Hire Developers in Hungary Efficiently: Navigating Skills, Salaries, and Job Expectations

With the increasing demand for technology development and application support worldwide, there’s a strong need for cost-efficient tech talent that doesn’t compromise on quality. In regard to these market demands, Eastern Europe has become a big competitor in the market of software service providers, beating other countries for a number of reasons. 

For many businesses and projects, Hungary might come as a perfect choice for hiring tech talent. Over 900,000 ICT specialists, a tech sector expected to grow at 11.5% CAGR by 2032, and 120+ Hungarian software development providers – all of it acts as solid proof that the Hungarian tech outsourcing field is booming. 

If you’re not familiar with IT recruitment in Hungary, we’ve got you covered. Explore the Hungarian IT market highlights, core considerations for outsourcing to Eastern Europe, and how to hire employees in Hungary and retain them.

Diving Into the Hungarian IT Sector

Hungary presents a compelling environment for tech development, innovation, and growth – and it’s proven by multiple reports and data findings.

For example, the Hungary-based IT sector boasts the following:

• Strong focus on R&D, with 1.32% of GDP being invested in R&D in 2024;

• Innovation-focused government investments of around €260M+ annually;

• Vast ecosystem of both local startups and global corporations: Audi, Nokia, Ericsson, SAP, etc.

Reviewing the Hungarian IT market, several factors set it apart from other outsourcing destinations in Europe and worldwide. Let’s explore the main ones:

✅ High Volume of Tech Exports

Hungary leads the region in ICT goods exports and significantly outperforms other Eastern European countries.

On average, Hungary exports 156% more ICT goods than its regional peers. With a $15.44B export value, this demonstrates the country’s strong industrial base and its established position as a major technology exporter.

✅ High CAGR Expectations in the Region

Hungary shows one of the strongest long-term growth trajectories in Eastern Europe. The reason for these positive predictions comes from Hungary’s skilled workforce, tech investments, and high global interest in outsourcing Hungary-based developers, to name a few.

✅ High Global Innovation Index Score

In the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, Hungary ranks 34th out of 54 high-income economies. 

Looking at its performance over the last five years, it’s seen that Hungary has consistently maintained a strong focus on innovation. In particular, it ranks highest in categories such as Knowledge and technology outputs, Human capital and research, and Business sophistication.

✅ Strong Multilingual Workforce

Hungary has one of the highest levels of English proficiency in Central and Eastern Europe, with many IT specialists also speaking other languages (which is a substantial benefit for European and global clients).

In particular:

• Hungary earns a “High Proficiency” rating (with a score of 585) and ranks #17 globally out of 116 countries in English proficiency;
• 11.2% of Hungarian specialists speak German;
• 117K Hungarians speak French, and 80K speak Italian.

✅ Competitive Developer Rates

Hungarian developers are, on average, up to 60% cheaper than their counterparts in Western Europe (and in the US, salaries for some roles go 3-4 times higher, such as cloud infrastructure engineer specialty). 

Here’s what it means for businesses: in reality, a developer earning $35-55K/year in Hungary would cost $70-120K/year in countries like Germany, the Netherlands, or the UK. This way, by hiring Hungarian developers, you can save significant project costs  – above all, these savings can be reinvested into product development or other growth initiatives.

*Salary data is based on Mobilunity’s Recruitment Team research of local job markets. All salaries are net (excluding service fees) and intended for comparison purposes. Actual costs may vary depending on various factors (skill level, city, engagement model, etc.)

Contact us to get an exact quote for a developer with your specific requirements.

✅ Stable Business and Legal Environment

Hungary provides a stable and EU-aligned labor environment. Commonly, its work sector has strong worker protections and clearly defined employer responsibilities. Including:

• Full compliance with GDPR, EU Cybersecurity Act, and NIS2 as an EU member;
• Ranking #17 globally for Intellectual Property protection enforcement;
• 9% corporate tax (the lowest in the EU).

These and other factors make the country’s labor framework quite predictable and easier for external companies to navigate. Learn more details in the table below.

IT Market in Different Cities Across Hungary

Budapest 

Budapest is the country’s largest and most mature IT hub, home to the biggest concentration of software engineers, tech startups, R&D centers, and multinational offices. 

Budapest’s active growing IT environment is driven by:

• Major global companies (Ericsson, IBM, Oracle, EPAM, Tata Consultancy Services, etc.);
• A vibrant ecosystem of  fast-growing startups (SEON, Bitrise, Turbine AI, etc.);
• Top universities for engineering specialties (Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Eötvös Loránd University, Central European University, etc).

Győr

Győr is a major center for industrial automation, automotive engineering, and manufacturing-related software development. 

As a home to Audi Hungaria, it drives demand for embedded engineers, mechanical–software hybrid roles, industrial IT specialists, and other tech-heavy roles.

Szeged

Located in southern Hungary, near the borders with Serbia and Romania, Szeged nurtured an IT ecosystem open to multinational collaboration.

Szeged stands out for its strong academic foundation. In particular, the University of Szeged annually produces skilled researchers and software engineers in the machine learning, cybersecurity, and data science sectors.

