₊˚⊹ Let's explore life (and Hungary) together. ₊˚⊹ I try to improve myself and my work-life balance, discover Hungary and show you everything that captures my interest. If you like any of these topics, subscribe! ♡︎ Hope you will have fun here! ⟡ ‧₊˚❀ About me ❀˚₊‧ Name: Petra Age: 26 Live in: Budapest, Hungary Work: 8-5 office ♡ If you need information / a "stranger / long distance friend", just write to me » frompetrasperspective@gmail.com ♡ Petra
I loved using Mol Bubi when I visited Budapest in 2022 for 2 months. I think Budapest is a very bike friendly city with many dedicated bike lanes, and I also felt safe riding around the city overall. I recommend you try it! Sok szerencsét!
Thank you for this comment! :) Budapest really tries to be more open for bikers, it's not easy everywhere to let the bikers go, but we can really see the developement, there are always more and more bike lanes and that's great! :)
I would walk to work too because Budapest is my favorite city. I only lived in Hungary, in Esztergom, for maybe 5-6 months but I enjoyed it very much. That work day seems long and I'm surprised! We don't work that much in the US, generally, but I haven't compared any recent labor statistics. Still, I would walk, sometimes take the bus, tram, or subway, and I would try to eat out as much as possible because there is so much good for everywhere. If I see some elderly woman selling Langos out of a window along the sidewalk then you can bet that I will stop there often. LOL!
I also fell in love with walking in Budapest, that's one of my favourite activity and the options are endless! What I also love is to walk along one of the bridges, I never get bored of it. :) The Danube is so beautiful. Lángos and (for me) Kürtöskalács is a must! :) I love it that these little buffets are not only for tourists, even the Hungarians stop by from time to time, that's how you know they are good! :) When we make a program in the city, we always but one of them, I really like them as well. :)
First of all, this comment has nothing to do with my video, it's just spreading negativity which I don't support. Second of all, I wouldn't say this in such a general way, this statement is definitely not true within the younger generations. Such comments like this only create tension between people and negative attitude, so I would appreciate it if people would not focus on writing comment like this. Don't get me wrong, I respect your opinion, but when it really has nothing to do with the content I make, I can't comment otherwise. Thank you.
Hi! Thank you for the question! The main site to search for a flat is: ingatlan.com (You can search there in English, you have to change language at the bottom of the main page), but there's also a lot of facebook groups (even in English) you can choose from. (Type in something like "Budapest Flat" and you will find more groups around this topic.) I think these options are the most valid ones, at least I would start with them. :) You have to also know that 99% of the time you have to pay a 2-month deposit what you get back when you move out. And also the people apply for the "good offers" within hours, so don't hesitate to apply for them right away, you can still say no after you checked the place out in person. :) I hope this helped! Good luck! :)
Thank you so much and that's really nice to read! :) I definitely recommend you to see Budapest for yourself at least for a shorter time, this city has so much to offer!
It really depends on how long you stay here. :) For a shorter (few days) stay I would definitely check out: • the Parliament and it's surrounding: Kossuth Lajos tér (Kossuth Lajos Square), the Shoes on the Danube Bank, Szabadság tér (Liberty Square), until the St. Stephen's Basilica. • the Buda Castle and the whole Castle Quarter • walking through the Lánchíd (Chain Bridge) • Hősök tere (Heroes Square) • Margit-sziget (Margaret Island) I would also use the tram lines to see more of the city, because honestly, every building in the center has its own story and the architecture is just wonderful. :) For a longer stay I would also check out: • Normafa (beautiful place to see the city from above) • the Gellért-hill gives you also an amazing view (but the top is now closed due to construction, but it's still worth a hike) • the Városliget (City Park) - it has so many beautiful buildings: Vajdahunyad castle, the House of Music etc.) and full of people (but in a good way, everyone is chilling with their dogs etc,it's so relaxing), it's truly a wonderful place to have a picnic for example • Kopaszi-gát is also one of my favourite places in Budapest • the Andrássy avenue ... and so on. :) These are my recommendations, and also so many things will appear along the way, so just look around and enjoy the atmosphere of the city. I hope that you will like it! :)
@@petrasperspective Thank you so much for your recommendations on places of interest, very kind of you. This time I will be here for 1 week and will absolutely explore as much as I can. I probably won't be disappointed.
