Convert RON to HUF Romanian leu ↔ Hungarian forint Free Online Secure
Type an amount in Romanian leu 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 RON to HUF (Romanian leu ↔ Hungarian forint)
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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.
Hungarian names, Romanian lei: a tour of the Transylvanian towns where two currencies are spoken
Travel through the western and central parts of Romania and you will find road signs in two languages, bakeries selling both cozonac and kürtőskalács, and shop windows displaying prices in lei next to the occasional reference to forint. Roughly one in fifteen citizens of Romania belongs to the Hungarian minority, concentrated in Transylvania, and many of the towns they live in have two names: Oradea and Nagyvárad, Cluj and Kolozsvár, Târgu Mureș and Marosvásárhely. The two currencies, the Romanian leu and the Hungarian forint, cross the border every day with shoppers, workers and tourists. This page lets you move between them. It takes the European Central Bank's reference rates, in which the leu and the forint are each quoted against the euro, combines them into a leu-to-forint rate, shows the result with the date and keeps your amount in your browser. The text below tours seven towns of Transylvania, and each is a reason to Convert RON to HUF and to understand what the figure means.
Using the converter
Lei in, forint out
Anyone who has to Convert RON to HUF often should bookmark the page, because the steps never change and only the date does.
Type an amount in lei and the page returns the value in Hungarian forint, with the date of the rate under the result. At weekends it shows Friday's figure and says so. A table of round amounts and a line chart of the last thirty days follow. For forint into lei, use Convert HUF to RON.
The reference rate, in practice
The reference rate is the middle of the market, published once a working day. It has no margin for a bank or exchange counter, so what you are offered will be somewhat worse. The gap is the price of the service, and it is worth measuring. Each time you Convert RON to HUF here, you obtain a ruler for the purpose. Under one per cent is excellent, two or three per cent is normal for banks, and above four is a signal to look around.
Oradea: the Art Nouveau city by the border
A frontier town that looks to both sides
Oradea sits a few kilometres from the Hungarian border and was an important city of the Kingdom of Hungary. Its centre is full of Art Nouveau façades, the Black Eagle Palace with its glass-roofed arcade, and a fortress with a moat. The Hungarian name is Nagyvárad. Shops near the border often accept forint informally, but at poor rates. The sensible approach is to pay in lei by card.
Thermal baths at Băile Felix
At the spa desk, Convert RON to HUF for the day pass and the locker deposit, and you will know the price before you queue.
Just outside town, Băile Felix and Băile 1 Mai offer thermal springs that have been used since Roman times. Hotels and spas charge 200 to 500 lei for a day pass or a night. Hungarian visitors come in large numbers, because the water is good and prices are lower than at home. A visitor from Hungary who wants to know what 300 lei means in forint must Convert RON to HUF, and the answer is often a reason to stay longer.
Crossing the border
The nearest border crossing, at Borș, is a major route between Romania and Hungary, and queues can be long at weekends. Romania has been inside the Schengen area for land travel since January 2025, so controls are lighter than before, though random checks still occur. Carry your documents at all times.
Cluj-Napoca: the university city
Kolozsvár and the student crowd
Cluj, called Kolozsvár in Hungarian, is Transylvania's largest city and home to Babeș-Bolyai University, which teaches in Romanian, Hungarian and German. The city has a lively cultural scene, a thriving technology sector and a famous music festival, Untold. The Hungarian community has churches, theatres and schools of its own. The cost of living in Cluj is among the highest in Romania, with rents for a one-bedroom flat at 400 to 700 euros a month.
Festival season
Festival tickets are bought months ahead, so Convert RON to HUF on the day you buy and note the figure for the family budget.
In summer, thousands of Hungarians cross the border to attend festivals in Cluj and at the castle of Bonțida. Tickets cost 300 to 800 lei for a multi-day pass, and a Hungarian fan must Convert RON to HUF to see the price at home. Camping near the sites is cheap, and food stalls offer street food at prices of 20 to 40 lei per portion.
Târgu Mureș: the town between two cultures
Marosvásárhely and its palaces
Târgu Mureș has a remarkable Palace of Culture, with stained-glass windows and a hall of mirrors, and an Art Nouveau city hall. The population is divided between Romanians and Hungarians in roughly equal numbers. The town has two universities, a medical school with programmes in English and a theatre with companies in both languages. The medical school attracts students from many countries.
Student budgets
Before choosing a university, Convert RON to HUF for the first year's costs in each city and compare the totals.
Tuition for international students at the medical university is paid in euros and runs to several thousand a year. Rent for a room in a shared flat is 200 to 400 euros a month, and a meal in a student canteen costs 15 to 25 lei. Families abroad who pay the fees often compare the cost with studying at home. They Convert RON to HUF for the living costs to see how they compare with a university in Budapest or Debrecen.
