Birth in Hungary: How much?

by Réka Morvay on August 31, 2023

If you are pregnant and living in Hungary, you may wonder how much having your baby here will cost you. The answer is not straightforward: There are many factors that influence how deeply you will have to dig into your pockets to receive prenatal care, childbirth attendance and postnatal care.

What kind of insurance do you have?

If you are eligible for Hungarian health insurance (társadalombiztosítás, also known as TB, the ID card for which is called the TAJ card) or you are from a European Union country and have an EU healthcare card, it is theoretically possible to have a baby with no fees out of pocket. The way to achieve this is to simply go to your local clinic (szakrendelő) for prenatal care, see whoever is on duty, then go to your local hospital, and give birth with whoever is on duty. This is all free if you have Hungarian or EU health insurance.

If you have private health insurance, they will also probably pay for the above services at the state clinic and public hospital, but you need to check with your insurance company concerning exact terms. Some insurance companies cover only a select few providers or clinics. Your insurance policy may cover your prenatal care through some of the private clinics catering to foreigners living in Hungary, and the advantage there is that you would be able to get all your medical care at a single location, and be reasonably assured that everyone speaks English. These private clinics cost significantly more than visiting the average Hungarian doctor or public clinic, so make sure you understand the details of your insurance policy and the clinic’s fees before you go there.

If you have no insurance, you can still receive good care in Hungary, but you will have to pay for it all out of pocket. And that brings us to…

What kind of service would you like?

Assuming you don’t have insurance that covers pregnancy and childbirth, where you go to get your service will determine how much you have to pay.

If you choose to go with the state-operated clinics and always get your care from the doctors on duty, then prenatal visits will run you about HUF 3000 (not including the cost of lab tests and ultrasounds). Please note, though, that “tipping” doctors in public clinics and public hospitals in Hungary is very common, and sometimes even expected.

If you choose one of the number of private clinics that offer prenatal services, the cost goes up significantly, though you can still choose from a range of prices. Private clinics often offer a prenatal care package that will save you money when compared to paying for all the visits and lab work separately. Some clinics even allow you to purchase a prenatal care package by trimester. A single visit with a doctor at one of the private clinics will cost you between HUF 20,000 and 40,000 (not including the cost of any procedures or lab work). The price for the prenatal packages ranges from HUF 350,000 to 500,000. Be aware that buying a prenatal care package from a private clinic usually does not cover the cost of the birth itself at the hospital of your choice.

An intermediate choice is to visit a private doctor’s office. There are many doctors in Hungary who speak excellent English, but are not associated with any of the private clinics. They have their own offices, often equipped with ultrasound machines. If you go see one in his or her own office, a visit will cost you somewhere between HUF 5000 and 15,000 (including procedures, but not including lab work). Be aware that most doctors charge a separate fee for attending the birth, which is usually ten times their visit fee. So if you choose to go to a private doctor’s office, you can expect to pay separately for each visit and then pay a lump sum of HUF 50,000 to 150,000 after the birth in addition to the hospital’s fees.

As you can see, paying for prenatal care is separate from paying for the birth itself. For this, you can choose to go to one of the many public hospitals in Budapest that have obstetrics services, or you can go to a private hospital or private maternity ward.

If you choose a public hospital, the birth itself will cost you HUF 80,000 for a vaginal birth, and HUF 130,000 for a cesarean birth. You can either be attended by the staff on duty, or by the private doctor you hired, assuming he or she has privileges at the hospital of your choice.

There are currently three private hospitals in and around Budapest that offer obstetrics services. The cost of birth ranges from HUF 250,000 at Róbert Klinika for an uncomplicated vaginal birth to over HUF 1 million at Telki Hospital for a complicated birth that ends with a C-section. In the middle is Maternity Private Clinic, where either a vaginal birth or a C-section costs HUF 400,000. When evaluating the price of birth at any of these locations, keep in mind that some of them may not include the cost of certain pain medications, such as epidural anesthesia, for which you may be charged separately.

Another option in Hungary for those who feel committed to a natural birth is to have a home birth. Currently, there are two home birth midwifery practices in operation in Budapest. One of them is headed by a midwife who is also an obstetrician, the other by a midwife who received her midwifery credentials in the United States . The cost ranges from HUF 50,000 to 140,000 and includes all your prenatal visits, attendance of the birth, and postnatal care. The fee does not include any lab work or medical tests. If it becomes necessary to transfer to a hospital during the birth, standard hospital fees will apply. Home birth in Hungary is unregulated and is not generally well-regarded by the Hungarian medical community, but as a birthing woman, you have the right to choose where you would like to give birth.

Please note that all prices are approximate and current as of June 2010. Check with your provider of choice for their exact fees.

Réka Morvay is a Hungarian-American psychologist and doula living in Budapest with her husband and two daughters. She offers prenatal classes for expatriates, doula services, and mommy-baby and pregnancy support groups in English.

Article originally appeared on MoveOne’s Expat Echo blog.

{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }

zahra January 29, 2023 at 9:06 pm

hi
Thanks a lot for this beneficial information. I’m from Iran and now I and my husband live in Budapest. I’m pregnant and my hospital for delivery will be Jahn Ferenc Kórház (my delivery will be in April 2013). I don’t understand Hungarian and I couldn’t find an English website for find the cost of birth (vaginal or cesarean birth ) in this hospital. Could you help me?
My visit doctor is 10000 HUF. how much will be my cost hospital (for birth and hospital care after that)?
I look forward to your reply in my email
Thanks
Best

Reply

Réka Morvay February 4, 2023 at 10:23 am

Hi Zahra,

Birth at a public hospital will cost you between HUF 200 000 to 300 000 for the hospital fees. The exact fee will depend on what exactly happens, whether you use an epidural and what medications and services you’ll require.

The doctor’s fee for your birth is usually 10 times your visit fee. In your case, if your doctor charges HUF 10 000 per visit, you can expect to pay him HUF 100 000 for attending the birth.

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