Convert CAD to HUF Canadian dollar ↔ Hungarian forint Free Online Secure
Type an amount in Canadian dollar and read it in Hungarian forint at once. The page uses the European Central Bank's reference rate, and tells you which day that rate is from.
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Common amounts — Convert CAD to HUF (Canadian dollar ↔ Hungarian forint)
| CAD | HUF |
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| 1 | |
| 5 | |
| 10 | |
| 20 | |
| 50 | |
| 100 | |
| 250 | |
| 500 | |
| 1000 | |
| 5000 |
The last thirty days
Where these codes and rates come from
The three letters in EUR, USD or JPY are not an abbreviation someone invented for a website: they are ISO 4217, a standard in which the first two letters are the country's own code and the third is usually the initial of the currency. The figures on this page come from the European Central Bank, which publishes one set of reference rates each working day, around 16:00 Central European time, agreed between the central banks of the Eurosystem. They are a daily snapshot meant for statistics and accounting, not a live trading feed — which is exactly why they are the same number for everyone, rather than whatever one bank happened to quote at one moment.
Where you meet an exchange rate
You meet an exchange rate four or five times a year without thinking about it: booking a trip, paying an invoice issued abroad, buying from a foreign shop, reading a salary offer in another currency, or checking what a card charge really cost. In all of these the reference rate is the honest middle, and the price you actually pay sits a little to one side of it. Knowing the middle is what lets you see how wide that margin is.
Questions people ask
Is this the rate my bank will give me?
No, and no page can promise one. This is the European Central Bank's reference rate: the midpoint published once a day for statistics. A bank, a card scheme or an exchange office adds its own margin on top — usually between half a percent and three percent, sometimes more at an airport counter. Use this figure to judge the offer you are given, not to predict it.
How often does the figure change, and what happens at weekends?
The European Central Bank publishes once each working day, in the afternoon, Central European time. There is no publication on Saturdays, Sundays or TARGET holidays, so on those days the page shows the last working day's rate and says which day it belongs to. The chart alongside is one year of the same daily series.
Is the answer exact?
Where both units are defined in terms of one another by whole numbers, yes — the page says so above the figure, and the only rounding is in how many digits are shown. Where the ratio has no finite decimal, the page shows twelve significant digits and says the relation is approximate rather than pretending otherwise.
Does anything I type leave my device?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no server to upload it to. Load the page once and it keeps working with the network switched off.
From Winnipeg to Budapest: the Hungarian refugees, the thermal baths and what a Canadian dollar buys in forints
In the autumn of 1956, Soviet tanks rolled into Budapest to crush a popular uprising, and some two hundred thousand Hungarians fled across the Austrian border within weeks. Canada, which had space and a reputation for generosity, accepted around thirty-seven thousand of them in one of the largest refugee operations in its history. They were flown to Halifax, put on trains and settled in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver and a hundred smaller towns. Their children and grandchildren have since become engineers, doctors, artists and hockey coaches, and many have gone back to see the country their families left behind. They discover a Budapest that bears little resemblance to the grey city of the Cold War: restored palaces on the Danube, cafes full of young people, steaming thermal baths and prices that seem friendly to a visitor with Canadian dollars. The currency, though, is the forint, a unit that comes with a long row of zeros. Use this page to Convert CAD to HUF with the daily reference rates published by the European Central Bank, in which the Canadian dollar and the Hungarian forint are both quoted against the euro; the page combines them into a dollar-forint figure and prints its date under the result. The amount you type never leaves your browser.
Using the converter
Canadian dollars in, forints out
Type your budget, Convert CAD to HUF, and write the date beside the answer, because the figure and its date belong together.
Type an amount in Canadian dollars and the page shows the equivalent in Hungarian forints, together with the date of the fixing used. A Canadian dollar is worth roughly 230 to 280 forints, so the answer is hundreds of times the number you typed. The forint has no subunit in everyday use, so every price is a whole number. A fixing is published once on each working day; on weekends and public holidays the page repeats the last one and says so. A table of round sums and a graph of the past thirty days sit below the box. For the opposite direction, from forints into dollars, open Convert HUF to CAD.
A reference, not a promise
At any counter, Convert CAD to HUF first and divide their offer by the result to see how large the margin is.