Szeged hosts several tech parks and R&D labs (Science Park Szeged, SZTE Technology Transfer Center, HUN‑REN Biological Research Centre), which makes the city ideal for companies seeking academically oriented or niche talent.

Pécs 

Pécs is growing steadily as a hub for IT outsourcing Hungary. While the city’s talent pool is smaller, it’s increasingly structured around IT and engineering programs. This, in turn, ensures high-quality tech talent for outsourcing.

Debrecen 

Debrecen is evolving into another regional tech center with a solid base for outsourcing tech experts (particularly in areas of automotive, AI, and embedded engineering). To leverage that, the University of Debrecen provides a steady talent pipeline across many tech specialties. 

Besides, companies like BMW and major IT service providers are already building long-term operations here, thus attracting more talent to the region. 

Miskolc

Miskolc, commonly known for industrial engineering, has significant potential to gradually transition into a digital innovation hub. It’s mainly thanks to the University of Miskolc, a dynamic environment for innovation that supports educational programs in automation, robotics, computer science, and more.

Before You Hire Engineers from Hungary: Top 7 Considerations and Tips

Hungary has become one of the strongest tech hubs in the region. However, if you plan to hire developers in Eastern Europe, there are several specific aspects to consider. Let’s review the key ones.

#1. Local Compensation Norms

Compensation expectations may vary widely: seniority level, tech stack, and location all influence them. Ensure you align them with local and domain-specific realities. 

PRO TIP: Benchmark salaries quarterly, since market expectations can fluctuate significantly.

#2. Talent Availability & Market Trends

Certain niche or highly specialized roles may require broader outreach strategies or longer hiring timelines. Consider these hiring difficulties and plan accordingly. 

PRO TIP: Track market signals (job-posting volume, LinkedIn activity, etc.) to spot or anticipate potentially hard-to-fill roles.

#3. Contract Types 

Employers can engage engineers either through standard employment contracts or through B2B/freelance agreements. The first ones offer full compliance with local labor regulations, while the latter one has greater flexibility. 

Since each option influences total cost, required benefits, and taxation, it’s important to understand the candidate’s preferences and choose the model that best aligns with your goals.

PRO TIP: Always clarify contract preference during the first call – otherwise, there’sa  higher risk the candidate will drop out late in the process.

#4. Local Work Culture

Clear expectations, structured communication, long-term stable collaboration – these aspects are highly appreciated by Hungarian IT experts. Plus, the opportunity for growth is a game-changer for many. 

PRO TIP: Highlight realistic career paths and team structure early, communicate them clearly with the candidates.

#5. Public Holidays & Working Hours

In Hungary, all holiday-related overtime is governed by strict labor regulations. The country has 11 public holidays each year, which is something global employers should be aligned with. Workloads, deadlines, release cycles  – all of this can depend on it.

PRO TIP: Build holiday calendars directly into sprint planning – thus, avoiding last-minute bottlenecks or unplanned downtime.

#6. Competitive Benefits

In an increasingly competitive market, a benefit package can be a deal-breaker. Therefore, consider offering a variety of employment perks: private health insurance, learning budgets, flexible schedules, performance-based bonuses, and more. 

PRO TIP: Continuously monitor your local competitors, benchmark your working conditions with theirs.

#7. Local Tech Hubs

Budapest remains the country’s primary technology hub. However, emerging IT centers in other cities (Debrecen, Szeged, Győr, and others) provide access to equally strong engineering experts. In many cases, they could also offer more competitive salary expectations.

PRO TIP: Expand sourcing to secondary cities, since hybrid or remote-friendly roles might lead to faster hiring and better senior-level availability.

Why Outsource the Hiring Process?

Hungarian recruitment agencies have the necessary expertise and local insight to help foreign companies hire contractors in Hungary faster and with less risk. 

In doing so, they can provide accurate salary benchmarks and access to both active and passive talent across major tech hubs. With strong networks and structured screening, they source even niche engineers quickly while strengthening your employer brand in the region. 

Additionally, companies like Mobilunity actively assist with onboarding, retention, flexible contract-to-hire models, and other essentials. Thus, you get a reliable long-term partner for easily scaling your engineering teams in Hungary.

Why Do Companies Hire Developers in Hungary with Mobilunity?

When you plan to nearshore or offshore developers in Hungary, you’ll need a reliable local partner. Here’s what you’ll get if you contract us to assemble a dedicated team of engineers in Hungary:

You’ll hire top experts cost-effectively. 

We’ll help you find and retain work tech professionals whose salaries are lower than those in Western Europe and America. Guided by our local expertise, some of our clients saved up to 20% of their budget when cooperating with us. 

You’ll build your team promptly. 

Recruiting is one of our primary areas of expertise. So our specialists leverage top-notch tools and approaches to streamline candidates’ search for you. We explore your requirements, specify the search criteria, and find and interview only relevant applicants. 

You’ll outsource HR, helpdesk, and accounting tasks. 

Our services go beyond typical outsourcing, where you get a turnkey solution. For instance, we give you complete control over hiring developers while handling the administrative issues. Formalizing cooperation agreements, transferring payrolls, and doing the accounting and taxing paperwork – we cover it all to equip, onboard, and retain your team.

