Mobile data in Hungary: Budapest, Balaton and the borders
Hungary is in the EU, so a European plan works at home prices. What is worth knowing is what happens at its edges: Serbia to the south is outside the EU roaming area, while Ukraine to the east joined it in 2026.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Hungary?
- Yes. It connects to Telenor Hungary, Vodafone (5G).
- Price
- From 4,49 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,79 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- Yes: Hungary is in EU roaming, so a plan from an EU country usually works at no extra cost, within your operator's fair-use limit. If your plan is from outside the EU, it charges international roaming.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Hungary. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Roaming in Hungary: the borders you cross without noticing
On an EU or EEA plan Hungary costs the same as home, within your operator’s fair use limit; with a UK plan or one from outside Europe it is your operator’s call, so check before you travel. Serbia and Ukraine are covered below. The borders holidaymakers actually brush against are the quiet ones in the north and west. Esztergom faces Štúrovo in Slovakia across the Mária Valéria bridge, and Sopron and the shore of Lake Fertő sit right on the Austrian border. There your phone can attach to a Slovak or Austrian network without you leaving Hungary. On a European plan that changes nothing. A data eSIM only works in the countries its plan lists, so if a Hungary-only plan stops loading near the border, pick a Hungarian network by hand.
The EU roaming calculator tells you the minimum for your plan.
eSIM for Hungary
Data on your phone the moment you land in Hungary. No account, no app, no shop.
Choose your data
For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Nothing is charged now · When we are done improving, we will email you 30% off
Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
The borders: Serbia out, Ukraine in
- The full list is in our map of roaming in Europe.
Hungary borders seven countries. Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and Romania are all in the EU, so nothing changes. Serbia is not, and it has its own regional roaming arrangement rather than the EU one, so your operator charges its own price there. Ukraine joined the EU roam-like-at-home area on 1 January 2026, so the eastern border no longer takes you out of the rule.
Which eSIM works in Hungary?
A Hungary eSIM runs on the local networks, Telenor Hungary (5G), Vodafone (5G). Data only: your usual number stays on your own SIM.
Coverage: Budapest, Balaton and the plains
Budapest has strong coverage with 5G, including most of the metro, and so do Debrecen, Szeged and the motorways. Around Lake Balaton it is good in the towns and thinner on the water. On the plains and in the small villages it varies, but the country is flat and well covered by European standards.
What uses data on a trip to Hungary
- 3 GB: a long weekend in Budapest with tickets and maps on the phone.
- 5 GB: a week, with a day out to Szentendre and the Danube Bend.
- 10 GB: two weeks, or a summer at Balaton sharing photos and making video calls.
- 20 GB: a month, or sharing data with a laptop.
Hungarian is not related to the languages around it, so signs and menus give few clues and the translation app gets real use, camera mode included. Add BudapestGO for routes and tickets, the motorway e-vignette if you drive, and maps around Balaton, where you hop between small towns. None of that is heavy. What eats gigabytes is uploading photos and video and calling home in the evening.
The data calculator gives an estimate in five questions.
Driving: the e-vignette is your number plate
Hungary’s toll motorways and expressways need an e-vignette, the e-matrica. There is no sticker: the vignette is a record linked to your number plate, and cameras read plates to check it. You can buy it online, in an app or at petrol stations, and the safe habit is to have it before you drive onto the motorway rather than sorting it out afterwards. What catches people out is the plate itself. Type it exactly, with the right country of registration, and check it before paying: a vignette on a mistyped plate does not cover your car, and fixing it means dealing with customer service. Keep the confirmation on your phone until the trip is over. Neighbouring Slovakia uses the same kind of plate-based e-vignette, bought separately, so a road trip through both needs two.
Budapest transport: BudapestGO and the airport bus
BKK, Budapest’s transport authority, has one official app, BudapestGO. It plans journeys with real-time departures and service changes, and sells single tickets, time-based tickets and 24- and 72-hour travelcards that live on the phone. A ticket bought in the app still has to be validated: with NFC you hold the unlocked phone to the sticker on metro validators or beside the doors of trams, buses and trolleybuses, and single tickets have a validation code to scan before boarding. One exception worth knowing on day one: a standard single ticket does not cover the 100E airport bus, the boats, the Buda Castle Funicular or the chairlift, which need their own tickets. Registered users can also buy tickets from other Hungarian transport operators in the same app.
Prices for Hungary
Hungary data eSIMs: 3 GB for 4,49 €, 5 GB for 6,79 €, 10 GB for 11,29 € and 20 GB for 16,99 €. The plan starts on the first connection in Hungary.
Travelling later?
Going to Hungary later? We remind you before you fly
Tell us the day you leave. We email you a week before and the day before with the steps to install the eSIM on Wi-Fi at home. Nothing else.
We only write about this trip, and every email has a one-click unsubscribe. Privacy policy
Is a Budapest single ticket valid on the airport bus?
No. The 100E airport bus needs its own ticket; an ordinary BKK single ticket does not cover it.
What happens if I cross into Serbia?
Serbia is outside the EU roaming area, so your operator charges its own tariff. Check it before crossing.
And into Ukraine?
Since 1 January 2026 Ukraine is in the EU roam-like-at-home area, so an EU plan works there at home prices.
Is there signal on the Budapest metro?
On most of it, yes. Deep sections can drop briefly, as in any underground network.
Do I need a vignette to drive on Hungarian motorways?
Yes, an e-vignette linked to your number plate, bought online, in an app or at petrol stations. There is no sticker, so check the plate carefully before paying.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Hungary