$200 Train in AUSTRIA vs $20 Train in HUNGARY
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ย. 2024
- I took a first class train across Hungary, from Gyor to Budapest and then Szeged. It turned out to be the same train that I'd taken two days earlier from Austria to Hungary, but the cost of the ticket in Austria was ten times as expensive, for the exact same thing.
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Gabriel is a world traveler and travel writer who has been adventuring around the world since his first trip to Europe in the summer of 1990 when he was 18 years old. He is author of "Gabe's Guide to Budget Travel", "Following My Thumb" and several other books available on Amazon.com and elsewhere.
Thanks a lot for watching and safe journeys!
Price differences between these places is a complicated topic -- this would be days and months of answers from conversations, books, podcast, etc. The length of the journey actually has very little to do with the price differences. Switzerland, Austria, and Germany all have similar yet distinct market economies. Switzerland is a global banking hub, where lots of money, gold, precious metals, jewelry, and bonds are hidden and held. Companies and citizens have always had lots of access to capital and loans. Dozens of international organizations and arbitration is based in Switzerland which predictably and continually brings in lots of outside capital. Germany is the most well-rounded of these economies -- it's a manufacturing hub, high-level technical engineering and scientific hub, ample services of varying levels, a large middle class, etc. Germany is the main engine and largest economy of Europe. Austria has a similar economy which you could say is a blend of Germany and Switzerland -- and has a number of international organizations based there too. The population is generally very highly skilled and highly educated. A high percentage in these countries also speak English and many even speak 1-2 additional languages which opens them up to global opportunities, trade, and partnerships. Culture and history plays a large part.
Hungary is an amazing country but has a different history, political environment, and culture and is generally not comparable to any of these places as far as economic output of its' citizens. A lower percent of people speak English, a lower percentage of highly educated (academic) people, the economy is more agriculturally based and manufacturing based than the other 3 countries mentioned. The biggest factor is that Hungary has less backing from the international banks and Brussels -- so growth is slower. In the simplest terms, if a bank or investor gives you $1 Billion for your business you can hire a lot of people, pay great salaries, collect a lot of taxes, issue more credit, and employ people longer which all helps the local economy. But if you only have $1 million because the bank is not friendly to you for political reasons, then you are only able to expand a little bit.
disclaimer: this is just my opinion from an American perspective, having been to all of the above countries multiple times.
The economy of Hungary had been grown faster than most Western European Countries until Russian war broke out. Unemployment is almost not exsists, wages are increasing, so the inflation, Unfortunatelly. The population are as educated, as in Western Europe, otherwise we would not get those enormous amount of investment from all over the World. Lots of people came from Asia to work, because here are unlimeted job offers. The most famous EU automotive companies all are in Hungary ( BMW, Audi, Mercedes ) and the largest electric battery producers for electric cars are also invested in Hungary, so the agriculture is not an important Sector Today.
If you travel in the county on a weekday, you may not find somebody can speak proper English. If you go to Budapest, and ask younger generation, almost everybody speaks English ( at least somewhat) Older folks Will not, because 30-40 years ago they learnt Russian or German.
One more thing can be considered: the Hungarian language so distant from English, so we may have more difficulties to learn it
@@andraskleistenes8586 Great points. It is difficult to answer such a broad topic in short TH-cam comment. I agree with you. Personally, I would prefer to be in Hungary over Germany or Austria. I think Hungary will be one of the top growth countries of the future with tons of opportunities. The problem is that Washington, Brussels, and the international bankers want certain guarantees of reforms and to meddle with Hungarian society because they want control. This I don’t like. It is controversial but I think Hungary can be even greater if they leave the EU and position themselves like Norway or Switzerland. But maybe I am wrong.
@@Originalman144 Norway and Switzerland are very Lucky countries, we were fighting with the World strongest Empires during our History (Mongol, Turk, Russian) so , we can't be As developed As Western Europe for that reason. The Hungarian kings are extincted in the 14 century, after that Habsburgs inherited the Hungarian Kingdom, and they had exploited the country for hundreds of years. For Example: to develop industry was not allowed. Another bad things happened with us, after WW2 , CCCP occupied Hungary, and socialism was introduced.
If those very bad things did not happened to us, we would be very developed country.
@@andraskleistenes8586 Very interesting. I agree. Hungary has most certainly been a “Prisoner of Geography.” The terrain being very flat was always easy to invade. Tough history with socialism/Stalinist atmosphere. Very good Hungarian film “A Vizsga” The Exam by Peter Bergendy set in 1957. I really enjoyed this film.