Odorheiu Secuiesc and the Székely Land
Székelyudvarhely in the east
The Székely Land, in the Carpathian bend, is a region where nine out of ten people speak Hungarian. Its towns, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Miercurea Ciuc and Sfântu Gheorghe, have kept distinct traditions: carved wooden gates, painted furniture, pottery from Corund and a cuisine heavy with smoked pork, cabbage and sour cream. Hungarian tourists come here for a taste of the old country.
Sovata and the Bear Lake
A spa weekend is easy to price once you Convert RON to HUF for the room, the treatments and the meals.
Near Sovata lies Lake Ursu, a salt lake warmed by the sun to temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in summer, whose water is used for health treatments. A day pass at a spa in Sovata costs about 60 to 120 lei, and a night in a guesthouse about 200 to 350. For a Hungarian family, the price is lower than in a comparable Hungarian spa. Temperatures are reported in Celsius, and Convert °C to °F turns them into Fahrenheit for American visitors.
The pilgrimage at Șumuleu Ciuc
At Pentecost, hundreds of thousands of Catholic pilgrims, most of them Hungarian speakers, walk to the shrine of Șumuleu Ciuc, near Miercurea Ciuc. The pilgrimage is more than five hundred years old. Nearby villages offer accommodation, food stalls and local products. Prices rise in that weekend, so book early.
Sfântu Gheorghe and Saint Anne Lake
The town and the lake
Sfântu Gheorghe, Sepsiszentgyörgy in Hungarian, is a small county capital with a pleasant centre and a thriving food scene. Nearby, the Saint Anne Lake fills a volcanic crater and is surrounded by pine forests; it is a protected nature reserve. A hotel in the area costs from 250 to 450 lei a night. Mountain trails lead to peaks above 1,900 metres, and Convert m to ft turns that into about 6,200 feet.
Local flavours
It costs nothing to Convert RON to HUF for a chimney cake and a coffee, and it shows how far a few notes go.
Chimney cake, kürtőskalács, is a Székely speciality, baked on a spit over charcoal and rolled in sugar and cinnamon. A cake costs 15 to 25 lei at a market stall. Sour soups, stuffed cabbage and langos fill the menus. Convert RON to HUF for a family meal and you will see that these prices are often lower than in Hungarian towns.
Brașov and Sighișoara: the Saxon cities with Hungarian ties
Brassó, the town under the Tâmpa
Brașov, Brassó in Hungarian, was founded by German settlers and also has a Hungarian community. Its central square, the Black Church and the ski resort at Poiana Brașov draw visitors all year. A cable car to the summit of Tâmpa costs about 25 lei. Hotels range from 250 to 600 lei, depending on the season.
Sighișoara, Segesvár
Sighișoara has one of the best-preserved medieval citadels in Europe, with a clock tower, colourful houses and a house said to be the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler. Entry to the clock tower costs about 25 lei. Visitors come from Romania, Hungary and the world, and local shopkeepers accept cards, lei and sometimes euros.
Money across the border
Shopping on both sides
For a shopping trip across the border, Convert RON to HUF for the main items you plan to buy and compare with the shelf prices at home.
Hungarians from border towns cross to Romania for petrol, dental work, haircuts and meals, while Romanians cross to Hungary for electronics, clothes and some foods. Prices differ with the exchange rate, so the best bargains move. When the forint is strong, Hungary is dear for Romanians and Romania is cheap for Hungarians, and the other way around when it is weak. A quick Convert RON to HUF on both sides' prices tells you where to shop.
Banks, exchange offices and cards
Use banks and licensed exchange offices, which post their rates. Avoid street traders. Cards work in both countries, and contactless payment is widespread. Cash machines in the border towns dispense lei or forint at rates close to the reference one, plus any fee your own bank charges. Decline the machine's offer to convert into your home currency.
Forint, volatile and large
The forint is one of the more volatile currencies in the European Union, and its numbers are large: a coffee costs several hundred forint, a meal several thousand. The leu is steadier and its numbers are smaller. When you compare, remember to count the zeros. Look at the thirty-day line on this page before a big conversion.
Romanians in Hungary: Budapest, Debrecen and Szeged
Studying across the border
Hungary's universities enrol thousands of students from Romania, many of them from Hungarian-speaking families in Transylvania. The universities of Debrecen, Szeged and Budapest offer programmes in Hungarian and in English, and the Hungarian state grants scholarships to students from neighbouring countries. Living costs in Debrecen and Szeged are lower than in Budapest. A room in a student flat costs 80,000 to 150,000 forint a month, and a meal in a canteen 1,500 to 2,500. Parents in Romania who compare the cost with studying at home Convert RON to HUF for each item and add the travel home.
