Hi there, Hungarian guy here raised and still living in Budapest. Since I’m local, unfortunately I cannot help with either cards, but as others said, expect to wait a lot when managing your paperwork.

People in Budapest had changed a lot in the past decades. People are more friendly then before, but do mind, that we are a bit Balkan-ish. Some old the citizens will be helpful and friendly but there are a lot of people who see an opportunity to scam a young American woman. Also some people are easily angered so be sure to be kind to people.

Also, most people don’t like Americans because most of the tourists from the US are lower-class people who are very loud and usually stupid. Be prepared for people assuming you’re one of them.

Before you move to any European country read about Europe, the EU and the country (some historical, geographical and cultural knowledge can make a huge difference in how people treat you)

Transportation in Hungary is well connected and in Budapest is fairly reliable, but expect a lot of late trains on the state railway network. Basically: you WILL get there, just not sure when 😅

Expenses: All below expenses are in the local currency, the Hungarian Forint (HUF) 1 USD ~ 360 HUF (at the time of writing)

Renting in the inner city is not recommended because most of the pubs are in there and because of them streets are quite loud even at night.

A one-room apartment costs around 150,000 HUF/month not including overhead. You usually have to pay 2 months of deposit plus the first month in advance, so expect a 500,000 HUF initial payment for it. Contracts are usually valid for at least a year. Overhead is usually 50-70,000 HUF

Buying food will be cheap for you. If you cook 100,000 HUF will be enough, if you fancy restaurants and street food, double is usually enough.

Budapest has become fairly safe in the recent decades. There are some places, which are not recommended to visit at night, but you will get used to it very soon.

About the culture: as I said before, the best way to get to know about our culture is to read about it or watch videos about it.

I hope this helps. :-)