The price difference for trains specifically is different than many of the other things (food, hotels etc) due to the fact that in many countries trains are nationalised. The cost of salaries is a small factor since labour costs are lower in Hungary, but this plays a very minor role in the costs. The most significant factor is that costs of public transport is much more highly subsidised in Hungary compared to other countries. As a nationalised industry it is not a normal competitive market and the only competitors are indirect competition in terms of other modes of transport, some of which are also subsidised (like bus routes). In other cases like food it's very much based on factors such as if the food is locally produced and fresh (then very cheap) or out of season and imported - then usually a lot more expensive. In Hungary the local restaurants often source local produce especially for Hungarian classic meals, and since farmers are even worse paid than many others in Hungary, restaurants can sell the food cheaper too. Food prices in Supermarkets have risen a LOT in the last 1-2 years, inflation is officially 20-25%, but that is the average - food is way higher. So yes it's complicated but as with many things governments and taxes are a major factor, just compare the fuel prices in Venezuela with that in most western countries for example.
You are one of the few people who love their job. Didn’t come easy, worked hard for years and deserve it thoroughly 🎉🎉
Agreed. Well said Sir.
Agreed.
In Sweden, a 90 minutes train ride between my city and Malmö is 11 euro, and an over 3 hours train ride from Gothenburg to Malmö is 29 euro. So for Switzerland and Austria, their extortionate train prices has either very little or NOTHING to do with high incomes because we in Sweden also have very high incomes, yet with train prices about 3 or 4 times lower than Austria and in some cases even much lower than that. So please everyone, stop trying to explain this with quoting incomes, there has to be other factors!
Agreed! However, as I wrote elsewhere, If people are willing to pay despite the exorbitant prices of goods and services in Switzerland/Austria then there’s what is called inelastic demand regardless of the high prices. Or Maybe it’s something as simple as status-aka the rich come to play, the poor come for a day. Either way, some people in my income bracket have considerable disposable income who will nonetheless choose not to spend their travel dollars in countries where prices have long since become a rip off.
Swedish trains are subsidised by the government
I think there are subsidies involved in Swedish prices otherwise 29 euro for 3 hours train ride cannot be explained. Swedish labor costs are high.
You are my favorite TH-camr
Really appreciate the hard work you do, it's not taken for granted.
You deserve a lot more subscribers.
Well done Gabriel🎉
Part of the reason for the discrepancy in prices is because countries like Austria, Switzerland, Germany, typically have a higher average income, the same job pays much more there than in Czech republic or Hungary for example. Earnings, pensions, etc are much lower, so the prices are also reflecting this. Also more people in these countries rely on public transportation, where in the 'western countries' more people own a car. Unfortunately this makes a lot of young people, professionals, health care workers, doctors, leave their homeland and work in countries where they can earn significantly more.
But what I am curious to know is that why inflation has hit harder in the western and more industrialized part of Europe than the eastern part of Europe (countries like Hungary) ?
Its a shame. Humanity failed.
@@debabanerjee9131 It started with energy and other things add up. So countries closer to Russia imported most of their gas and oil from there. Prices of heating, energy and fuel spiked even before the war. Because countries from the East and Central Europe are relatively still poorer then the western countries, energy has higher impact on consumer basket. Inflation is calculated from those baskets. If you have more money you consume more luxurious products, entertainment and so on and then the proportion of energy and heating is lower than if you are poorer. So the inflation calculated from this consumer basket in the west will be lower eventhough the price may increase the same. That is one of the reason why the inflation is lower in the west. Other reason is that they have other sources of energy and import fuel and gas more with tankers from the international markets, now we also have to take imports from these ports so it adds up to the cost, because there is suddenly higher demand.
@@debabanerjee9131 Inflation is actually higher in Eastern Europe including Hungary though their incomes have been going up faster due to economic integration/time with capitalism. The price differences have existed since the wall fell. The discrepancy was actually bigger when I was there more than a decade ago.
The Eastern Bloc countries are subsidized and Austria is a net contributor.
In some countries the railway systems are subsidised by the government which is supposed to keep prices low
Traveling by train is subsidized in Hungary, for social reason. Lots of the rural citizens do not have car, they use train for communting. Another good thing is that, the prices are fixed in every season, even in the sommer, people pay the same amount of money, than in low season. Western Europe is completely different, they change prices according to demand. Western European railway apply insane prices. I would not recommand to travel by train in Western Europe. Flixbus, or budget airlines are much better choice
Excited to see where Gabriel travels next ! Always
Thanks for the explanation of the price differences for the train tickets. It helps keep my brain functioning when doing the math.
10 times the price is obscene , however Hungarian wages are way lower than in Austria or Switzerland , which is why train prices have to be kept reasonably priced for Hungarians.
And Austrian incomes are extremely lower than Switzerland I might add
It’s because the GDP per capita (average income per person) is only 18 K in Hungary where as it is about 55K in Austria and 91K in Switzerland. Since train tickets, like any good or service, can only be priced at what the market can bear, in Switzerland an Austria they can get away with my tire prices than in Hungary. By the way your videos are really great!
In Sweden we also earn alot of money, probably as much as Austria if not even more. And guess what, a 90 minutes train ride between my city and Malmö costs only 11 euros. An over 3 hours train ride from Gothenburg to Malmö is 29 euros. You can not just blame these extortionate train prices on Austrian incomes!
just pumping out content! love it!!