One week is amazing, it's perfect to see the city in a comfortable pace. :) I forgot to tell you that October is a perfect time to visit Budapest, the weather is so nice during this month (most of the time). :)
Well one thing that is worth mentioning is the language barrier. In Budapest you can make it in English but in smaller cities it would be a whole different story. Hungarian is a notorious difficult language to learn(not impossible, but it will take a fair amount of time to become fluent)
Yes, thank you, you're absolutely right! I forgot to mention this, but maybe I will do a whole other video just dedicated to this topic. That could be really helpful. Thank you once again for mentioning! :)
Kecskemét is a beautiful and peaceful city, I hope you will like it! My brother studied in Kecskemét, as well and he also lived in a dorm, the living costs are cheaper definitely, the grocery prives are probably the same, since most of the shop (Spar, Lidl, Aldi etc.) set their prices nationally, but buying vegetables, fruits in local stores or markets are very probably cheaper than in Budapest. The same goes for prices in restaurants, cafés, bars etc., they are cheaper than in the capital. Even the renting prices are lower, the average rental price in Kecskemét was around 128.000 HUF (320 EUR) in march 2024. (I couldn't find a more recent data, but it's still relevant.) Compared to the rental prices in Budapest at that same period (250.000 HUF or 630 EUR), you can definitely tell a difference. :D I hope this helped, if you have any other questions, just let me know! Enjoy your stay in Hungary! :)
@petrasperspective thank you so much for help. Can you help me with deciding which mobile sim to buy if I have to use Internet more...which is good for me as a student and if I can get a job there? I will be living in the dorm too. I hope dorms are clean and good. By the way I love your videos.
You're welcome! If you would like to have a new SIM, in Hungary there are two main phone service: Vodafone and Telekom. They both have good deals, here you can inform yourself about them (with the information about the personal help): Vodafone: www.vodafone.hu/english/home Telekom: www.telekom.hu/lakossagi/english The dorms and libraries (and also the educational buildings) definitely have unlimited internet access and wifi, so if you would like to use your laptop (or your phone), you don't have to worry about the internet. I can't really tell much about how clean and good the dorms are, but in Hungary most of the dorms are pretty good, they are in good conditions, since they have to comply to the laws. For job opportunities, I think it is worth to ask the student representative or the people who deal with foreign students. I'm sure they will give you some more information about the local opportunities. Most universities build a big community around the foreign students, so you can exchange your questions and experiences with each other. I hope this helped! :)
No, it's not free, as I said in the video if you have a registered Hungarian adress, you can buy monthly passes for 1.000 HUF (2,5 EUR) or annual pass for 8.500 HUF (21 EUR). The passes let you bike for 30 minutes. If you don't have a Hungarian adress, the only option is the "pay as you go plan" which means that every minute you have to pay 40 HUF(which starts from the first minute). In this case you can use your bike as much as you want. The change after 30 minutes only valid for the passes, if you don't return the bike before the 30 minute, you have to pay 40 HUF for every minute from the 30th minute. If you return the bike and change for another one before the 30 minutes, you don'T have to pay the extra amount of money. I hope that now it was more understandable, but you can find more information here: molbubi.hu/en/faq/
Petra, your videos are like mental and psychological cleanse ❤ I also deal with such a situation, I'll try some of these tips. Take Care 🤗 My Friend 🙏 God Bless You 🍀
Hi! You asked this question before (under my Costs of living in Budapest video) and I already answered that there! :) Please, check it out there. Thank you!
