Shocking wage divide in Hungary widens: How much the country’s poorest workers earn

Recent data for the third quarter of 2025 show a huge wage divide across Hungary, with Budapest workers continuing to pull far ahead of their regional peers. According to figures analysed by Pénzcentrum, the capital’s average net monthly salary reached HUF 573,000, nearly HUF 100,000 above the national average of HUF 476,000. (At the time of writing this article, 1 euro costs 373 forints.)

The capital pulls ahead

Budapest’s outsized earnings indicate the “capital city effect,” where the high wages of the capital inflate the national average. Outside the capital, the picture is markedly less favourable, as Pénzcentrum illustrates in its report. Győr-Moson-Sopron, the second-highest paying county, still trails Budapest by HUF 77,000 with an average of HUF 496,201, making it the only other region above the national average. Other western and central counties, such as Komárom-Esztergom and Fejér, show solid industrial salaries, but the majority of Hungary’s counties lag well behind.

At the lower end, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg reported the country’s lowest net average, just HUF 357,587, followed by Békés (HUF 363,876) and Nógrád (HUF 371,740). This creates a yawning gap of around HUF 215,000 per month (more than 60%) between the highest- and lowest-paid regions.

Sectoral leaders

Top-paying sectors are concentrated in industrial and energy-intensive fields. The energy sector, including electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning, dominates several counties. Tolna County leads the national wage chart with an extraordinary net average of HUF 1.16 million, largely due to high-skilled roles at the Paks nuclear plant. Pest County and Budapest also feature in the top three, with averages around HUF 900,000.