As Switzerland is a very mountainous country, there isn't much opportunity for agriculture or farming, meaning Switzerland has to import the majority of its food and resources. This means there are a lot of imports into Switzerland but not as many exports, so prices are raised in Switzerland to balance things out.
Same as Bangkok is cheaper than koh samui
One of the things I love about travelling is this topic. I love comparing prices, to the extent people think I am sneaky. 🙂 It is just very interesting.
Hi Gabe: There are a lot of factors involved when you talk about the price of a train ticket. The cost of living in that particular country, the wages you pay any worker are all factors that affect this. There is also an element of subsidy by the Government of that particular country. For example, train tickets in India are some of the cheapest you can buy in the world. That is because trains are used widely by the people and the Government subsidizes their ticket price. It takes a hit on the passenger traffic and tries to make up for it by hiking freight charges. This happens in a lot of the low and middle income countries. I would suspect that Hungary is yet to be fully capitalist, if ever it would want to be that.
Exactly.
Comparing austria and hungary in prices is like the US to Mexico. Usa and Canada are very simulair in prices. Like Austria and Germany. I'm really supriced about you lack of reseach and do some historical reseach.
ha ha, the same job, the same train and labour is more expensive, or wages for the same job but in different countries are different, that is manipulation, simple as that and we quickly see who manipulate who
@@MrJlin1982 bullshit! Its not same, not even close! you never been in Mexico, or you never been in Hungary!
Always good hearing Gabriel break down costs, helps me plan my own travels of which countries to hit next.
In Bosnia, a train ride between Sarajevo and Mostar with talgo train costs only 6$ !!! 🚅🚅🚅
Yup, good to see you on the road again. 🌲😎🌲
waw, this is the 1st vlog, when Gabriel talked to the locals outside of the restaurant! Hmmmm.... even a nice tummy!))
If you know your going to be in Austria again .. I seriouspy recommend you purchase the the 66 Vorteilscard ... €66 gets you 40% off ... and also big discounts on trains in Germany & other coubtries... €66 for one year to save a lot of dough !!
Sounds like a plan.
Gabriel my friend you did this part of your trip all wrong in my opinion. You should have flown from Greece to Budapest. In Budapest you should have rented a vehicle and travelled through Austria to Switzerland and from Switzerland back to Hungary. You would have avoided the expensive trains in Switzerland and the confusion of which and when to take the train. In addition, you would have seen so much more. It would have most likely cost you less as well with gasoline. Of course I am not including the accessibility to cheaper hotels and restaurants from the tourist traps.
Yes, this is a pretty common response to his travel paths, and it's surely very odd for someone who has done nothing else but travel fulltime for most of his life. You'd think he doesn't know how to do basic Google searches or look at maps, but moreso I assume he intentionally "wings it" for the sake of TH-cam entertainment and views.
Coming from India, we understand that prices in developing or under-developed nations are controlled to a greater extent by the government via subsidies, than a developed country. There the governments either own the railway and bear the cost (or the losses) themselves because they have to provide essential travel services to their citizens at a rate they can afford to pay. In developed countries, almost all travel is privatised and prices are driven by market forces (demand and supply) and basically are run with a profit motive by the owner companies, sometimes the profits are tens even hundreds of times higher than the actual cost of a product or service. From my understanding this is the explanation for the very unreasonable difference in price.
I'm a civil engineer. The cost of building and maintaining a train system has to be recouped. It is much much more expensive to do this in a large Alpine mountain environment like Switz and Austria.
Love your videos. I recently finished a walk from Amsterdam to Venice, spread out over a few years. Your videos are great.
Makes sense, thanks for the info. Sounds like an epic trek. ✌️
Hi Gabe, think you for shearing nice video. Chaso
I'm just reading on the news a body of a climber has just been revealed in a glacier above Zermatt in Switzerland, He was missing since 1986. Thought that would be of interest to you Gabe since you were recently there
great info. enjoying the train footage and explanations.
I have traveled from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore by train many times When I purchase a train ticket from Singapore Railwayy station back to Kuala Lumpur, I have to pay more money than I would pay in Malaysia .
When you get to a million subscribers you'll be able to afford UK train prices. 🤣
It was pretty reasonable when I was there a few years ago: th-cam.com/video/yKgfbyz9EtA/w-d-xo.html
I guess the obvious answer is higher salaries. But I also assume that mountainous countries tickets in the lowlands pay for more expensive infrastructure in higher altitudes too, which otherwise might be too expensive for people to use. But as you said, there are surely a lot of factors, including people willing to pay that price, train frequency etc.
You are on a mission to call out west europe for being unreasonably expensive and i endorse it. Cheaper countries rhat provide same quality services should be supported. Overpriced destinations should be avoided. Enough is enough.
In many cases higher prices equal higher wages for workers. Especially with the over-tourism that is stressing many countries and residents infrastructures I wouldn’t consider it a rip off. Didn’t see any homeless beggars in Switzerland but i have definitely seen it in other videos you’ve made.