You're welcome! I did! I added the amounts in euro everywhere, to make it easier to understand, I used the official currency code EUR. Go check it out again! 😄 Or did I misunderstand your comment? 🤔
Ikea meat balls are my all time favourites! :D (And also the Daim Cake.) Ikea has this promotion until June 30 (at least in Hungary), so until that the foods are always 50% off on fridays and they have other deals that are valid for only this day (different types of products, e.g. once for flowers and pots, other times for curtains and rugs etc.). The only thing required is an IKEA family card which you can get easily. If you're here, definitely check it out! :) (I'm sure that they will have other promotions like this in the future and if they will, I will inform you all in time!)
Thank you. I got a good information from your video :) I really expect my BUDAPEST life !! Also I am worried about safe problem. Are there any dangerous area or utca in budapest ?
Thank you for asking this question! :) First of all I would say that Budapest is not more dangerous than any other European capitals, so in general you should not be worried.(Hungary is in the 10 safest countries in Europe - according to the Global Peace Index.) And because there are so many foreigners in Budapest, the people get really used to them. Of course there are areas that feel less safe, but in the last decades the situation got way better thanks to some urban rehabilitation program. There are still streets for e.g. in the VIII. districts that are less safe, but the main areas are totally fine and safe even at night. A good example is the Corvin Quartier (behind the Corvin Mall), because today it's so modern and pretty, but it was a complete disaster and dangerous place like 15 years ago. Hős utca (Hős street) was also one street that is considered even today as a dangerous place, but as far as I know this situation has also been resolved. The public camera system is very well established in the city (and it's constantly being expanded) which always helps to feel more safe. If you would like to avoid feeling unsafe, walk on street that have good lights, find some people that you can walk with. I never had a dangerous or unsafe experience and I really hope that I could calm you down. If you have more questions, please, ask them, I'm happy to help and now I also consider to make a video about this topic. :) Stay safe! :)
@@petrasperspective Thank you so much for the detailed information. I think I can go with peace of mind. Please continue to make great videos. It will be very helpful to me as a foreigner living in Budapest. Thank you again ! :)
I'm glad I could help! :) If you need information about something about Budapest / living in Hungary, I will be happy to help. You can always find me here and I also added my contacts in my bio. I hope that you will enjoy your stay here. :)
Your videos are really True in exploring and explaining everything clearly. I saw it on that same day and was repeatedly watching it and today I'm commenting on it. This is the same for your other videos. Like, your content is so full of feelings that you forgot to interact via comments 😊
Thank you so much for your comment, I really appreciate it! :) I'm glad that you like my content, I really try my best to show you around these places, and I try to find a balance between being entertaining in my own style, but also sharing some general information that can be helpful for you.
it's important to respect yourself as a person, we are not machines. We must account for this when planning and being productive, lest we supress it and burnout. Recovering from that is way harder.
Yes, it's really true. You have to be kind and patient with yourself and when your body and mind tells you to slow down: listen to it. That's the most imprtant thing you can do to yourself. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the video, I really appreciate it! :)
I like the lessons you took. I myself am changing a lot of things in my life now, in the thirties. No one should feel pressured to be stablished in the 20s, and specially, don't have fear of trying. We regret the roads not walked, but not what it's tried but failed. If you failed, it's okay, try again, try something else. I really like the music in your videos. Also, it feels like you are really baring your soul and speaking candidly. You speak with your own words, and that's nice.
Thank you so much for this kind comment and also, I'm glad you enjoyed my video! :) You are absolutely right, there's no real rush in life, everyone's path is different, so we should not feel the pressure just because we see that someone achieved something sooner / did better than us. We also develop and change every day and we should really focus on these, so at the end we can appreciate more ourselves and our efforts of trying.
Thank you for the question! Unfortunately that is really hard to tell, since it really depends on your lifestyle, where would you live, are you living alone or not etc., but I would say that yes, it is possible to live in Budapest from that amount of money, if you live a moderately frugal lifestyle. The prices of the flats can range from 500 (one-room flat) to 970 USD, so if you find a flat for a lower price, your pension should be more than enough. I hope this answer helped you a little.
Hi Petra, interesting video, i just subscribed. I really love to come to Hungary but i don't know how to get a job there, please is there any source one can apply? Thanks.
