University of Pécs medical school tuition and total cost of studying in Pécs versus Budapest or Debrecen?

valuemd (Admin)

Pécs is a smaller city with a lower cost of living than Budapest. This thread provides a full cost breakdown of tuition, accommodation, food, and transport in Pécs, and compares the total investment against Semmelweis in Budapest and the University of Debrecen.

sunhao5512 (Student)

Hey everyone, I have been shortlisting Hungarian medical schools and I keep going back and forth between Pecs, Semmelweis in Budapest, and Debrecen. My parents are helping me fund this so I really need to get an honest picture of the total cost and not just tuition. I mean everything, rent, food, transport, going out occasionally, the whole thing. From what I can tell Pecs is supposed to be cheaper overall but I want to hear from actual students who are living it right now. Anyone willing to break it down properly?

emmabrooks443 (Student)

sunhao5512 (Student) I can help with the Pecs numbers since I am currently in third year here. Tuition for the English program is around 16,000 euros per year, which is in the same ballpark as Debrecen and slightly under Semmelweis from what my friends there tell me. But where Pecs really saves you money is the living costs. I pay around 250 euros a month for a decent private room close to the medical faculty. Food is cheap if you cook, I spend maybe 150 euros a month on groceries. Transport is basically nothing because everything is walkable or there is a student tram pass that costs almost nothing. All in I live on about 500 to 550 euros a month comfortably.

ellawhite9903 (Alumni)

sunhao5512 (Student) I can give you the Budapest side of this since I am at Semmelweis. Tuition here is around 17,000 to 18,000 euros per year for the English program so yes slightly higher than Pecs. But the living costs are where it really adds up. I pay 420 euros for a room and that is considered reasonable for Budapest right now. Food, going out, transport, everything just costs more in the capital. I would say I spend around 750 to 800 euros a month on living and that is me being careful. Budapest is an amazing city but if budget is your priority you need to factor that gap in seriously.

darrencole1198 (Student)

This is a thread I needed. I want to add the Debrecen comparison because I actually visited all three before choosing and ended up picking Pecs. Debrecen tuition is similar to Pecs, around 15,500 to 16,500 euros a year depending on the year of study. Living costs in Debrecen are also low, probably slightly lower than Pecs even, but the city is smaller and more remote and honestly the social scene and overall quality of life felt quite different to me. Pecs felt more European and liveable. So for similar tuition and only a small living cost difference I felt Pecs gave me more for my money in terms of the overall experience.