@@Antonius2085 50 euro meal, 130 euro room and 60-80 euro transfer a person/day is absurd and heavily hinders your traveling experience. I am not fond of keeping Swiss rich and myself poor. I will go to a place where i feel respected, not robbed.
@@Animadroids well, it seems you have completely missed my point. You are probably being ‘respected’ by workers that are being taken advantage of if you are paying less than what you’ve mentioned. Some travelers dont care about the poverty of the country they travel in but dont be surprised when you aren’t exactly treated wonderfully. My guess is you are surprised when that happens. In most cases you get what you pay for.
@@Antonius2085 Firstly, expensive countries take advantage of immigrants, especially in the tourism industry, who they underpay, for meals you pay lavishly. Secondly, getting respectable services are more about profesionalism andnot pricing.
@@Animadroids there is no doubt that entities take advantage of immigrants but what does it say about the countries they are coming from that they get paid more to be ‘taken advantage of’ than staying in their homelands?
3 things.
1. Currency difference and cost of living costs.
2. Higher taxes in Austria and there fire cost for passenger is more.
3. Hungarian authorities subsidizes rail. While Austria and others usually subsidize it only for locals and students/elderly with special passes/cards.
I suspect if you ask local’s about prices you’ll get an entirely different story. I’m sure it’s got a lot to do with salaries which I imagine are considerably lower compared to other European countries.
Yes, in Ausralia wages are a lot higher than other countries and everything is more expensive here where I live 😮
They probably keep the trains clean so that those who are poor can't damage them because they don't have enough money to trains.
greed is a big reason why the tickets are more expensive than they should be
Szeged is my favorite city in Hungary. I can’t exactly explain why, The architecture, the climate, the river contribute. But there is more, some kind of mediterranean openness, lightness and positivity.
Still it’s a pity that you skipped Lake Balaton.
Is it not just mostly down to capitalism? The train journeys in switzerland and Austria are much more popular and people are prepared to pay more for those journeys with higher earning customers compared to the Hungarian railway?
*There are many factors that can affect the price of train tickets. Some of these factors include the cost of maintaining and repairing trains and rails, the cost of running stations, and the cost of paying employees.*
Hi !
1:09 toilet for wheelchairs. The normal toilet is much smaller.
In this section, there is a lift for wheelchairs at both doors of the railway car. The elevator is operated by the train staff. Such a trip must be announced at least 24 hours in advance.
The train is a Railjet train of the Austrian railway company (ÖBB).
In Hungary, it travels with Hungarian staff, (the train driver and conductors change in Hegyeshalom), but the buffet car is driven by Austrian staff.
There are three stations called Kőbánya in Budapest. There are actually four, but only three have passenger traffic.
The second part of the name is there for the sake of distinction.
( I note that there are stations with this name in Hungary. Typically those that serve two settlements.)
Kőbánya-Kispest is in the southern part of the district near in the district called Kispest.
An important transport hub. The metro terminal and the airport bus also arrive and depart from here. 7:36 a subway is leaving in the background.
Other stations Kőbánya upper Kőbánya lower and
Kőbánya teher handled freight traffic. Today it is no longer in operation.( teher= cargo)
It is Kőbánya the name of a district of Budapest too. The origin of the name is due to the quarries operating here. Kőbánya = stone mine. The stone mined here was used in the buildings of Budapest.
Today, the mines are mainly used to store beer.
5:16 National Athletic Stadium. The 2023 World Athletics Championships were here.
You guessed right about the Kőbánya-Kispest trains. The Budapest end of the line is Nyugati pályaudvar (pályaudvar = large railway station).
Hungarian and Austrian pricing is different. In the first case, you bought the ticket according to the Austrian system, in the second according to the Hungarian system. That's the difference. You buy the ticket for the journey, not for the time. In Hungary, there is a basic ticket and an additional ticket. With the basic ticket, you can only travel on a train (or in such a train car) where no supplement is required. However, if you need a supplement, for example on a train marked IC or EC, you will also have a seat there. The display above the seat shows the occupied or free seat.
Politics has a lot to do with Hungarian railway prices. This may explain the low ticket prices.
15:17 Business class on Máv's newest car. First class usually has 6-seat cabins. I don't fully understand the concept, I think the cabin became a business from the closed cabin. ÖBB, on the other hand, added 4 seats. This became their business class.
It's more business, because there is much more space than other cars.
I don't know why the cashier in Győr gave the ticket only to Budapest, in principle he could have given it to Szeged as well...
I would say the price difference mainly boils down to these reasons:
1. Hungary modernized its rail infrastructure with EU funds, so basically they got those trains and railway stations for almost free.
2. The salary difference between Hungary, Austria and especially Switzerland is very big. People in Austria make on average 2-3 times more money than people in Hungary do. So yeah, operating costs are indeed much lower.
