What about med school with children?

[Iubito]

Hello,

I have been reading all of your posts for the pats 6 months...All great stuff.

I am a Romanian, married to an American and have been living in the States for the last 7 years. I have ** in Neuroscience. I am in the process of applying to Semmelweis and hopefully will get in..Between my husband and I will have a bout 20 000 dollars left over for rent and food. I have to ask you guys some questions.
Can any of you tell me an estimate price for groceries?..here in Dallas we can live all 4 of us on about 600 dolars and that includes an ocasional meal out.
What can we expect to pay for an apartment in Budapest fit for 4 of us, 2 -5 year old boys...does 800 dollars seem like enough?
How much do utilities cost?
I am from Romania, I could go to school there, but we would have to finance it ourselves, and Romania is way behind Hungary...
Anyone with kids out there: I am afraid if they get sick, would they be cared for properly, it is a stupid question ..I know.Here we only have emergency insurance, but I need to get a feel about the way they treat children overall.
We went thorugh Hungary and it seemed very clean and beautiful, we did not make it to the school though..
Any kind of info would help...do you think 1500 dollars a month is reasonable to start with??/If you have any contacts of American families with kids in Budapest please ask if I may contact them...Thanks a million!!!

[CoolChihuahuaChick]

Trust in Jesus for keeping you and your children safe and healthy! I am mother , too. Also Romanian by blood, but American by birth.

Put your children in the hands of Jesus, and leave them there! Good Luck~

[Miklos]

Hello,

I have been reading all of your posts for the pats 6 months...All great stuff.

I am a Romanian, married to an American and have been living in the States for the last 7 years. I have ** in Neuroscience. I am in the process of applying to Semmelweis and hopefully will get in..Between my husband and I will have a bout 20 000 dollars left over for rent and food. I have to ask you guys some questions.
Can any of you tell me an estimate price for groceries?..here in Dallas we can live all 4 of us on about 600 dolars and that includes an ocasional meal out.
What can we expect to pay for an apartment in Budapest fit for 4 of us, 2 -5 year old boys...does 800 dollars seem like enough?
How much do utilities cost?
I am from Romania, I could go to school there, but we would have to finance it ourselves, and Romania is way behind Hungary...
Anyone with kids out there: I am afraid if they get sick, would they be cared for properly, it is a stupid question ..I know.Here we only have emergency insurance, but I need to get a feel about the way they treat children overall.
We went thorugh Hungary and it seemed very clean and beautiful, we did not make it to the school though..
Any kind of info would help...do you think 1500 dollars a month is reasonable to start with??/If you have any contacts of American families with kids in Budapest please ask if I may contact them...Thanks a million!!!

If you wish to live like many expatriats do, going out every other night, taking taxis everywhere, renting an apartment without much regard to cost then you are underfunded.

In contrast, if you do as the locals do, you should have money left over to enjoy the region. The keys, I think are as follows.

First, find an apartment near a major transportation hub that you like and can afford. There seems to be a two-tier market for apartment rents. One for the locals and one for the foreigners (who pay more than they should.) With regard to utilities, it is important to find one without central heating (e.g. one that is individually metered, otherwise you will be paying for heating your neighbor's places during the winter). I think that 800 dollars a month can get you a very nice place, including utilities. It is important that one takes the time to look around though, as some landlords seem to think that foreigners are made from pure gold.

Regarding food prices, going out to an expat style restaurant can set you back more than in the states, no question about it. That said, the Hungarians go out as well to local restaurants with some frequency. Groceries depend on what you buy. For basics, they are much cheaper than their US equivalents. Imported goodies are significantly more expensive than in the US. If you do your own cooking, I think that 600 dollars is more than what a Hungarian family spends monthly.

Transportation is another place where you can spend a lot of money or save a lot of money. Maintaining a car in Hungary costs far more than in the US. Principally, the difference is that a liter of gasoline costs around 220 forint (which at current exchange rates is $1.10 - if we multiply this by 3.7 to yield $4.07 for a gallon of gas!) Parking can be a nightmare. On the other hand, public transportation passes are a bargain. A monthly full-price pass costs around 5800 forint ($30) and a discounted student pass costs around 2200 forint ($10).