Hi and welcome to my channel! :) It's nice to see that you are interested in working in Hungary. The biggest Hungarian job search website is profession.hu. It has an English version profession.hu/en, so it's easier to search, but most of the job offers are going to be still in Hungarian.. and for Hungarians. Linkedin has tons of options if you search for "English" jobs in "Budapest". I just checked it, the search returned more than 6.000 job opportunities. You can also join to different Facebook groups with the same search terms "jobs in Budapest" (or Hungary, of course). They are also pretty popular. With these you should definitely find soemthing that suits you. I wish you the best of luck and I hope that you will come to Hungary soon! :)
Hi, I am joining ELTE this September as a PhD student. I generally cook regularly and don't eat outside, so what shall my grocery cost be on an average? Is eating veg more cheaper? Also could you comment on monthly prices for private student dorms or where do I find student dorms? just incase I am unable to get a dorm room at ELTE. Thanks in advance, your video was really helpful! -Abhinaba (India)
Hi! Good to hear that you will study here! :) Well, your grocery costs really depend on what kind of food you would cook, because some of the "more special" ingredients can be expensive. I included some basic products in the video. Fruits and vegetables are not that cheap in Hungary (or at least for us, Hungarians), but I collected some examples (average prices): - tomato: 1370 HUF / kg (3,5 EUR) - cucumber: 1110 HUF / kg (2,8 EUR) - potato: 420 HUF / kg (1 EUR) - apple: 540 HUF / kg (1,4 EUR) - lemon: 940 HUF / kg (2,4 EUR) Budapest has a lot of markets, so I would recommend you to go to one and get your vegetables, fruits, even meats, but note that most of the elderly sellers don't really speak English. Here's a website, where you can see some of the prices in English: www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Budapest I can't really say anything about private student dorms, I have no experience with them, but I can say, that ELTE has a lot of dorms, since it's the biggest university in Hungary, so I don't think you will have trouble with getting a place. I'm sure that you will get a lot of information about the accommodation beforehand at the university, but don't be afraid to ask someone there who knows more about this topic (foreign students representative, ELTE facebook groups etc.)!
This is really an amazing vlog I have come across. It's quite soothing and relaxing and I can also relate to it as well. You are definitely an amazing person and I really wish you best of Luck ahead. Take Care God Bless You.
Thank you very much! :) Well, it's really hard to say, because it really depends on with what kind of exchange program you participate in (if you do, but I assume), because these programs pay most of the time enough to live comfortably here (at least they pay for the accomodation). Dorms have also very different prices, it can be anything from 30.000 forints to 80.000 HUF / month. (77 to 200 EUR.) If you would like to save money I really recommend you to apply for a dorm place. They also organize a lot of programs for students which I think is really nice. (At least it's my experience.) :) All in all I think that if we don't count in the "housing" prices which can vary a lot, 60.000 to 100.000 HUF for a student should be okay in Budapest. (60.000 HUF if you don't go out that often and you don't participate in costly programmes.)
Thank you so much! I'm still just figuring out, trying to find what I like, so your comment reassure me that I do something good. :) So I'm really thankful! Hope that you're doing well! :)
IBS located in the 3rd district, a bit further from the city center, but I wouldn't say that the transport is bad. The suburban railway line H5 passes nearby, the closest station is Aquincum which brings you to the "more central area" in the Buda side within 12-15 minutes, so it's pretty good. :) Also recommended to use the bus 34 or 106 from the station called Záhony utca (Záhony street) that brings you to the Göncz Árpád városközpont (Árpád Göncz City Center) from where you can use the metro line M3. That metro line goes directly to the city center within 10-12 minutes. Everything you need for planning your routes in Budapest you can find here: futar.bkk.hu/ and you can change language in the right top corner (if you use a laptop, like I do right now). :) And also you can download the app: BudapestGO which is the official trip planner and you can also buy your tickets / passes with it online. (Also supports English.) I hope this helped, if you have any other questions, just let me know! :)
thanks for all the info! i'm moving to budapest in august for work and it really helped me out :) since i'm going to be living alone and it's my first time in budapest, i'm looking to stay closer to downtown, like XIII, V and maybe even IX, VI, VII - do you really think it doesn't make a difference being on the outer districts? i like walking everywhere and being close to stuff... how much would you guess someone would spend in total p/m with rent, groceries, eating out and maybe going to a bar once a week?