3. Switzerland and Austria get way more tourists than Hungary so it's simply just more demand. Hungary for tourism is just Budapest, people fly into Budapest and then fly out, you don't see a lot of tourists in other cities, maybe just from neighboring countries, but those travel by car or bus generally.
One last thing, most Austrians, especially those who use trains a lot get something called the Climate ticket, it's basically a super ticket that allows you to board pretty much every form of public transit in the country, plains, buses, trams and subways (actually there's just one subway system, in Vienna). This climate ticket costs €1000 per year so it's basically less than 3 euros per day. The only catch is that if you want a seat reservation you will have to pay, but the not a lot (3-4 euros usually). However, if you don't mind travelling at odd hours, you can pretty much get away without any extra costs.
I also know for a fact Germany has a similar system, but I'm not familiar with it though.
In germany the train prices are also incredible high. Often it is cheaper and faster to use a car or even a short flight than to pay for a train.
But now we got the 49€-Ticket for a whole month. Every regional train (the slow ones) and all local transportation like buses, trams, subway etc are included,
So you can pay from munich to hamburg in a fast ICE-train over 200€ or ride on a dozen regional trains in 16 hours with no extra money.
Maybe a cheap oppertunity for you to travel trough germany and see the country side because the train stops at every outpost in the wild...
On the subject of prices, I watched your recent excellent videos from Greece. When I used to visit the Greek islands Greece was a genuine budget destination and was a big favourite for European backpackers. Since then it has become less of a bargain for budget travellers. I'm guessing membership of the Euro currency zone in 2001 is largely responsible for the change.
And American tourists are pushing the prices up as it gets busier every year
Eventually autochthonous people will be fed up with a economic situation which doesnt permit them to enjoy the places of their our country and there will be less tourism but more balanced producing economy all over the countries.
Gentrification is no joke and only benefits a small percentage of the people involved in the business. The others watch their fundaments crumble in a marginalized and alienized society.
Great job sir...
Hi Gabriel, Excellent questions and you should know this it's the cost of living in Denmark, Germany 47.5 percent, and France 55 percent whereas in Estonia 20 percent, and in the Czech Republic 23 percent, and Hungary 15 Percent in taxes. Wherever there is a high concentration of wealth they are paying higher taxes. Cities Like Zurich, Geneva, New York, and London pay high taxes and higher costs of living. Once the wealthy began moving into lower-cost countries that pay less taxes the tax base begin to rise and the cost of living there goes up. Once you see a migration of wealth going somewhere else you see a steady change in the cost of living going up.
In Hungarian, Sz makes an S sound and the S makes an Sh sound. Cs is Ch. Hope that makes some sense
I would assume the price difference is almost certainly to do with wages for workers in various jobs on the trains and stations. Living expenses in Austria are considerably higher and avg monthly wages in Austria are about 1000 € more per month. It wouldn’t surprise me either that Austrian rail workers are unionized and Hungarian aren’t.
In Sweden we also earn alot of money, probably as much as Austria if not even more. And guess what, a 90 minutes train ride between my city and Malmö costs only 11 euros. An over 3 hours train ride from Gothenburg to Malmö is 29 euros. You can not just blame these extortionate train prices on Austrian incomes!
@@vaultkeeper2 high taxes in Sweden compensate for cheaper high quality public transport. There are many things that go into why things are anecdotally expensive but the most expensive aspect of any business is payroll.
@@Antonius2085 If train travel is 5 times cheaper in Sweden than in Austria, I would say average incomes of the citizens is little to no factor in the pricing. Taxes are probably a major reason. In Sweden, affordable commuting by public transport is seen as a human right, much like healthcare. Prices for train travel in Sweden is similar prices as Hungary.
@@vaultkeeper2 taxes are ‘a’ reason in Sweden and I imagine being a train employee in Sweden is a decent middle income job. That doesn’t make it less expensive to pay workers it’s just subsidized by the government in the form of taxes rather than in high fares. Like you said, transportation is a right. Austria and Switzerland are much more free market and have lower taxes but higher prices in favor of ‘the market’ deciding prices. I dont agree with unregulated free market price gauging but if higher prices are going to workers and the experience is good then I wouldn’t complain. Often tourists wear down infrastructures and leave soon after. That is a burden on the infrastructure and societal systems. And I honestly dont think it’s fair for tourists to stick citizens with the tax bill on infrastructure expenses. Gabe is using up a lot of resources on many of his trips across countries. These aren’t particularly easy areas to get to that he is visiting and I would hope the people working to make his traveling possible are being well compensated.
I would say that the biggest difference in prices is a remnant of Iron curtain.
Google a map of Iron curtain and Europe map of average wages,it is basically a match.
Great to pick things up with you and your adventures, Gabriel. Trains and subways are my favorite ways to travel.
....and dont forget you are not in the EURO Currenci Area....so a Country can control better own Prices and Levels. So if you go to Croatia the Pricelevel increase very much because they enter into the Euro Zone this Year.
