Vacation Homes Show Bold Price Divide Across the Country

Hungary’s vacation home market presents a clear picture of contrasts: while the most affordable properties are found along Lake Tisza, prices at Lake Balaton reach dizzying heights.

The price differences for real estate in Hungary’s holiday regions are enormous. At the top of the scale is Tihany on the northern shore of Lake Balaton, with an average price per square meter of 1.7 million forints (4,235 euros). The situation is quite different at the other end of the spectrum. Data from Ingatlan.com, based on 32,000 real estate listings with waterfront locations, show that square meter prices between 131,000 and 165,000 forints (326–411 euros) are the norm in settlements along Lake Tisza.

Vacation homes on the banks of the Tisza can be purchased much more cheaply than in the areas around Lake Balaton or Lake Velence,

explained László Balogh, leading economic expert at Ingatlan.com. What is striking is the dominance of eastern Hungarian locations among the settlements with water access. These are mostly smaller, rural communities where the median price per square meter is between 140,000 and 180,000 forints (348–448 euros) – a fraction of the tenfold prices that are common at Lake Balaton.

The most expensive residential properties in the waterfront holiday regions can be found in Tihany.

Here, median prices per square meter exceed 1.7 million forints (4,235 euros), and the average purchase price is almost 180 million forints (448,000 euros). However, other locations at the “Hungarian sea” are also in the upper price league. Balatonakarattya, Aszófő, Zamárdi, and Szántód have average square meter prices between 1.4 and 1.6 million forints (3,488 and 3,987 euros), with total prices ranging from 94 to 165 million forints (from 234,000 to 411,000 euros). An extreme example is Paloznak, where the average property price in June 2025 is estimated at 270 million forints (673,000 euros).

Tihany. Photo: Pixabay

However, the expert points out that there are also significantly more affordable options in holiday regions with access to water.

For instance, in Tiszaroff, Tiszaug, Tiszapalkonya, and Tiszadada, the average prices per square meter range between 131,000 and 165,000 forints (326–411 euros), and the total prices of the properties remain below 15 million forints (45,000 euros). On the Körös River in Szarvas, prices are just over 32 million forints (80 thousand euros), while buyers in Barcs on the Dráva River can even expect prices below 30 million forints (75,000 euros).

Lake Tisza. Photo: Wikipedia

According to László Balogh, the high price level of Balaton vacation homes is stimulating demand for real estate in the more affordable waterfront locations, especially during the summer months. There are over 20 lakeside locations where the average price does not exceed 25 million forints (62,000 euros), he added. In these holiday regions, buyers can choose from over 1,100 properties for sale. The supply of more affordable lakeside locations could therefore significantly boost demand on the real estate market in eastern Hungary this summer.

Purchase Price of Lake Balaton Properties Exceeds that of the Capital