Life in the City

Last year a young couple planning to relocate to Budapest contacted me for information. They had made a list of things they were looking for in a flat: something on the ground floor with a yard and close to public transportation. I told them that they'd probably be happier in the suburbs where life and housing is similar to the U.S. I said this because two of their three desires were unrealistic.

No one who has lived very long in the city would desire a ground floor apartment. For one thing it's noisier. If you live on or near a busy street, the closer you are to the ground, the closer you are to the noise, smell and pollution of traffic and pedestrians. Secondly, it's much easier for someone to break into a ground floor flat than one at a higher level. This is why you normally see bars on ground floor windows. When we considered buying a flat several years ago, our Realtor told us that we could expect to pay more the higher the flat was from the ground level. The only exception to this rule was when the building had no elevator, but even then, the first and second floors (U.S. equivalent of second and third floor) were the most desirable, not the ground floor.

This couple's second desire for a yard was also unrealistic. It's possible to find a flat with a yard if it is located in an old house, but it's rare. Usually people consider their balcony their "yard." It provides a place to get some fresh air, dry clothes (electric clothes dryers are less popular because of the high operating cost), and store some things outside the flat. You'll also notice that many balconies are the occupants "gardens"--a place to cultivate their green thumbs and enjoy flowers. See the balcony above which was ours for the 4 years we lived in Budapest full-time.

Another replacement for the yard is the courtyard. You'd be surprised how many buildings in the city have an open courtyard, but this courtyard is typically cement without grass and only potted plants.

Using the Elevator
In Budapest (and much of Europe), the bottom floor is called the ground floor and the next floor is called the first. In some buildings there is actually a half floor (félemelet) between the ground and the first floor. Typically, businesses are located on the ground floor of a building, and often on the half floor as well.