Hungarian government announced a new housing loan program called “Otthon Start” to help young people buy their first home. This program is for people between the ages of 18 and 40 who have never owned a home before and have been paying social insurance for at least two years. The loan can be as high as 50 million forints, with a low interest rate of only 3 percent. What’s more, you don’t need to be married or have children to apply. The price of a flat cannot be more than 100 million forints, and the cost per square meter is limited to 1.5 million forints. For example, a 20 million forint loan would mean a monthly payment of about 94,000 forints, while a 50 million loan would mean paying around 237,000 forints each month. The program will start in September 2025, and banks are already getting ready to sign agreements.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said this is a big step for young people and that the loan will be available all over Hungary. This new offer is also separate from other family support programs, but people will be allowed to combine them if they want to. During the same government meeting, Minister Gergely Gulyás talked about other important issues. He said Hungary still does not support Ukraine joining the European Union or NATO, and believes that any EU enlargement should come only after NATO membership, to protect Europe’s security. The government also confirmed that it will continue helping farmers deal with drought by giving them free water for irrigation and extra money – even though the EU disagrees with this idea.
Spokesperson Eszter Vitályos also praised Hungarian astronaut Kapu Tibor’s space mission, saying it was something the whole country could be proud of. She added that from July 1, the family tax allowance went up by 50 percent, and another increase is planned for January. The Hungarian government says all these decisions are meant to help people, keep the economy stable, and stay strong in the face of outside pressure, especially from Brussels.
Similar support for young homebuyers has also been seen in other Central European countries. For example, in Slovakia, there is a program that gives young people a bonus on mortgage interest payments. In Poland, the “Bezpieczny Kredyt 2%” program helps first-time buyers get a loan with a lower interest rate, supported by the government. These programs, just like Hungary’s Otthon Start, show that many governments in the region are trying to help young adults start an independent life and make buying a home easier.