The figure on the screen is the mid-market rate, before any provider takes its share. A bank, a bureau or an app will give you a little less, and the difference is the real price of the service. A useful test is to divide the amount you are offered by the amount this page shows: 0.99 is excellent, 0.97 is common for a card, and anything below 0.95 invites a second quote. The examples below assume an invented, tidy rate of 250 forints to the Canadian dollar. It is not a forecast and not today's price, so put the live figure in its place.
Hungarian Canada
After 1956
The refugees of 1956 arrived with almost nothing. Many were young, some were students, and the Canadian universities offered places to those who could prove their studies. The government and charities provided temporary housing, and volunteers taught English. Within a few years the newcomers had founded churches, newspapers, dance groups and clubs, and the Hungarian community became a visible part of Toronto and Montreal. Each October, the anniversary of the uprising is remembered with ceremonies and wreaths in Canadian cities. Earlier and later waves of Hungarians also came: farmers to the prairies at the start of the twentieth century, and a smaller group after 1989.
Keeping in touch with the old country
Before each transfer, Convert CAD to HUF and compare the amount that arrives with the result.
Canadians of Hungarian descent keep their language in weekend schools, scouting groups and folk dance ensembles, and enjoy dishes such as goulash, chicken paprikash and the layered cake dobos torta. Families send money home, buy property and organise summer trips. A transfer of 1,000 Canadian dollars arrives as about 250,000 forints at the invented rate, though the margin of the service reduces that. Convert CAD to HUF before every transfer and compare the amount that arrives with the result.
Citizenship by descent
Hungary offers simplified naturalisation to descendants of former Hungarian citizens who speak Hungarian, a route that has been used by hundreds of thousands of people abroad. The procedure requires documents proving ancestry, a language test and an interview, and takes many months. A Hungarian passport also gives rights across the European Union. Contact the nearest consulate for the current list of documents and fees.
Budapest in a few days
The two halves of a city
Budapest is divided by the Danube into hilly Buda and flat Pest. On the Buda side stand the Castle, Fisherman's Bastion and Gellért Hill; on the Pest side the Parliament, the opera house, the great synagogue and the lively streets of the old Jewish quarter. Seven bridges join the two banks, among them the Chain Bridge, opened in 1849. Walking is the best way to see it, and the tram along the river bank is one of the most scenic rides in Europe. Entry to the Parliament tour costs a few thousand forints, with discounts for European citizens, and it is best booked in advance.
The baths
Entry to a big bath looks large in forints, so Convert CAD to HUF and see it is an ordinary evening out.
Budapest sits on a network of hot springs and has about two dozen public baths. The Széchenyi in the City Park is the largest, with outdoor pools where locals play chess in the steam. The Gellért has Art Nouveau mosaics, and the Rudas a Turkish dome from the sixteenth century. Entry costs 11,000 to 14,000 forints for the big baths, or 44 to 56 Canadian dollars at the invented rate. Bring swimwear, flip-flops and a towel, and expect to spend two or three hours.
Eating and drinking
For a dinner and a glass of wine, Convert CAD to HUF and compare with a similar meal in Canada.
Hungarian cuisine is built on paprika, onions and sour cream. Goulash is a soup, not a thick stew; a bowl costs 2,000 to 3,500 forints. Lángos, a fried flatbread with cheese and sour cream, costs 1,500 to 2,500, and chimney cake 1,500 to 2,500. A three-course dinner in a good restaurant costs 9,000 to 16,000 per person, and a glass of local wine 900 to 1,500. The prices are lower than in Toronto or Vancouver, so Convert CAD to HUF for a typical dinner and enjoy the comparison.
Ruin bars and coffee houses
In the old Jewish quarter, derelict buildings have been turned into bars with mismatched furniture, graffiti and courtyards, and the first of them opened in 2002. The classic coffee houses of the nineteenth century, with chandeliers and marble tables, offer coffee and cake for 2,500 to 4,500 forints. Both are part of the city's character.
