Budapest vs Tallinn

Budapest and Tallinn are level on the CIRA Index at 72. Budapest grades better on 7 measures, Tallinn on 9; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Budapest 72, Tallinn 72
• OECD: Budapest 70, Tallinn 68
• UN Tourism: Budapest 75, Tallinn 77
• UNDRR: Budapest 70, Tallinn 64

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Budapest 63, Tallinn 42
• Economy and jobs: Budapest 92, Tallinn 83
• Climate and hazards: Budapest 70, Tallinn 75
• Water and environment: Budapest 75, Tallinn 88
• Community and housing: Budapest 67, Tallinn 83
• Access and continuity: Budapest 71, Tallinn 71

Where Budapest is stronger

• Largest foreign market: 10 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (OECD, OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2026 (Hungary chapter), 2024). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
• Average length of stay: 2.4 nights per visitor (Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) / Horwath HTL, 2025). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 71 % average annual occupancy (CBRE / Money Buzz! Hungary, 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 3.2 % of the labour force (Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), Table 20.2.1.10 'Changes in the unemployment rate', October–December 2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 95 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH), Települési szennyvíztisztítás – Fenntartható fejlődési célok, 2024). At or above 95: grade 4/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Budapest Municipal Government / Hegyvidék Local Government, 2024–2025). Grade 2/4.

Where Tallinn is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 23.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (City of Tallinn & Tallinn Strategy Centre, 'The Impact of Foreign Tourism on Tallinn's Economy' / City of Tallinn official press release, 2024). Between 15 and 25: grade 1/4.
• Tropical nights: 2.4 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Country disaster risk: 1.9 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). At or below 2: grade 4/4.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Green space: 49 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Husqvarna Urban Green Space Index (HUGSI), 2024). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: 2.5 % change in rents over the last 12 months (country figure) (Eurostat, Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP class 04.1: Actual rentals paid by tenants), August 2025 – August 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Short-let density: 1 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (AirDNA and Statistics Estonia (2021 Population and Housing Census), 2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Government effectiveness: 90.6 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Hungary: #42 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Estonia: #44 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Budapest in full · Tallinn in full

The CIRA Index ranking · City vs city · How the index works · CIRA Studio · Put your city in the pilot