KSH: the rate of wage increases exceeds inflation, the countryside is catching up

National and regional differences

In the second quarter, national net wage growth averaged 9%. Budapest matched this figure (9%), but it was not the capital that led the ranking. Instead, two regions traditionally characterized by lower incomes showed the strongest catch-up:

• Southern Transdanubia: 10.1%,

• Northern Great Plain: 9.9%.

By contrast, Central and Western Transdanubia recorded more modest growth (8.1% and 7.7%), while the combined Alföld and Northern regions posted 9.2%. Northern Hungary and the Southern Great Plain lagged somewhat behind, both at 8.7%.

Counties – Top performers

The strongest gross wage growth was observed in Tolna County (11%), followed by Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg (10.6%) and Baranya (10.4%). Hajdú-Bihar also showed significant improvement (10%). The lowest growth was measured in Győr-Moson-Sopron County (7.1%), while Nógrád also performed below average (7.9%).

Budapest and Pest County recorded wage increases around the national average (9.2–9.3%).

Median earnings

The gross median wage stood at HUF 567,700, up 10.3% year-on-year. The net median was HUF 395,000, marking a 10.5% increase – meaning that the median grew even faster than the average.

Trends and outlook

In the first half of 2025, the average gross earnings of full-time employees were HUF 692,800, and the net average was HUF 476,100. These represent annual increases of 9.2% and 9.0%, respectively.

The data suggest that Hungary’s wage agreement program is working: wage growth is becoming more balanced, with regions outside the capital starting to catch up. The most dynamic progress was seen in Tolna, Baranya, and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties, while growth in the more developed western regions was comparatively moderate.