Hire Developers in Hungary: Pay, Talent Pool and How to Hire
Full-time software developers in Hungary earned an average of HUF 1,364,606 gross a month in 2025, according to KSH, 1.94 times the HUF 705,014 average for all full-time employees. The employer adds 13% social contribution tax. Hungary had 212,500 ICT specialists in work in 2025, 4.6% of all employment.
Thinking of hiring software developers in Hungary? This page is for founders and hiring managers who want the facts before they decide. It covers the size of the IT talent pool, what developers earn, what an employer pays on top, time zone overlap and the ways to hire, using official figures from KSH and Eurostat.
ICT specialists in employment in Hungary, 2020 to 2025
Developer and IT pay in Hungary
The talent pool in figures
Hungary had 212,500 ICT specialists in employment in 2025, according to Eurostat. That is 4.6% of everyone in work, against 5.0% across the EU. The number was 168,300 in 2020, so it grew 26.3% over 5 years, and it rose every year in between. Women made up 15.0% of Hungary's ICT specialists in 2025, below the EU share of 19.5%.
Hungarian universities and colleges produced 4,738 graduates in information and communication technologies in 2024, 6.8% of all tertiary graduates and 54.0% more than in 2019. 17.4% of them were women.
What developers earn in Hungary
The Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) publishes pay by occupation. Full-time software developers (occupation code 2142) earned an average of HUF 1,364,606 gross a month in 2025, 1.94 times the HUF 705,014 average for all full-time employees. System analysts earned HUF 1,355,026 and applications programmers HUF 1,093,150. The figures come from tax and treasury records and cover employees, not self-employed contractors.
For a more recent signal, full-time employees in telecommunication, computer programming and information services (section K of the classification TEรOR'25) earned HUF 1,238,617 gross a month on average from January to August 2026, about 1.6 times the HUF 765,311 average for the whole economy. That sector figure covers every role in the sector, not only developers.
The EU Structure of Earnings Survey gives a third view. In October 2022, professionals working in information and communication earned a mean of HUF 883,381 gross a month, about 1.8 times the average for all employees in industry and services. It covers companies with 10 or more employees. Individual pay depends on seniority and skills, and sits above or below these averages. Our software engineer salary guide for Hungary has pay by age and an EU comparison.
What it costs an employer on top of pay
Hungarian employers pay social contribution tax (szocho) of 13% on top of gross pay. The employee's 18.5% social security contribution and 15% income tax are withheld from the gross salary. On the 2025 average for software developers of HUF 1,364,606 gross, szocho adds HUF 177,399 a month, for a total employer cost of HUF 1,542,005 a month (our calculation). Our guide to hiring in Hungary has the full breakdown and a worked example: a HUF 800,000 salary costs the employer HUF 904,000 a month. The minimum wage is HUF 322,800 gross a month in 2026, and the guaranteed wage minimum for jobs that need at least secondary education is HUF 373,200.
Working together across time zones
Hungary is on Central European Time, UTC+1, and UTC+2 in summer. It is 1 hour ahead of London and, for most of the year, 6 hours ahead of New York. A 09:00 to 17:00 day in Budapest overlaps about 7 hours with London and about 2 hours with New York, so shared meetings with New York fall in the New York morning. A full-time day under the Labor Code is 8 hours, and employees get at least 20 working days of paid leave a year, plus extra days by age from 25.
How to hire developers in Hungary
Start with placement. We source, screen and interview remote developers, then deliver a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 21 days for a flat $6,500, or your deposit back. Prefer to run the search yourself? Post a job for $299 and reach candidates who want to work remotely.
Once you have chosen the person, there are 3 ways to employ them:
- Hungarian entity: you register a company in Hungary, run payroll and pay the social contribution tax yourself. It suits a team of several people in Hungary.
- Employer of record (EOR): a third-party provider becomes the legal employer and runs Hungarian payroll for a monthly fee per employee. Your company directs the work.
- Contractor: the developer invoices you through their own business. The relationship has to be genuinely independent, or it can count as employment.
Euro Remote Talent does not employ people on your behalf. We handle the placement: we find and shortlist the candidate, and you employ them through the route that fits.
See how placement works or post a job.
More guides
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and collective agreements can set different terms. Confirm with a local accountant or lawyer before you hire.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average developer salary in Hungary?
Full-time software developers earned an average of HUF 1,364,606 gross a month in 2025, according to KSH. That is 1.94 times the average for all full-time employees. From January to August 2026, pay in telecommunication, computer programming and information services averaged HUF 1,238,617 a month.
How many software developers are there in Hungary?
Eurostat counted 212,500 ICT specialists in employment in Hungary in 2025, 4.6% of all workers, up 26.3% since 2020. The figure covers developers and other ICT roles such as network and support specialists.
How long does it take to hire a developer in Hungary?
With our placement service you get a shortlist of 3 vetted candidates within 21 days, or your deposit back. After that, the time depends on your interviews and on the candidate's notice period, which is 30 days under the Labor Code unless the contract sets a longer one.
Should I hire a Hungarian developer as a contractor or an employee?
Either can work. An employee needs a Hungarian entity or an employer of record to run payroll, and the employer pays 13% social contribution tax on top of gross pay. A contractor invoices you through their own business, but the relationship must be genuinely independent or it can count as employment.
Do I need a company in Hungary to hire a developer there?
No. You can use an employer of record, a third-party provider that employs the person for you, or a genuine contractor agreement. Euro Remote Talent handles the placement: we find, screen and shortlist the person, and you choose the route.
Sources
- Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), STADAT 20.1.1.52, full-time employees average gross earnings by occupation, 2019 to 2025. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), STADAT 20.2.1.46, monthly gross earnings by economic branches, TEรOR'25. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Employed ICT specialists, isoc_sks_itspt. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Employed ICT specialists by sex, isoc_sks_itsps. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Graduates by field of education, educ_uoe_grad02. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Eurostat, Mean monthly earnings by occupation and economic activity, earn_ses22_48. Checked 9 Nov 2026.
- Nemzeti Adรณ- รฉs Vรกmhivatal (NAV), A szociรกlis hozzรกjรกrulรกsi adรณ mรฉrtรฉke. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- Nemzeti Adรณ- รฉs Vรกmhivatal (NAV), Fizetendล jรกrulรฉkok 2026. januรกr 1-jรฉtลl. Checked 3 Nov 2026.
- Nemzeti Jogszabรกlytรกr, Munka Tรถrvรฉnykรถnyve (Act I of 2012). Checked 3 Nov 2026.