One additional thing about the price difference, besides the economically difference between our countries, might be also de difference in the pricing model. In Germany and Austria it’s usually much cheaper if you book your train ticket a view day or weeks in advance, then you are able to get special offers. If you book spontaneously and in short notice, it’s much more expensive. My guess is that in Hungary as well as in the mentioned Sweden this is not the case and they have a different pricing model
Nationalised railway vs private company, perhaps?
Kőbánya-Kispest is one of the stations in Budapest :) the difference between the prices of train tickets are ridiculous so is the difference in wages :)
Szeged is great. Lots of university students there making it an interesting mix. Some great local cuisine at Regi Hid Vendeglo restaurant I went to on the river.
Salzburg to Győr is almost double the distance of Győr - Szeged. It was a faster train. Hungarian rails don't support the same speeds as Austrian lines, it's one of the reasons it's cheaper in Hungary. Also, expect even slower trains in Romania, sometimes you'll be doing around 20 mph vs 100+ mph in Austria.
People have less money so if the cost of services is too high those companies won't have any customers.
Oh comon' Gabriel, Magyar is such an easy language! 😅We hope you enjoyed your stay tesó!
Hi Gabriel, My 17 year old son just whatsapp'd me from Bali Indonesia asking if I'd meet him in India in November. I said sure and sent him your latest video from Goa. I said "How about here". I'm just waiting to hear back. .....You have created a monster...My deepest Thanks from Nova Scotia.
Cool, have a great trip!
Yes some prices are insane … I just can’t bring myself to pay high prices like that, I’d rather have taken the bus.
Seen in real terms, it is a problem for the EU, which has been trying to incorporate former “Warsaw Pact” states since the fall of the “Iron Curtain”, but has not been able to adapt the different economic systems for over 30 years.
The train ticket in Austria costs more because the train driver lives in an apartment that costs 1000 euros a month.
The Hungarian train driver lives in the same apartment, which costs 300 euros a month.
And so it goes on and on and on.
Here in Sweden, a train driver also lives in a 1000 euro a month apartment and train prices are 3 or 4 times lower than in Austria. An over 3 hour train ride from Gothenburg to Malmö costs about 29 euro and it's a fixed price that doesn't change by popularity, this is the full price without any kind of discount, good luck paying 29 euro for over 3 hours train travel in Austria. I guess just because a country is rich, like also Sweden is as well as Belgium where trains are also cheap, doesn't mean they have to have extortionate train prices and rip off tourists.
@@vaultkeeper2 But you don't have to fear direct competition in Sweden.
We in Austria or Germany live on the border to the former Eastern Bloc, and the workers in the East work for significantly less money than you in Sweden.
In Hungary if you are a student there is a country ticket for 1800 ft about 4-5 euros wich you can travel with inside Hungary for 30 days unlimited.
Hungary is historical very different. You should do some reseach!
easy explanation : hungarian median income is less than half what it is in western eu
That is certainly one big factor. But if wages are 50% then you would expect train prices to be roughly 50%, not 10%. So there must be other factors.
@@GabrielTravelerVideos the main lines were modernized thanks to the huge amount of EU funds,in the same time it was actually national news here couple days ago that the govement is planning to shut down many smaller lines (mostly between vilages), also we have a post socialist system so most public services are unprofitable but kept cheap. ( its also a goverment policy to keep everything cheap, pm orbán is a ultra populist basicly trump on steroids)
@@torav. At least he isnt floading his beloved country with demoralized, traumatized man in the age of military service coming from bombed countries like you know which.
You want ghettos in your society? You can have ghettos, no problem. Just vote the wrong temptation people.
High taxes and social wellfare in expanding no-go areas will suck the last drop of motivation out of your working class. Good night!
@@GabrielTravelerVideos I guess that "less than half" he mentioned is just a rough estimation, I believe is more around the 30% mark. If the train tickets would be more expensive I assume many people wouldn't be able to afford it. Also as some other comments stated, even though the trains are nice and modern, the local train company doesn't have the best track record in regards of punctuality, e.g. when I'm travelling from Szeged to the Budapest airport I almost never choose the train, even though that's the fastest, cheapest and even the most comfortable option. I'm concerned there might be delays - which are quite frequent - and I'll miss my flight. I also find it frustrating that the employees do not speak English and many information is only displayed in Hungarian, so it's not trivial for foreigners to use the local train system. In my opinion these are also factors in the quality of the service you're purchasing. Considering all of the above I still agree that the train ticket price difference is steep between Hungary and western EU countries.
@@attilahallgato2785 I'm sure those are all relevant, seems that it's a combination of many different factors.
When I lived/worked in Hungary I wanted to go to Saltzberg then said nope when I saw the price of the ticket ($100 each way 12 years ago!). I went to Vienna via a very nice bus for a fraction of the price round trip. Buses can be a cheaper alternative if the route is available or even planes, though trains can be more comfortable/convenient. When it comes to the cost difference incomes & GDPs are different (Hungary: $18,728 vrs Austria: $53,637.71 vrs Switzerland: $91,991) due to communism in Hungary. There has been progress made re West vrs East with various initiatives to help with economic development and integration though time with free markets alone helps as well.
