What's a forint?

Although a member of the European Union, Hungary does not use the euro.  Rather, Hungary's money system is the forint.

The forint is what I call a high number system.  There are no decimals.  

Currently (as of March 20th, 2015)

• One dollar equals 280 forints
• One euro equals 303 forints
• One pound equals 418 forints

But the forint has become weaker, especially when compared to the dollar.  Even a few months ago when we made our trip to Budapest one dollar was closer to 250 forint.  

It helps me to think of it this way: 1 forint is more like one penny than it is like one euro or dollar.  Similar to the euro and pound (and unlike the dollar) 100 forint and 200 forint are coins.  

Regardless while you might be spending a lot of forints, you likely won't be spending to much money, as Hungary is very affordable.  Budapest is one of the least expensive major cities in Europe.