Beyond the capital
Lake Balaton and Tokaj
Lake Balaton, about 75 kilometres long, is the largest lake in Central Europe, with shallow warm water and holiday towns on both shores. It is reached from Budapest by train in two hours, for 3,000 to 4,000 forints. In the north-east, the Tokaj region produces the sweet wine that was served at royal courts in Europe, and a cellar visit with tasting costs 3,000 to 8,000 forints. Drive carefully: the legal alcohol limit for drivers is zero.
Eger and the Danube Bend
For tickets, boats and lunch, Convert CAD to HUF and write the total for the day.
Eger has a castle that held out against an Ottoman siege in 1552, a baroque square and valley cellars with red wine called Bull's Blood. The Danube Bend, north of Budapest, has the artists' town of Szentendre, the castle at Visegrád and the cathedral at Esztergom. Each makes an easy day trip by train or boat. Convert CAD to HUF for the tickets and the lunch to see the total cost of the day.
Money in Hungary
Cards, cash and cash machines
Withdraw only what you need, and Convert CAD to HUF to know how much that is in dollars.
Cards are accepted in shops, restaurants and on public transport, and contactless payment is widespread. Cash machines owned by independent companies may charge high fees and offer conversion into Canadian dollars at a poor rate; use a bank's machine and choose forints. Canadian cards add a foreign-transaction fee of about 2.5 per cent, so a travel card may save money.
Tipping and service
A tip of 10 to 15 per cent is usual in restaurants, and many places add a service charge of 12 per cent to the bill, so check before you tip again. Taxi drivers expect the fare rounded up. Pay with the app where possible, and avoid street taxis at the station.
Time and distance
Hungary is six hours ahead of Toronto and nine ahead of Vancouver. Convert CET to EST gives the step to the Canadian east coast. Distances are in kilometres, and Convert km to mi turns them into miles. Convert °C to °F helps with the forecast.
Music, language and manners
A language unlike its neighbours
Hungarian belongs to the Finno-Ugric family, together with Finnish and Estonian, and has little in common with the Slavic, Germanic and Romance languages around it. It has eighteen cases, vowel harmony and a word order that depends on emphasis. Visitors are not expected to speak it, and English is common among younger people in Budapest. A few words win goodwill: szia for hello and goodbye among friends, köszönöm for thank you, kérem for please and egészségedre for cheers. The bill is called a számla, and you ask for it when you are ready.
Folk music and classical roots
Hungary has a rich musical tradition. Composers such as Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály collected folk songs in villages and shaped modern classical music, while Franz Liszt, born in a village near the Austrian border, became the greatest pianist of his century. In Budapest, concerts at the Liszt Academy and the Opera House cost 3,000 to 20,000 forints a ticket, much less than comparable seats in Toronto or Montreal. Folk dance houses, called táncház, welcome beginners in the evening and are an enjoyable way to meet locals.
Etiquette
Hungarians shake hands when meeting, address people formally until invited to use first names, and toast with small glasses of fruit brandy called pálinka. A custom from the nineteenth century says that beer glasses are not clinked, but this is rarely observed. Remove shoes when entering a home, and bring flowers, avoiding red roses and chrysanthemums. Tipping and punctuality are appreciated.
Getting there and around
Flights and trains
There are no direct flights between Canada and Hungary, so most travellers connect through Frankfurt, Munich, London, Amsterdam or Paris. A return ticket costs 1,000 to 2,000 Canadian dollars, lowest in spring and autumn. From the airport to the city centre, a fixed-fare taxi from the official counter costs 9,000 to 13,000 forints and an airport bus 2,200. International trains link Budapest with Vienna in about two and a half hours and with Prague, Bratislava and Cluj.
Moving inside the city
The city has four metro lines, including the M1, which opened in 1896 as the first underground railway in continental Europe. Trams, buses and trolleybuses fill the gaps. A single ticket costs about 450 forints, a 24-hour pass 2,500 and a 72-hour pass 5,500. Taxis hailed on the street can overcharge, so use an app. Most sights in the centre are within walking distance of each other.
Accommodation
A hostel bed costs 6,000 to 12,000 forints a night, a three-star hotel room 25,000 to 50,000 and an apartment for two 30,000 to 60,000. The best districts for visitors are V, VI and VII in Pest and the Castle district in Buda. Prices rise by a third at weekends and around Christmas. Many hotels add a small tourist tax. Convert CAD to HUF for the nightly rate and compare two districts.
