Mobile and Internet in Budapest: SIMs, Contracts and Home Broadband

The Deutsche Telekom subsidiary and the incumbent fixed line operator, with an English section of the site and a claim that English speaking staff work in every store.

Good to know: Mobile plans split voice and data into separate lines (a Mobil package plus a Net package), so the HUF 2,390 entry price buys calls only; home internet monthly fees are shown only after you type in your address, so ask for a written quote. Foreign nationals must show a residence or settlement permit, an EEA registration certificate, a residence card or a foreigner's identity card, and proving a permanent address is mandatory, which Telekom accepts either from the permit itself or from a separate address card. Telekom also states that a foreign national can conclude a Domino Quick prepaid contract only in person in a Telekom shop.

The merged Vodafone plus DIGI network under 4iG, and the operator with the most useful English self service page plus an English phone line (call 1270 and press 8, or +36 70 700 1270 from abroad).

Good to know: A foreign customer cannot activate a prepaid SIM online and has to visit a One store with an ID card, passport or driving licence, with passport only accepted for non EU and non EEA citizens; the annual prepaid data check also has to be done in a shop by foreign customers, even ones holding Hungarian documents. Postpaid tariffs are sold for 1 year without a device, 2 years with one, or on an open ended contract, and Tarifa L caps download speed at 5 Mbit/s despite the unlimited data label. A lost or self damaged SIM is replaced for HUF 2,500 on both prepaid and postpaid. The store network was still being restructured after the merger, so check the store locator before travelling.

The mobile focused third network, the easiest of the three for arrivals thanks to a full English site, tourist eSIM passes and an English store locator listing over 100 shops nationwide, 22 of them in Budapest.

Good to know: The head office is at 2045 Torokbalint, Pannon ut 1, outside Budapest, so the address shown is the Mammut I store. Advertised monthly prices assume the e-Komfort package (electronic invoicing plus payment by bank transfer, direct debit, the app or online banking, a domestically issued bank card or an ATM); if those conditions are not met Yettel adds back HUF 1,000 a month on Yettel Start and HUF 1,500 a month on other tariffs. Signing an 11 month term cuts the price, with Yettel Prime dropping from HUF 9,899 to HUF 9,379 a month. A foreigner with no Hungarian document can still take a postpaid contract against a contract deposit, on a foreign passport.

A real Hungarian network eSIM bought online in English with no store visit, which sidesteps the paperwork entirely for the first days or weeks.

Good to know: Pass S and M cannot be used for voice calls even though the same page says a Hungarian number comes with the eSIM; the pass must be connected to a network within 30 days of purchase, the contract lasts 60 days, and there is no topping up, so when the data runs out you buy another pass. The in store Yettel Stay pack adds voice and needs a passport for non EEA citizens. Yettel's own pages disagree on the EU roaming allowance: the eSIM product cards say 24 GB and 43 GB while the FAQ on the same page and the in store page say 20 GB and 36 GB, so confirm the figure before you rely on it abroad.

The main alternative to the big three and the cheapest published gigabit price in this table, at HUF 7,600 a month for a symmetric 1000/1000 Mbit/s line.

Good to know: The site, the contracts and customer service are Hungarian only, so bring a Hungarian speaker; the quoted prices assume electronic billing and add HUF 700 a month without it, and coverage is address by address rather than citywide.

Prepaid packs from all three Hungarian networks are sold over the counter at any post office, which is the fastest way to a Hungarian number without a contract.

Good to know: The post office only sells the pack; activation and the legally required identity registration still happen with the operator. Posta describes that as doable online or by phone, but that route is for Hungarian document holders: One states a foreign customer must activate in a One store, and Telekom states a foreign national can conclude a Domino Quick contract only in person in a Telekom shop. The address shown is the Magyar Posta head office rather than a branch.

The best known travel eSIM store, installable before you fly and activating the moment you land, with a regional European plan if Budapest is one stop of several.

Good to know: Data only with no Hungarian phone number, so it will not receive Hungarian SMS codes from banks or authorities; the Hungary eSIM runs on the Vodafone hosted network, which is now One, and the device has to be eSIM compatible and carrier unlocked.

Unlimited data on every plan with 24/7 chat support, and a Trustpilot badge on its own page reading Excellent, based on 104,023 reviews.

Good to know: Data only with no Hungarian number for calls or SMS, and hotspot sharing is capped at 1 GB a day, with total shareable data scaling to the plan length. Prices are quoted in US dollars on the page fetched here and Holafly shows the currency by visitor location, so check the amount in your own currency at checkout. The page does not name which Hungarian network carries the eSIM.

Thirty eight branch libraries across Budapest offer free wifi to anyone holding a borrowing card, a registration card or a day pass, which makes the reading rooms a reliable stopgap before your own line is live.

Good to know: Wifi is free but membership is not automatic: buy a registration card or a day pass at the enrolment desk with your ID, and note that only card or day pass holders may use the library computers, with one device per login. For a full borrowing membership in their own right, foreign nationals need a Hungarian residence or settlement permit or a registered official address; otherwise a Hungarian citizen has to act as guarantor.

Type a Budapest postcode and street and the tool lists which fixed, cable and mobile internet providers actually reach that address, which is the step most newcomers skip.

Good to know: Hungarian only and built on coverage data that providers upload themselves, so treat the result as a shortlist and confirm availability with the provider before signing anything.

The regulator publishes a monthly average monthly cost comparison of every prepaid package from Telekom, One and Yettel, and a plain language kisokos guide to what operators may and may not do to you.

Good to know: The kisokos consumer guide is written in Hungarian, including on the english.nmhh.hu address, so bring a translator or a Hungarian speaker; the institutional pages on english.nmhh.hu are genuinely in English. The phone number shown is the Ostrom utca headquarters, while the central customer service office sits at 1133 Budapest, Visegradi utca 106 on +36 1 468 0673. The media and telecoms ombudsman handles subscriber complaints free of charge, and NMHH's own speed test at szelessav.net is the reference if you want to prove a line is underperforming.