Train workers in Hungary earn some of the lowest incomes in the EU at €922/month while Swiss train drivers START at almost $7K/month. Part of it is the cost of living difference, but another reason is that strikes might be more common and with a longer history of doing so outside of Eastern Europe for a variety of reasons. I experienced no strikes when I lived there for months compared to encountering them elsewhere when on relatively short visits.
When I lived there, there was a lot of understandable resentment about the fact that the soviet union took them over resulting in lower wages and what they perceived to living in a shitty place even though I found it to be beautiful. People were shocked that an American from NYC would even want to be there at all because of how they perceived things. The reality was quite hard for most people re incomes vrs the cost of living. A lot of people compared Budapest to Vienna which was extra clean/nice because many have traveled there.
There are also slightly different values re government due to the socialist history which may impact funding for stuff like public transportation though I'm not sure if it really factors into the price differences. The quality of life is generally better in Western Europe so younger people tend to learn other languages to get out and people may even do cleaning jobs even though they have professional degrees because they can earn so much more and save/send money back. Esp if they are willing to live frugally which is something that people in places like Hungary, and esp Romania HAVE to do anyway most of the time without extra left over.
My quality of life in Hungary was very good since their infrastructure is actually pretty great and the funding for my position was from the US. It was like my money was suddenly worth 5x at least while Budapest was very walkable with great transit and produce, restaurants, day trips, etc. At the time Hungary had mostly the old Soviet trains, and they were just starting to get the new ones. But local people were often really struggling.
Price differences for the same thing?……….it is called GREED.
It's not about income but disposable income i.e. how much you have left over after paying for rent, utilities, food, education. You will see the ratio of Austria vs Hungary is much more stark when you consider disposable income. I also think many young people from Hungary must be working in western Europe leaving behind pensioners and students. The government will also do whatever is necessary to prevent a peasant uprising so the real question is: what will cause a peasant uprising.
In general the tourism and hospitality industry was hit hardest by the pandemic throughout the world and now the global inflation has created a huge challenge for the budget traveller for saving money particularly travelling in highly industrialized countries with high cost of living ...why...? Is it just the inflation ?
I have heard that a plane ticket out of Hungary to somewhere to the west is a lot cheaper than going in too hungry.. I'm thinking there must be some government subsidy involved with transportation
Yes, planes can be cheaper to get around Europe than trains outside of Eastern Europe. Buses can also be an affordable option. It's actually similar in the US but Europe tends to have extra cheap plane rides.
Some governments support their railways more than others, which makes prices cheaper, in order to persuade people to travel by public transport rather than own a car.
I would say Hungary are doing something right that neighbouring countries are doing wrong, in other words, dropped the ball on measuring overheads Gabriel!, by the way the pronunciation for Györ is literally Jerrr as in jar or jacket, enjoy your sojourn!
Very instructive!!
The letter combination ‘sz’ in the word Szeged is pronounced like the ‘s’ in the word ‘segway’. The Hungarian letter ‘s’ without the ‘z’ is pronounced like the letter combination ‘sh’ in the word shirt. Hopefully, this will help make it easier for you to pronounce it and other words with that same letter combo.
Friend of mine told me that if I want to go to Amsterdam from München
I should book the ticket starting in Hungary, as its a lot cheaper.
I dont know how or if it works though.
I envy your freedom....in a good way though😉
The distance in kilometers between Salzburg and Györ is significantly longer than what the second train covers. Look it up on Google Maps. The trains in Hungary are slower.
I'm pretty sure the first train I took to Budapest was the exact same train that I'd taken in Austria, because it was also originating from Salzburg. $23 covered all three trains that I took in this video, from Gyor to Szeged. I just checked and Salzburg to Gyor is 424 kms whereas Gyor to Szeged is 311 kms. So yes, a somewhat longer distance, but that doesn't seem to be a major factor in the price discrepancy.
It’s all about value in the end and about money as well. Countries which give me most for my money get my business while others don’t.
Thanks
Thanks, appreciate it. ✌️
If you are going to Szigetvar you can check out the battle site of the siege of Sziget (1566), where Croatia' s greatest soldier (Nikola Subic Zrinski) held the fortess with only 2000 men against Suleiman the Magnificent (the greatest Ottoman sultan, who built the present walls around Jerusalem) and his massive army on the way to attack Vienna. The battle resulted in the deaths of both Zrinski and Suleinan and the Ottoman army had to give up on attacking Vienna. It was the subject of operas and poems. It was similar to Spartan King Leonidas"' last stand at the battke of Thermopylae. Check it out if you can!
