What is the estimated total budget for two years of studying and living expenses in Hungary for a master's program?

Hungary's cost advantage over Western Europe is real, but the gap between Budapest and every other university city is large enough that studying in Hungary and studying specifically in Budapest are genuinely different budgets, not a rounding difference.

The Two-Year Budget Breakdown

Tuition typically runs 4,000 to 8,000 euros a year, or 8,000 to 16,000 euros across two years. Accommodation adds 4,000 to 9,000 euros over two years, food and groceries roughly 4,800 to 7,200 euros, transport and daily expenses 1,600 to 3,000 euros, and insurance around 600 to 1,200 euros, plus 1,000 to 2,000 euros for flights, visa, and residence permit setup costs. Together this puts a full two-year budget at roughly 20,000 to 38,400 euros.

Why Budapest Costs More

Hungary's official Study in Hungary cost calculator shows a shared flat including utilities running around HUF 140,000 a month in Budapest, compared with roughly HUF 80,000 a month in several other university cities, a difference that compounds significantly across a full academic year and then again across two years.

What This Means in Rupees

Using an approximate rate of 1 euro to 110 rupees, the full range converts to roughly 22 to 42 lakh rupees for the two years, and a practical planning target of around 32 to 35 lakh rupees leaves a reasonable buffer for exchange rate movement and unexpected costs.

This Information Is Also Available On

Study in Hungary, Hungarian Directorate General for Aliens Policing

My Advice

If overall cost matters more to you than living in the capital, prioritise a university outside Budapest, since the accommodation gap alone can be the difference between a comfortable two-year budget and a genuinely stretched one. Also confirm your chosen programme's exact tuition before finalising your budget, since Hungary's official immigration guidance requires you to demonstrate sufficient resources for subsistence, accommodation, healthcare, and return travel as part of your residence permit application, not just an estimated range.