Budapest air quality
Hungary · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · updated Sun 01:00 local time
Moderate
Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
- Next 24 hours
- 51–57US AQI, highest around Sun 11:00
- Best time outside
- Sun 01:00–4:00US AQI about 52
- PM2.5 vs WHO guideline
- 0.8×12 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
- Cigarette equivalent
- ≈ 0.6 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb
- European AQI
- Moderatelevel 3 of 6
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Pollutants in Budapest right now
| Pollutant | Now | Next 24 h vs WHO | US AQI band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 17 µg/m³ | 0.8× | Moderate |
| Coarse particles (PM10) | 19 µg/m³ | 0.4× | Good |
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 20 µg/m³ | 0.6× | Good |
| Ozone (O3) | 44 µg/m³ | 0.9× | Good |
| Sulphur dioxide (SO2) | 0.8 µg/m³ | 0.0× | Good |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 221 µg/m³ | 0.1× | Good |
| Desert dust | 0 µg/m³ | ||
| Smoke and haze (aerosol optical depth) | 0.10 | ||
| UV index | 0.0 |
“Next 24 h vs WHO” compares the forecast with the World Health Organization’s 2021 guideline levels: 24-hour means of 15 µg/m³ for PM2.5, 45 for PM10, 25 for NO2, 40 for SO2 and 4 mg/m³ for CO, and 100 µg/m³ over 8 hours for ozone. Above 1× is above the guideline.
Next 48 hours
Hourly US AQI. Highest 57 around Sun 11:00, lowest 51 around Sun 01:00.
5-day air quality forecast for Budapest
Daily range of the hourly US AQI, from lowest to highest, on a scale of 0 to 150.
| Day | US AQI | At worst | PM2.5 avg | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 27 Sept | 50–57 | 12 | ||
| Mon 28 Sept | 53–56 | 10 | ||
| Tue 29 Sept | 48–52 | 8.5 | ||
| Wed 30 Sept | 42–48 | 8.8 | ||
| Thu 1 Oct | 49–55 | 12 |
Common questions about the air in Budapest
Is the air in Budapest safe today?
For most people, yes. Right now the US AQI in Budapest is 51, which counts as moderate. Acceptable. Unusually sensitive people should ease off long, intense outdoor effort.
When is the best time to be outside in Budapest?
Sun 01:00–4:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 52. The worst hour is around Sun 11:00, at 57.
What is the main pollutant in Budapest?
Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 17 µg/m³. Tiny particles from combustion, fires and dust that reach deep into the lungs. The main driver of AQI worldwide.
How does Budapest's air compare with the WHO guideline?
Within the guideline. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 12 µg/m³, against the World Health Organization's 24-hour guideline of 15 µg/m³. The other pollutants stay within their guideline levels.
How many cigarettes is a day of Budapest's air?
About 0.6 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 12 µg/m³. By Berkeley Earth's rule of thumb, 22 µg/m³ breathed for a day is roughly one cigarette.
Will air quality in Budapest improve this week?
Wednesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 48, against 57 on Sunday, the worst day in the forecast.
Measured near Budapest
| Station | PM2.5 µg/m³ | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor | 5.2 | Sun 01:49 |
| Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor | 5.4 | Sun 01:48 |
| Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor | 7.0 | Sun 01:47 |
Air quality near Budapest
About this forecast
Forecast from CAMS Europe and global via Open-Meteo: the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) model at about 40 km resolution (10 km inside Europe), refreshed twice a day. Models smooth out street-level peaks, so busy roads and industrial sites can be worse than shown; ground stations, where there are any nearby, show what monitors actually measure. The US AQI follows the US EPA scale and the European AQI the EEA bands. Readings for 47.50°N, 19.04°E, updated 2026-09-26 23:00 UTC.