If you feel like rents keep climbing faster than your savings account, you are not imagining things. Official rent indices show that advertised rents have been rising around 7–10 percent per year recently, while sale prices have also jumped strongly.
The twist is that the new Otthon Start 3 percent home loan can turn this squeeze into an opportunity. With cheap, long-term, fixed-rate credit, well-chosen rental apartments can deliver leveraged returns that bank analysts put at roughly 9–10 percent a year, compared with about 4.5 percent when you buy with a normal market-rate loan.
Let us walk through how this double money formula can look in four real cities: Miskolc, Győr, Debrecen and Pécs.
How the Otthon Start formula really works
The logic is simple:
- You buy a flat with a mix of own cash and Otthon Start loan.
- Your tenant’s rent covers most or all of the 3 percent mortgage instalment.
- Over time, you gain from both rental cash flow and the property’s capital growth.
By law, Otthon Start is a state-supported, fixed 3 percent housing loan, available up to 50 million forint with a maximum 25-year term. Banks and analysts now openly discuss using it not only for own use, but also for long-term, buy-to-let strategies.
Below, all prices are ballpark averages for 2025, based mainly on citywide asking prices and rent statistics. In reality, a fully renovated, well-located flat will often sit somewhat above the city average, so treat these as simple, conservative examples.
Miskolc: value play with solid rental yield
Average asking price for apartments is around 442 000 forint per square metre. Take a 60 square metre, nicely renovated flat: purchase price roughly 26–27 million forint.
Recent local reports put typical rents for whole apartments at about 120–130 thousand forint per month, depending on size and condition.
If you rent such a flat for about 125 000 forint per month, that is roughly 1.5 million forint a year. On a 26.5 million forint purchase price, the gross rental yield lands around 5.5–6 percent.
With Otthon Start, if you finance, say, 80 percent of the purchase at 3 percent and only 20 percent is your own cash, your return on equity can move closer to the 8–9 percent range once you factor in moderate price growth and the tenant repaying most of the loan for you.
Debrecen: high rents, higher entry ticket
In Debrecen, average apartment asking prices are about 918–994 thousand forint per square metre, depending on the dataset. A renovated 60 square metre flat therefore costs around 55 million forint.
Rents are among the highest outside the capital city. Several sources show citywide average rents in the 230–250 thousand forint range, with a mid-2025 estimate around 248 thousand forint per month.
At 248 000 forint monthly, just under 3 million forint per year, on a 55 million forint asset, you are looking at roughly 5.4 percent gross yield. The percentage yield is similar to Miskolc, but your absolute monthly cash flow is higher because the rent is bigger in forint terms.
With Otthon Start, a typical structure might be 11 million forint own cash plus 44 million forint loan. The combination of 3 percent fixed interest and strong local rental demand can push the long-term equity return firmly into the high single digits, assuming rents and prices keep tracking recent trends.
Győr: growth market with mid-range yield
Győr’s 2025 average apartment price is around 958 thousand forint per square metre. A renovated 60 square metre unit costs about 57–58 million forint.
Fresh rental data suggest an average rent of roughly 206 876 forint per month based on recent listings.
That gives you about 2.48 million forint in annual rent and around 4.3 percent gross yield at today’s prices. It is a bit lower than Debrecen or Miskolc, but Győr also benefits from strong employment and industrial investment, which can support both rent growth and capital gains over time.
Because the yield is not sky-high, Otthon Start plays an important role here. The 3 percent fixed rate keeps your financing costs predictable even if rents grow only slowly, and leverage can still lift the overall return above what you would get by buying in cash or with a normal, more expensive mortgage.
Pécs: student-driven demand with affordable entry
In Pécs, average apartment asking prices are around 909 thousand forint per square metre. A refurbished 60 square metre flat will therefore cost roughly 54–55 million forint.
Recent rental statistics show that an average apartment rents for about 193 339 forint per month, a touch below some other university towns.
That equals about 2.32 million forint a year and a gross yield in the 4.2–4.3 percent range. The upside is that entry prices are slightly lower than in Debrecen or Győr, and the student market can provide a steady flow of tenants if the property is close to campus or the centre.
Using Otthon Start, even a 20–25 percent down payment can give you exposure to a full 50 plus million forint asset, with the potential for both rent and price growth over a 20–25 year horizon.
How to use this in practice
- Decide on your budget and how much own cash you can commit as down payment.
- Compare city averages: cheaper markets like Miskolc may offer slightly better percentage yields, while Debrecen and Győr provide stronger absolute rent levels.
- Focus on renovated, energy-efficient flats close to jobs, universities or public transport; these tend to rent faster and at a premium.
- Ask your bank or broker to run explicit Otthon Start calculations for several purchase-price and rent scenarios.
- Always include safety buffers for vacant months, maintenance and tax before you commit.
Five quick Q&A points
1. Is rental property still worth it with today’s prices?
Yes, because rents have risen nearly 10 percent year on year in many periods, while sale prices also climbed, so well-located flats can still deliver attractive long-term returns.
2. How does Otthon Start improve my return?
With fixed 3 percent interest up to 25 years and 50 million forint, cheaper credit magnifies the impact of rental income and price growth on the smaller slice of the purchase price that is actually your own cash.
3. Which city currently shows the strongest gross yield in these examples?
Based on current averages, Miskolc comes out around 5.5–6 percent, Debrecen about 5–5.5 percent, while Győr and Pécs sit closer to 4–4.5 percent.
4. How big a flat should I look for?
Many investors like the 45–65 square metre range. These homes are still affordable to buy, easy to rent to singles, couples or small families, and usually more liquid when you decide to sell.
5. What are the main risks with this strategy?
Key risks are interest-rate or policy changes to Otthon Start, local oversupply with too many new rentals at once, and unexpected costs such as major building renovations. Running several what-if scenarios before signing makes a big difference.