In practice buying two pounds of bread and two pints of milk with USD 2.19 would leave only 13 cents, according to the Central Statistics Office (KSH). Below is a recent list of Hungary’s food prices released by the KSH:

two pounds of baloney: HUF 1,290 (USD 5.4)
two pounds of white bread: HUF 273 (USD 1.14)
two pounds of onions: HUF 208 (USD 0.87)
two pounds of bananas: HUF 390 (USD 1.63)
school lunch: HUF 334 (USD 1.4)
half a pound of coffee powder: HUF 614 (USD 2.57)
tube of toothpaste: HUF 454 (USD 1.9)
weekend cinema ticket: HUF 1,410 (USD 5.9)
museum ticket: HUF 792 (USD 3.3)

The KSH does not generally provide data on the number of households living below the poverty line, although it made an exception in 2010. Instead it calculates a breadline for household categories, rather than an overall average. The KSH wrote that they recently decided to only provide the rate and number of households on individual request. The KSH stills calculates a per capita poverty line, however. Last year it set the breadline of an adult of working-age at HUF 87,510 (USD 365). However the KSH does not consider this amount the absolute poverty line, saying it exceeds expense for basic food.

The KSH data also breaks down the consumption of Hungarians into categories. Food consumption is a good indicator of the financial situation of average Hungarian families. Although data from last year is still yet to be published on the KSH’s webpage, figures from 2012 say USD 2.90 did not provide for anything other than basic needs.

The yearly average bread consumption in Hungary was under 88 pounds, down from 138 pounds in 2002. A similar decrease has been seen for almost every kind of food (meat, vegetables, fruit, milk and eggs). However, while Hungarians eat less and less every year, they do not reduce spending on domestic appliances: there are more computers, microwave ovens and cellphones than ever.

Monthly consumption in Hungary was HUF 67,000 (USD 281) per capita last year, of which only HUF 16,581 (USD 69) went on food and non-alcoholic beverages, a KSH report found. Even less is spent on clothing and shoes (HUF 2,046 / USD 8.50), yet Hungarians are spending more on monthly domestic outgoings than on food. Expenditure on clothes, furniture, culture and vacations has risen since 2012, signifying a positive overall change in the financial situation of households, the KSH found.

However, the situation is worsening for the poorest, who have an average monthly income of HUF 35,000 (USD 147). Hungary’s elite meanwhile spend an average of HUF 126,000 (USD 528) a month on household-related costs alone.

Asked whether the Eurostat data resembled its own figures, the KSH said its report on income levels in Hungary will be published this month.

Source: The Budapest Beacon

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