The real estate agency Otthon Centrum has ranked Hungary’s cities and towns according to health services, job opportunities and property prices to find out where it is the best to live in Hungary.

People’s migration patterns from the last five years show that the most popular places are Budapest and its agglomeration; Northwest Hungary, especially the towns closest to Austria, such as Sopron or Szentgotthárd; and towns by the Lake Balaton. In these areas, there were 25-30 newcomers for every 1000 residents in the last five years.

Based on the quality index, Budapest clearly is the winner; the first 14 places were taken by the districts of the capital. Pécs, Szeged and Debrecen also made it to the list, as well as Tiszaújváros, whose popularity is due to the fact that many people find work here. According to the data, it is the only town in the eastern part of Hungary, besides Szeged, that has experienced an influx of people. Significant population decrease can be seen in the East and Northeast, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok County and the northernmost area of the country being the most affected.

According to oc.hu, the considered factors gave a quality of life index which correlated with people’s moving tendencies. When property prices are considered, the list hardly changes. This shows that prices are affected by the quality of life people can lead in different places. Property prices in towns that offer the best living conditions are five times as high as prices in the peripheral areas.

The indicator is also influenced by the size of the towns but it does not consider people’s subjective opinions of their own surroundings. This is how the agglomeration of Budapest – the collection of towns surrounding the city – took lower places on the list. These towns and their residents are strongly connected to the capital: people find work and use healthcare services in Budapest, thus strengthening the position of the city.

Copy editor: bm

Source: oc.hu