You’ll have synchronized schedules with your tech team. 

Limited shared business hours are an issue for remote teams. Fortunately, Hungary boasts a perfect time zone alignment with its European neighbors. US partners can also have 100% shared working hours with their Hungarian coders.

Your team will speak English well. 

A critical factor for a productive tech team is the effective communication of its members and managers. That’s why, whether you want to hire Java developers Hungary or any other specialists, we ensure this expert will have a high command in English. Our recruiters pre-screen resumes to select developers with basic skills, and English is one of them.

You’ll benefit from reliable, quality-focused engineering delivery

Hungary developers are known for precision and a love of structured workflows. In many cases, their experience working with multinational teams and mature Agile environments makes them strong contributors to long-term and complex software projects. 

Considering this, we help you hire in Hungary and find those who are the best in what they do, whether .NET and Angular developers Hungary or any other specialization.

You’ll operate within EU-standard compliance and security

Since hiring in Hungary ensures that your development processes follow strict EU regulations (including GDPR), you get peace of mind knowing your remote team operates within some of the world’s strongest data protection frameworks. 

Mobilunity As A Go-For Option For IT Outsourcing in Hungary

Mobilunity is a seasoned nearshoring partner for companies seeking reliable, high-quality alternatives to IT outsourcing in Hungary. With over 14 years of experience, we’ve helped global businesses scale engineering teams efficiently across Eastern Europe and worldwide.

Hire developers in other Countries

Expand your team’s horizons by bringing in expert developers from around the world. Gain from the rich mix of perspectives and skills they offer, fostering innovation and progress in your technology initiatives.

Austria

Poland

Malta

Mexico

South Africa

The Mobilunity team has a proven track record of working with clients all around the globe: FinExpert from Canada, Byg-E from Denmark, Zenchef from France, XPLG from Israel, esurance from Switzerland, and many more. But don’t take our word for it – hear what our clients say about partnering with us.

Our Expertise in Hiring and Providing Developers in Hungary

With more than a decade of hands-on experience, Mobilunity has established itself as a trusted partner for building dedicated software development teams in Hungary and across Europe. 

Since 2010, we’ve supported startups, SMEs, and global enterprises in assembling 

high-performing engineering teams tailored to their exact needs.

What sets our approach apart:

• Personalized, precision-driven recruitment. We match talent to your culture, processes, and long-term goals for seamless integration.
• Flexible, scalable engagement models. We support rapid expansion, short-term coverage, and long-term product development.
• Proven operational excellence. We deliver consistent results backed by 14+ years of experience and partnerships across 20+ countries.
• Full administrative support with zero friction. We handle HR, payroll, onboarding, legal compliance, and daily operations end-to-end.
• Strong presence in the Hungarian tech ecosystem. We provide access to top talent across both major tech stacks and specialized niche requirements.

If you want to build a dedicated team of programmers, hire a part-time tech consultant, or get assistance with recruiting software developers, reach out to us. Mobilunity specialists have extensive expertise in hiring engineers in Hungary, Ukraine, and other Eastern European countries. We even know how to find a technical cofounder or WordPress plugin developers for hire in these countries.

Cooperation Models We Offer

We provide solutions tailored to each client’s needs; that’s why you’ll find 3 contracting options. 

✅ Dedicated Development Teams

With this model, we build full-time, long-term teams that work exclusively for you and operate as a seamless extension of your in-house staff. You manage the developers directly while we handle all admin, HR, payroll, infrastructure, support, and other HR or admin-related roles.

By opting for this model, you’ll get:

• Full ownership and control over the team;
• Predictable monthly costs with a transparent breakdown;
• Easy to scale your team up or down;
• Drastically minimized overhead for operations, office, or equipment.

✅ Part-Time Developers — Mobilunity FLEX

This model is ideal when you need extra hands, niche expertise, or short-term support without committing to full-time hires. You pay only for actual hours worked, with no operational costs.

Key benefits of the Mobilunity FLEX model include:

• Fast access to senior expertise on demand;
• No commitment to full-time or long-term contracts;
• Highly cost-effective for small or temporary needs, including workload spikes or missing skill sets.

✅ Recruiting Services

If you want to hire Hungarian developers directly into your company (whether in Budapest, Kyiv, or anywhere in Eastern Europe), we run the full recruitment process for you. With 12+ years of hiring experience, we can find and secure top talent in 5-8 weeks on average.

The advantages of this model are:

• Access to deep local talent pools at competitive salary ranges;
• Support with market insights, salary benchmarks, and cost estimation;
• Reduced hiring risks through thorough vetting;
• You contract the developers directly with no intermediaries.

Our specialists will make your vacancy stand out among hundreds of others. We’ll also advise you on the legal framework for your future cooperation with your teammates. Alternatively, we can also find your ideal candidates in other Eastern European countries or worldwide, just as they did with local hiring in such a complex market as Japan.

Written by:

Anastasia Stefanuk

Market Researcher

Disclaimer: All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate numbers based on the research done by our in-house Marketing Research Team. Please use these numbers as a reference for comparison only. Feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.