A week, with figures
An example
Suppose a couple spends seven days in Hungary: four nights in Budapest, one in Eger and two at Lake Balaton. Six nights at 35,000 forints make 210,000. Food at 18,000 a day for two is 126,000. Local transport and trains cost 25,000, a rental car for two days 40,000 with fuel 15,000, baths and museums 45,000, wine tasting 12,000 and gifts 40,000. The total is 513,000 forints, which at the invented rate is 2,052 Canadian dollars, not counting the flights. Convert CAD to HUF for each line and see which is easiest to trim.
What to bring home
Popular souvenirs include paprika in tins or sacks, Tokaj wine, Herend porcelain and Zsolnay ceramics, embroidered tablecloths, salami from Szeged and hand-painted Easter eggs. Check Canadian customs rules on food and alcohol, keep receipts and wrap bottles in clothes. Porcelain is expensive, 5,000 to 100,000 forints per piece, and worth buying only in authorised shops.
The calendar of a Hungarian year
Spring and summer
Spring starts with the national holiday on 15 March, commemorating the revolution of 1848, and Easter customs that include the sprinkling of women with water or perfume on Easter Monday. Summer is the season of festivals: the Sziget Festival on an island in the Danube draws hundreds of thousands in August, wine festivals fill the Buda castle in September and village feasts mark the harvest. On 20 August, the national day of Saint Stephen, fireworks light the Danube. Temperatures in July and August can pass thirty-five degrees, so plan sightseeing for mornings and evenings.
Autumn and winter
Autumn is the grape harvest, with new wine and roasted chestnuts on the streets. Winter is cold, with temperatures often below zero, and the city has a Christmas market on Vörösmarty Square with gingerbread, mulled wine and chimney cake. The thermal baths are at their best in winter, with steam rising from the pools into the cold air. Public holidays include 23 October, the anniversary of the 1956 uprising, a day of ceremony that carries special meaning for Hungarian Canadians.
What to pack
Pack layers, a rain jacket and comfortable shoes for cobbled streets. In winter bring a warm hat and gloves; in summer sun protection and a refillable water bottle. Hungary uses a two-pin European plug with 230 volts, so you need an adapter. Swimwear for the baths and flip-flops are essential.
Phones, safety and health
Staying connected
Roaming from a Canadian plan can cost 10 to 15 dollars a day, so check your plan or buy a local SIM or an eSIM. Prepaid data is cheap, about 3,000 to 6,000 forints for several gigabytes. Free wireless networks are common in cafes and hotels. Download maps for offline use, and keep a copy of your hotel address in Hungarian.
Safety
Budapest is generally safe, but pickpockets operate on crowded trams, at markets and near tourist sights. Keep your wallet in a front pocket, be careful with phones near the edge of a platform and avoid unlicensed taxis. Some bars and clubs in the centre are known for inflated bills; check the menu prices before ordering and avoid places that do not show them.
Health
Pharmacies, marked with a green cross, offer advice on minor ailments. Hospitals are of reasonable standard, with private clinics aimed at foreigners offering English-speaking doctors for 15,000 to 30,000 forints per consultation. Travel insurance is essential, since Canadian health plans do not cover care abroad. Tap water is safe to drink.
Other conversions
If the trip goes on
Travellers who continue to Poland can use Convert CAD to PLN, those who go to Czechia Convert CAD to CZK, and those who return through the euro area Convert CAD to EUR. For forints against the euro, see Convert EUR to HUF.
A short routine
Write down the rate and date each time you change money, and compare the note with the statement later.
Mistakes to avoid
Losing track of zeros
Forint prices run to many digits, so Convert CAD to HUF and check the answer twice.
Forint prices have many digits. Convert CAD to HUF and say the answer aloud before you pay.
Paying in dollars
A terminal that offers to charge you in Canadian dollars uses its own rate. Pay in forints.
Using an old rate
A rate from last month can be several per cent out. The date beside the result protects you whenever you Convert CAD to HUF.
In short
The only thing fetched from the network is the table of daily rates; your amount stays in the browser and no account is needed. From a refugee train in 1956 to a thermal bath in Budapest, one habit pays: Convert CAD to HUF, read the date and weigh every offer against the figure on this page.