s. available along with bottled craft beers to help lift the mood.
We cannot recommend the place for more than a coffee and even if the vibe is very cool, it remains a touristical place where it’s hard to work as a digital nomad on your projects.
LOCATION:
Budapest, Múzeum krt. 5, 1053
2. Kohnya
This “living room” like cafe with cozy sofas overlooking the street is definitely a good choice for remote workers and digital nomads. The big windows also make the space very open and productive.
You will often see locals and students with open laptops there so you won’t feel like a stranger.
The prices are a bit premium here than at the rest of the cafes in this list, but still it offers good quality and provides a good place to work for a few hours.
LOCATION:
Madách Imre út 8. Budapest, Hungary 1075
3. Kelet Café
Even if it looks like a bookstore with 5-6000 volumes, this place is actually a cozy cafe for book lovers. Feel free to grab and explore some books whilst you do some work, or get inspired by the,
The coffee by Casino Mocca is deliciuous and The menu includes grilled sandwiches and Eastern platters. The latter include green curry liptauer, spicy peanut butter, chutney and sourdough bread.
4. Magveto Cafe Budapest – Great for Digital Nomads
This is the most friendly cafe for digital nomads we encountered in Budapest.
Magvető is a bookstore café located on a narrow side street in Budapest’s Jewish Quarter. The coffee is not the best, but the atmosphere is really cool.
Our favourite spot is on the elevated platform, made from reclaimed wood chips, overlooking the other likely digital nomads who tend to sit out there with their laptops.
A strong point of this coffee shop comfortable chair and there is plenty of space offered by this locale.
Wi-fi is pretty good, around 30 Mbps so you can easily do voice calls or download things from the cloud.
LOCATION
Budapest, Ferenciek tere 3, 1053
4. Kontakt Specialty Coffee Bar
Kontakt is a specialty coffee shop hidden in a cobblestoned courtyard of a pre-war building in the city centre making it a very special place.
The interior is minimalist and coffee and WIFI are excellent. However, we didn’t have the best remote working/digital nomad experience there due to the small tables and uncomfortable chairs. Just like a real gourmet cafe, they banned sugar and milk so you can taste aromatic coffee flavors.
On and all, just go there to have a great coffee and maybe quickly send a few emails.
Bonus: You can order a nitro brew .
LOCATION
Budapest, Károly krt. 22, 1052
5. Lumen Cafe
If you are in the Jewish Neighbourhood but want to feel and work like a local, then go to Lumen Café. There will be no compromise on the coffee or craft beers, they are excellent.
Breakfast is served until noon from the full-service kitchen and the interior features an interesting combination of greenery, concrete and wood finishes. Lumen is more than your average neighborhood café. You will find both local and students.
The cool part about this place is that the main area is a concert hall where they host daily live music concerts featuring some of the leading lights of Hungarian jazz, folk, and indie music.
There are two Lumens — there’s a smaller one around the corner — but we’d recommend the one on Horánszky Street. It’s a good cafe to do some remote work, especially in the summer garden if you want some quiet space to do your thingie.
LOCATION
Budapest, Horánszky u. 5, 1085
6. Dorado Cafe
Situated in the Jewish neighbourhood, this plant filled coffee shop offers everything from a V60 hand pour-over to espresso-based drinks and even cold brews in the summer. You can also grab a bite there if you’re hungry, from fresh pastries to the avocado toast served on sourdough.
There are not too many tables in the coffee shop and usually it’s quiet so you can do
We recommend this coffee shop and some good work can be done for a few hours.
LOCATION
Klauzal utca 35. Budapest, Hungary 1072
7. Madal Cafe
Madal is a popular coffee chain in Budapest situated in the heart of the Hungarian Capital. They serve espresso-based and filter coffees and in the morning you might have a chance to eat a whole-wheat croissants.
In terms of remote working from this place, the space is quite small and the tables are not very large. Therefore, we would recommend more then checking a few emails and doing small tasks in there.
LOCATION
Budapest, Ferenciek tere 3, 1053
8. Mesterbike & Coffee Project
Mesterbike is a cool bike repair shop at the ground floor of an old communist block where you can also find gourmet coffee. doubling as a specialty café. Mesterbike is away from the city center on a residential street in the hip neighbourhood of District 9. You will see a lot of locals popping in with their bikes which makes this coffee.
Tables are pretty comfortable to work for an hour maximum two.
LOCATION
Budapest, Mester u. 11, 1095
Wrap up…
Hopefully now you are have all the info you need have a great experience living in Budapest like a local. After going through all this information about the city, we hope we managed to convince you to come and visit the capital city of Hungary and enjoy the best city this amazing city has to offer at a low price.
By the way, you should follow this Instagram account related to Budapest. They post some stunning photos and places you must visit whilst there.