Trains looked so clean and comfy as I’ve found in Europe and a great price too. Who knows why the prices are different from country to country maybe also depends if they are privatised or run by the Government as it is in Australia where Im from. Maybe it has something to do with the socio economics of the country but lovely enjoy the journey
In higher income countries, one would assume it would cost more for services...including hotels and meals. When we were in Thailand, we were paying so little for real nice hotels and resorts all over the county...prices that you would not find in North America or Europe...Remember how much you were paying in Australia? I believe minimum wages are $20/hour!!! I think you need a Demon beer...or three!! lol
Minimum wage in Germany is 12,- € right now.
@@MARC-FENIX Oh okay...that's the same as 20 AUS $....good to know...
I just left computer for a few seconds missed 1 but its ok I am watching video now
We were waiting for this video haha
Prices are correlated on peoples income
Always a pleasure. Romania, Bulgaria, and well.....Albania. Very inexpensive. I know a few that live in Bulgaria. Good prices for expats.
It would be nice if you could check the price of the same train you took into Hungary from Austria and look at the price from hungry to Austria I bet the difference would be incredible a lot less than the 200 some dollars for 3 hours
Yeah , I took the train from Budapest to Vienna and I forget the price but it was definitely not $200 . Hungarian salaries are way lower than Austrian salaries, this is reflected in transportation prices.
That would definitely be interesting to see, the price of the exact same train from Gyor back to Salzburg.
Both MÁV-Start (Hungary) and ÖBB (Austria) are State owned. So the price differences are interesting.
Hungary started from scratch in 1990. Forint was extremely low. Austria in the past had very powerful unions. I bet that they have something to do with relatively high prices of train tickets in Austria now.
Prices are not a question of justice or equality, but market laws, Austrian citizens "accept" to pay more because they earn more.
In Sweden we also earn alot of money, probably as much as Austria if not even more. And guess what, a 90 minutes train ride between my city and Malmö costs only 11 euros. An over 3 hours train ride from Gothenburg to Malmö is 29 euros. You can not just blame these extortionate train prices on Austrian incomes!
I am curious, Austria to Hungary $200. How much would the same trip be going from Hungary to Austria paid for in Hungary?
Prices I would say are all relevant to each countries Salaries… Higher salaries like Switzerland means higher prices. Hard to explain simply as each country has different economies, different imports and exports, different debt levels etc etc.. You need to be a Economic Professor to know .. safe travels Gabe 😃👍
Wow. I love when you say "discrepancy". Can you say "discrepancia" as well?🙂
By comparison, in Germany there is a 49e ticket germany wide per month! (minus the high speed trains)
Thanks!
Thanks a lot. ✌️👊
Price difference are very easy to explain. Hungary is a former communist country with lots of people that grew up with in socialism with the expectancy that the government subsidizes transportation and food prices. The government still sets the price for basic goods such as bread, milk, gasoline, public transportation.
Austria was always a capitalist country with minor social price controls.
You might have noticed that in Hungary there are no migrants from third world countries who receive enormous welfare benefits. Hungary has a preference for its own citizens, the trains are nice and clean, much less crime and no criminal immigrants.
Interested to see the Bulgarian riviera if you’re going there
I was there last year: th-cam.com/video/FvlctIkanaU/w-d-xo.html
I would recommend just to avoid the Bulgarian coast at this time of the year. I'll be in the Pirin mountains coming August searching for a bit more tranquility this summer.
@@GabrielTravelerVideos nice I’ll check it out
I hr train From Nice to Italy is €9
If the price is not a steal, then I will not go. Simple is beautiful.
Stay home then buddy, the world won't miss you.
Very disappointed you did not to know the name of the river
Hungarian train tickets might seem cheap (they are, compared to western EU) but the train company BARELY keeps working. It's run by the state and everything that is run by the state is in shambles. The state is corrupt, inefficient, incompetent. Some trains are decades old, tracks are unmaintained. Huge delays due to technical reasons (everything falling apart) are commonplace. Recently some old trains literally caught fire causing injuries to travelers and so on. Really really terrible.
By the way I've been to Salzburg 2 weeks ago by train. The same train that moved at 230km/h in Austria was capped to 140-160 in Hungary. Arrival to Wien from the west: train spends 10 mins underground at very high speed, crossing half the city and some mountains I guess. Arrival to Budapest in the same train (after half of the train cars have been disconnected in Wien): slowly roll at ~20 km/h through the city into the main station. I guess it would fall off the tracks at 200km/h there :D
You were lucky with these train cars, try a 2nd class car and if you're lucky you will get some 50+ years old junk that is dirty, noisy, shaking all the time and the toilet is just a hole above the rails.
also bus is very cheap in eastern europe
Gabriel.. You are the best 👍👍👍
Would you travel to Chicago for a vacation or Banff. How much more would you pay for the Banff?
Don’t know if this is the case or not but I heard with airlines if you set VPN different location you get dif prices saw someone mention rail they used it for too, maybe its a mixed bag though some claim price different others claiming not much of anything. Do you think if you set your location to Hungary on a VPN and bought the ticket from Salzberg to Hungary the price would have been different?
Very interesting question ... I don't have the answer either ... But the trip and the adventure are fantastic ... Fun and Instructive ... 📈💵📉