Electricity price in Hungary today
The spot price of electricity hour by hour in HU (HU), Friday, 23 October 2026.
Hungary lives with two very different electricity prices. On the HUPX exchange, the hourly price moves with sunshine, imports and gas, and on summer evenings it can be among the highest in Europe. Most households, however, never see that price: since 2013 the government's utility cost reduction policy, rezsicsökkentés, has fixed what families pay at a level far below the market.
Since August 2022 that protection covers consumption only up to the national average; units above it cost considerably more.
Behind both prices sits a power system built on the Paks nuclear plant, a remarkably fast solar expansion and a large, permanent need for imports.
Today electricity costs 85.8 Ft/kWh in HU (HU) on average.
LiveSource: Bundesnetzagentur | SMARD.deRate: ECB 22/10/2026
Hour by hour
The three cheapest hours in a row are 11–14 (average 35.2 Ft/kWh). The dearest hour is 22–23.
Show every hour as a table
| Hour | Spot price (Ft/kWh) | Level |
|---|---|---|
| 00–01 | 96.8 | Middle |
| 01–02 | 99.4 | Dear |
| 02–03 | 97.4 | Middle |
| 03–04 | 96.1 | Middle |
| 04–05 | 96.9 | Middle |
| 05–06 | 93.9 | Middle |
| 06–07 | 101.0 | Dear |
| 07–08 | 106.6 | Dear |
| 08–09 | 92.5 | Cheap |
| 09–10 | 79.5 | Cheap |
| 10–11 | 59.8 | Cheap |
| 11–12 | 41.7 | Cheap |
| 12–13 | 32.1 | Cheap |
| 13–14 | 31.8 | Cheap |
| 14–15 | 45.2 | Cheap |
| 15–16 | 65.2 | Cheap |
| 16–17 | 93.1 | Middle |
| 17–18 | 90.6 | Cheap |
| 18–19 | 102.6 | Dear |
| 19–20 | 110.8 | Dear |
| 20–21 | 110.5 | Dear |
| 21–22 | 99.4 | Middle |
| 22–23 | 115.2 | Dear |
| 23–00 | 100.3 | Dear |
The spot price is the exchange price, the average of the hour's four quarter-hour prices, before taxes, network tariffs and VAT. Converted at the ECB reference rate of 22/10/2026: 1 EUR = 366.4300 HUF. The ECB's rates are free to use.
Where does the electricity in Hungary come from?
Gross electricity generation in 2024 by energy source. Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_peh).
Household price since 2023
Average price per kWh, all-in, for a household using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year. Source: Eurostat (nrg_pc_204).
A household in Hungary using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year paid 42.4 Ft/kWh on average, all-in, in H1 2026, 1% more than a year before (Eurostat).
Eurostat's figure for each half-year, with taxes, levies, network costs and VAT. Updated twice a year.
How the electricity price works in Hungary
HUPX, MAVIR and the universal service
Hungary is a single bidding zone. Its day-ahead price is formed on the HUPX power exchange in the European market coupling, together with Slovakia, Romania, Austria and the rest of the EU. MAVIR operates the transmission grid and balances the system, and MEKH, the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority, oversees networks and tariffs.
Most homes buy their electricity through the universal service (egyetemes szolgáltatás), today supplied by the state-owned MVM Next. Its household prices are set by government decree rather than by the market, and they have changed little in years, which is why Hungarian household bills appear so low in European comparisons.
Rezsicsökkentés: a protected band and a market band
The reduced price was introduced in several steps from 2013 and long applied to all household consumption. In summer 2022, when wholesale prices soared, the government split it in two: up to the average annual consumption of a Hungarian household the reduced price still applies, while anything above is billed at a much higher price that is closer to market costs.
Bills itemise energy and system use charges (rendszerhasználati díjak) for the network, and VAT is added on top. Separate, cheaper tariffs exist for controlled circuits that run night-storage heaters and water boilers, and for heat pumps.
Sunny middays, expensive evenings
The shape of the Hungarian day-ahead curve is set by the sun. Around midday, solar output often exceeds what the country can use, so prices fall sharply and power flows out to the neighbours. After sunset, demand has to be met by gas plants and imports, and the price can climb steeply, especially in heatwaves when air conditioning runs and wind is weak across the region.
Planned outages at Paks, the gas price and the limits of the cross-border lines are the other main drivers. In recent summers, evening prices in Hungary and its south-eastern neighbours have at times stood far above those in Austria and Germany.
Paks, panels and gas
The four reactors at Paks, on the Danube south of Budapest, have long produced the largest single share of Hungarian electricity. Two new reactors, known as Paks II, are planned on the same site. Solar has turned from a niche into a main source within a few years, from large ground-mounted parks as well as rooftops.
Gas-fired plants cover much of the rest and set the price in the evening. The Mátra lignite plant in the north-east is the last significant coal-fired station. Wind power has remained marginal since strict siting rules were adopted in 2016, and hydropower is minimal in a country as flat as Hungary.
A net importer surrounded by neighbours
Hungary produces markedly less electricity than it consumes and fills the gap with imports, much of it from the north. Slovakia exports nuclear power across the Danube; Austria adds Alpine hydro and wind. To the east, Romania relies on hydro, nuclear and coal, and in the south-west, Croatia shares a nuclear plant with Slovenia and has plenty of hydropower.
So much power passes through Hungary that the capacity of these cross-border lines often decides whether the Hungarian price stays close to its neighbours' or breaks away from them.
Hungary compared with its neighbours
In 2024, nuclear made 42%, solar made 24% and gas made 19% of the electricity generated in Hungary. Wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and bioenergy together made 74% of generation in Hungary.
Gross electricity generation in 2024 by energy source. Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_peh). Pumped hydro is left out.
Voltly does not cover Hungary yet
Voltly shows hourly prices in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium.
Voltly is for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Questions about the electricity price in Hungary
- What does electricity cost in Hungary today?
- In HU (HU) the spot price averages 85.8 Ft/kWh today. It is cheapest at 13–14 with 31.8 Ft/kWh and dearest at 22–23 with 115.2 Ft/kWh. Network tariffs, taxes and VAT come on top.
- What does an ordinary household in Hungary pay for electricity?
- A household in Hungary using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year paid 42.4 Ft/kWh per kWh on average, all-in, in H1 2026, according to Eurostat (about 11.4 c/kWh at today's rate). The price varies with the network company and the contract.
- How much of the electricity in Hungary comes from nuclear?
- 42% of the electricity generated in Hungary came from nuclear in 2024 (Eurostat), the largest single source.
- What is rezsicsökkentés?
- It is the Hungarian government's policy of reducing household utility costs, introduced in steps from 2013. For electricity it means that households in the universal service pay an official price fixed by decree, far below the market price, up to the average annual consumption. The state and MVM bear the difference.
- What happens if a Hungarian household uses more than average?
- Since August 2022, consumption above the national average for a household is billed at a much higher, market-based price. Large families, homes with electric heating and owners of electric cars therefore pay noticeably more per kWh for the extra units. Separate rules apply to controlled-circuit and heat pump tariffs.
- Why does Hungary import so much electricity?
- Domestic generation has not kept pace with consumption. Paks runs at full output, solar mostly produces at midday, and gas plants are expensive to run. Imports from Slovakia, Austria and other neighbours are often cheaper, especially at night, so they cover a large share of Hungarian demand.