Regarding medical care, the Hungarians are quite proud of their pediatricians. Kids are typically not seen by family practioners, but are taken straight to pediatricians. Semmelweis requires one to purchase insurance for students, but I do not know about how children are covered. You may wish to ask them.

I'm not certain that most American families in Budapest could give you decent advice, as in my experience, they belong to the ex-pat segment that is blessed with things like expense accounts.

Check out one of the English language weeklies, the Budapest Sun at www.budapestsun.com Please note that the prices qouted for renting apartments ARE NOT what the Hungarians pay (anytime the rent is quoted in Euro or Dollars, you are paying far more than you should).

Let me know if I can answer other questions.

Good luck.

Miklos

[Iubito]

Dear Miklos,

I knew that when I got up this morning I would find some goodies from you and there you are....

I cook my own food...this is how I raised the children, I take them out once, maybe twice a week to McDonalds/Burger King. here in the States my husband and I go out maybe once every 2 weeks and a weekly Jumbo Jack...if you know what I mean.

I do not plan on getting a car, I know gas prices and car maintanance and car insurance would turn my budget upside down...
What I mean by groceries is the basics: meat, potatoes, milk, eggs,ioghurt,fruit and vegetables...sometimes deli meat and of course, a few snacks for the boys...that is about it.

We have a big house in the Us, but I grew up in a 3 bedroom apartment in Romania, so I am not pretentious...I just want something fun...Ikea furnished so the boys would find it a blast...

The biggest expense would probably be their school for next year when they turn 6 ...an American school for both of them is 8000 a year, I hope to find a Hungarian school that teaches in English a class or so...maybe cheaper.


Thak you very much for your info,
Oana Olson

[Miklos]

Dear Miklos,

I knew that when I got up this morning I would find some goodies from you and there you are....

I cook my own food...this is how I raised the children, I take them out once, maybe twice a week to McDonalds/Burger King. here in the States my husband and I go out maybe once every 2 weeks and a weekly Jumbo Jack...if you know what I mean.

I do not plan on getting a car, I know gas prices and car maintanance and car insurance would turn my budget upside down...
What I mean by groceries is the basics: meat, potatoes, milk, eggs,ioghurt,fruit and vegetables...sometimes deli meat and of course, a few snacks for the boys...that is about it.

We have a big house in the Us, but I grew up in a 3 bedroom apartment in Romania, so I am not pretentious...I just want something fun...Ikea furnished so the boys would find it a blast...

The biggest expense would probably be their school for next year when they turn 6 ...an American school for both of them is 8000 a year, I hope to find a Hungarian school that teaches in English a class or so...maybe cheaper.


Thak you very much for your info,
Oana Olson

Oana,

The basics are cheaper than the US, so long as they are locally produced. They were much cheaper, but of late, the US Dollar has taken a nosedive against the Hungarian forint, because the forint is tied to the Euro.

To give you an idea of what the prices are like, try these links:

http://www.auchan.hu/ujsag/ujsag.html main page, use links (in Hungarian on left to navigate)

http://www.auchan.hu/ujsag/friss.html diary products http://www.auchan.hu/ujsag/tartoselelm.html canned and dry goods

It belongs to the French hypermarket chain Auchan that has stores regionally and advertises their low prices.

You can also check out http://www.cora.hu/pages/akciokframe.htm , click on the brochure in the middle to get the prices, then click on the individual items. (This one belongs to a competitor, also a French Hypermarket chain, Cora.)

Take the Hungarian forint prices and divide them by 210 to get the US dollar equivalent to get an idea of how much a given item costs. Keep in mind that these aren't average prices, as this is what one expects at hypermarkets (which are very popular with locals). (Also, taxes are already included in the price of the item.) Prices at the local grocers are somewhat higher (you pay for the convenience of the location).

Regarding housing, you may wish to consider exploring the Buda side of city. It is more expensive than the Pest side, but if you take the time to look, you might be able to get an apartment in an apartment house that has an attached 'private' garden.

Regarding schooling, you may wish to look into a Hungarian school. I am afraid that I cannot give you more advice on this, simply because I don't know.

Hope this helps, let me know if I can give you more info.

Miklos