Hi! I'm glad that you found it useful! :) About the districts you mentioned: The V. district is the second most expensive district, since it's the one where the Parliament, the Basilica, the Váci Street (also known as: "fashion street"), the Liberty and the Deák Square etc. is located. You should consider this, before you choose a flat for yourself. The XIII., the IX., the VII. are way better if we talk about the prices and they are still pretty close to the center, but the VIII. is also a great option, since most of the part of this district was renovated in the last 10-15 years (and it's still happening). Of course you can still find good opportunities in every district (with a bit of luck), so if you really prefer one district, go for it. :) The main site to search for a flat is: ingatlan.com (I checked it out, you can search there in English, you have to change language at the bottom of the main page), but there's also a lot of facebook groups (even in English) you can choose from. You have to also know that 99% of the time you have to pay a 2-month deposit what you get back when you move out. The monthly expenses really depend on your lifestyle (and how much you earn), but I made some calculation and I would say that an average monthly spending would be around 260.000 - 320.000 HUF (670 to 820 EUR) with all the things you listed above (I added the electricity, water etc. bills and I only calculated with a one-room flat - a 2-room flat price would start at around 250.000 HUF = 640 EUR). (Please note that it's really just my calculation with a moderately strict spending mentality.) :D It's getting a bit long, so if you have any other question or if you need any help later on, you can write an email to me and I will gladly help (email is in my bio). :) I hope you will like Budapest, it's truly an amazing city. :) Good luck!
Haha, yes! You can also hear this word in Hungary, but nowadays only older people say that when they talk about their grandfathers. :D Personally, I never use this word. I checked out and one possible explanation for the name is that it originates from Saint Stephen who called his foster priest "tata" and that person was the founder of the monastery in Tata. So who knows? :D We have some language similarities then. :)
I was just wondering about prices in Budapest, I've been there last summer and I will go this summer too, Budapest is absolutely beautiful, I didn't know the exact numbers for rent and salaries, so this video helped :) eating out in Budapest was much cheaper than the same food here in Bratislava (I know we have higher average salary but this was the one thing that I was surprised about, food was top tier), groceries were almost the same (last summer), Lidl is the best :) I also live in the outline of the city because its more green here and cheaper, I pay 325 euros for my half of the rent (including internet and energy costs), my bf the same - for 1bedroom (maybe around 53 m2), now I think groceries prices got so high, that I feel like I'm spending too much even though I really think about what I buy and use coupons :D the most pricey supermarket in svk is Billa... this summer I will go to Hungarian Grand Prix (F1 race) and airbnb prices are like 5x higher during that time :D but I'm really looking forward for being in Budapest again :) btw your english is so good!
I'm so glad that you found my video useful, of course there's a lot of other things that could have been mentioned in this video, but I'm so happy that you still got some information out of it. :) Budapest has tons of options if you want to eat out, but you should know that in 2024 Hungary leads the list in Europe in terms of the fastest rising prices for pizza and gyros. (Fun fact, haha.) :D Yes, living in the outlying districts are so much calmer and greener, it makes it even more worth it! :) I could never live in the center with all those noises (especially in the summer, when everyone is out there partying). :D Grocery shopping is a though topic. I also feel bad whenever I decide to buy something "fancier", then I check the price and suddenly... I don't want to buy it anymore. I hope that it will change for the better in the future. I can imagine the prices during the Grand Prix, good luck on that! But all in all, I hope that you will have a great time here in Budapest and in Hungary! :)
I really liked your story, and I am at a moment of my life that I am finally overcoming my fear of failure and doing. It's not perfect, but I am improving and learning from failure. also, I really agree with the pause after becoming frustrated, if you do things while frustrated/blocked, you will only get worse.