Working in Hungary
Thousands of Romanians work in Hungary, in factories near Debrecen and Győr, in the automotive sector, in construction and in healthcare. Wages are paid in forint, and rents are lower than in the capital. Cross-border commuters sometimes live in Oradea and work in Hungarian border towns, crossing every day. The tax and social contribution rules differ by situation, so a commuter should check them with the authorities of both countries.
The Sziget festival
Each August, Budapest hosts Sziget, one of the largest music festivals in Europe, on an island in the Danube. Many young Romanians attend, travelling by coach and train. A weekly pass costs several hundred euros, and the festival offers camping on site. Prices for food and drink are in forint, so visitors from Romania Convert RON to HUF for a day's budget. The mix of languages and nationalities on the island is part of its charm.
Shopping in Hungarian supermarkets
Romanians living near the border cross to buy certain goods at prices lower than at home, including some branded products, household items and electronics. Duty-free allowances apply only to goods from outside the European Union, so within the Union there are few limits on personal purchases. However, quantity limits apply for tobacco and alcohol, and rules on goods for resale are strict.
Hungarian visitors in Romania: a week-long budget
Accommodation and food
A Hungarian family of four visiting Transylvania for a week may spend as follows: seven nights in guesthouses at about 400 lei a night, 2,800 in all; meals of about 250 lei a day, 1,750; fuel and tolls of 700 lei; entrance fees of 600; and souvenirs of 400. The total is about 6,250 lei. For them, the Convert RON to HUF figure is the cost in forint, and they often find a week in Romania comparable to a few days in Austria.
The Hungarian-language infrastructure
In the Hungarian-speaking regions, shops, restaurants and guesthouses often operate in Hungarian, so visitors need not worry about language. Signs are bilingual in municipalities where the minority exceeds twenty per cent of the population. Local radio and television in Hungarian are available. These conveniences make the region popular with Hungarians who want a trip in their own language but in a different country.
Costs of the road
Hungarian drivers entering Romania must buy a rovinieta, the road tax, online or at petrol stations near the border. The cost depends on vehicle class and duration, from a few euros for a week for a car. Fuel prices differ between the countries, and drivers often fill up on the cheaper side. Motorway sections in Romania are still being built, and journeys can take longer than the distance suggests.
Currency questions people ask at the border
Can I pay in forint in Romania?
Some places in border towns accept forint, but at poor rates, and the shop will round in its own favour. Pay in lei by card. If you need cash, take lei from a machine in a bank branch. The same applies in the other direction: in Hungarian border shops that accept lei, the rate is rarely generous.
Is it worth exchanging at the border?
Rarely. Exchange offices at the border crossing often have wide spreads. Cash machines in the nearest town give better rates. If you want to carry some cash for the first hour, take a small amount, enough for coffee and tolls.
What is the best card to use?
A card with no foreign-transaction fee, in a currency that is accepted by the issuer's network. Chip-and-PIN cards work everywhere, and contactless payment is common. When the terminal asks whether to pay in your home currency or the local one, always choose the local one.
Reading the lei–forint pair
Two currencies, one anchor
Both the leu and the forint float against the euro, which acts as the anchor for their cross rate. When the euro rises or falls against the dollar, both move, but not always by the same amount. The forint reacts more to the policies of the Hungarian central bank and to relations with the European Union, while the leu reacts more to Romanian inflation and the National Bank's response.
The thirty-day line
The chart on this page covers the last thirty days. A flat line means calm and little reason to delay a conversion. A noticeable zigzag suggests splitting a large conversion into two or three parts. The chart does not predict, but it shows the recent mood of the market.
Planning for big payments
When a deposit is due, Convert RON to HUF on each payment day and keep a short log of the rates.
If you have to pay a large sum, such as a deposit on a flat or a year's tuition, break it into stages and note the rate and date of each. After the last payment, calculate the average and compare it with the rate of the first day. The difference shows what the planning achieved.
Related conversions
Currencies nearby
For the euro, Convert RON to EUR. For Poland, Convert RON to PLN, and for the Czech Republic Convert RON to CZK. For forint in euros, Convert EUR to HUF.
Time and distance
Hungary is one hour behind Romania all year; Convert EET to CET shows the difference. Road signs show kilometres, and Convert km to mi translates them for drivers from the United Kingdom and the United States.
Mistakes to avoid
The terminal's offer
If a card machine offers to charge you in forint, say no. Pay in lei and let your bank convert.
Mixing the zeros
Forint prices have more digits than lei prices. Check the number twice before you hand over a note.
An old rate
A rate from last month may be a percentage point or more away from today's. The date beside the result protects you.
Two names, one journey
The page downloads only the table of daily reference rates. The amount you type never leaves your device, and no account is needed. In every town with two names, the habit is the same: Convert RON to HUF, read the date, compare any offer against the figure and keep a note.