First of all, thank you for sharing your story! It's great to hear that you got over your fear and you kept going. It takes a lot of strength and bravery, so you should be really proud of yourself, because it's not easy at all! I really do believe that failures are there to make us better and make us even stronger. If we don't see it that way, then we won't get out of this destructive spiral. We are not perfect, nobody is. We fail, but we also learn and at the end and we do amazing things. And yes, taking your time is very important. Doing things with frustration is going to cause even more failures. I wish you all the best, believe in yourself and everything will be okay. :)
Hi! I'm the same as you.. I started my first full-time job during pandemic in 2020 and it was so draining and I couldn't imagine how I can work 8 hours at some place every day :D I was only working part-time before and that was different... it's true that I was sometimes working 12 hours a day but it wasn't every day... every month... so it was more manageable, I think having a "work friend" helps surviving the day and I also noticed that I can work better when office isn't full :D (in open office).. later I found a job where I could work from home for two or one day a week, but it was still draining - those other days in the office (with maaany people), also commuting was terrible, took me a lot of time, now I work fully remote and I feel better, because I have more time before and after work and I don't have to be with people in open office :| .. but I feel anti-social now so I'm trying to persuade myself to come to the office at least once a month, I guess everything has its ups and downs... I also had morning rituals, like when I wake up I used to do something I like - lighting a candle, when I wasn't hungry I took my breakfast with me and ate at the office, because sometimes I ended up not eating anything and that wasn't good :D now I focus on the present, to not wait for the end of the day, for the end of the week, every day should give us something, we should learn something new so this day counts or find something nice about it (maybe romanticize a bit) :) the thing I still struggle with is cooking after work :D
First of all: Welcome and thank you for sharing your story and point of view with me / with us! :) I can totally understand your struggles, every type of work has some benefits and disadvantages. It was really interesting to read why each of them can be bad, because I totally related to them! Right now I have 2 home offices a week, but here, in Hungary the other options, like open office, are not a very common practices, so having 2 days as home office is probably the best I can ever have. :D I can totally agree with you that being home every day can make you more anti-social, spending a few days a month with collagues really much needed and could be helpful as well. :) I also have one work-friend who is 25 years older than me, still we understand each other so much that it makes the work hours go by faster. So yeah, a good work-friend can save your days. :D Morning routine and all in all daily routines are essential. In my latest video I was talking about this exact same thing how important this whole thing to me is and how it helps to start the day with a clearer mind. Lighting a candle sounds so relaxing to me! :) And yes, your last bit is also really important, if not the most important... we should not let ourselves be too negative, because that will cause a negative spiral and everything will be harder and harder (mentally and physically). It's so great to see that you are also working on these things, it's not easy at all, but it's so worth it. :) Have a very nice day! :)
That's exactly what I was thingking, as well! I stopped at every little detailed piece and I was amazed like a child. Such a nice thing to have moments like this, even though we are adults. :)
Happy Chinese New Year to you and your love ones. May the Year of the Dragon bestow upon you and your family great wealth, excellent health and everlasting prosperity and happiness. ❤❤❤
Very lovely! Great tips! Reading is definitely one that works wonders for me aswell! Going for walks in nature.. Avoiding things that will drain my energy even more, knowing my priorities and saying no to anything else.. And as much as possible trying to just enjoy things that give me energy.. For the sake of enjoyment! I do not want these things to be another thing on my to do list.. But that's not always easy 😅
Thank you for this amazing comment! 🥰 Saying no to things is definitely one of the hardest things, I had to practice it a lot as well (and I still have to), but it's so rewarding to put yourself first and do what you really feel like doing. 😌 Keep doing this great practice that you mentioned! ☺️
Sorry, but this video has nothing to do with any of these aspects. I honestly don't see why it would be bad to visit Esztergom with children, but I accept this part of the comment, maybe you know more about it from experience. As for the second part I would be happy if next time you would avoid any comment with political undertone, because it just creates a negative and misunderstood atmosphere that I would like to avoid on this channel. Thank you very much for your cooperation!
I wish you the best for your graduation! 🎓 Such an exciting period, good luck! I hope you will have fun on your journeys! ☺️ Let me know later on how they are going (or at the end of the year).
