Is the air in Budapest safe today?

Yes. Right now the US AQI in Budapest is 47, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 63 (moderate) around Sat 17:00.

When is the best time to be outside in Budapest?

Sat 11:00–14:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 44. The worst hour is around Sat 17:00, at 63.

What is the main pollutant in Budapest?

Fine particles (PM2.5). It drives the index right now, at 8.4 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 9.5 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 0.4 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM2.5 averages about 9.5 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?

Tuesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 48, against 116 on Saturday, the worst day in the forecast.

Budapest air quality

Hungary · Live AQI and hourly forecast for the next 5 days · valid Fri 18:00 local time

Good

US AQI, mostly PM_2.5

Model estimate. Nearby measurements are shown separately.

Great air. A perfect time to be outside.

Next 24 hours: 42–63US AQI, highest around Sat 17:00
Best time outside: Sat 11:00–14:00US AQI about 44
PM_2.5 vs WHO guideline: 0.6×9.5 µg/m³ over 24 h, guideline 15
Cigarette equivalent: ≈ 0.4 a dayBerkeley Earth rule of thumb

Loading the live globe…

The live globe, centred on Budapest. Switch pollutants, drag through the next 5 days or press play. Full map →

Pollutants in Budapest right now

Pollutant	Now	Level	Next 24 h vs WHO
Fine particles PM_2.5	8.4 µg/m³	Good	0.6×
Coarse particles PM₁₀	13 µg/m³	Good	0.3×
Nitrogen dioxide NO₂	12 µg/m³	Good	0.3×
Ozone O₃	51 µg/m³	Good	0.5×
Sulphur dioxide SO₂	0.6 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Carbon monoxide CO	195 µg/m³	Good	0.0×
Aerosol optical depth	0.07	Whole atmosphere · dimensionless
Desert dust	0 µg/m³	Modelled surface dust
UV index	0	Low

“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 PM_2.5, 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. Levels follow the US AQI, which is far less strict than the WHO, so air rated Good can still be above a guideline.

Next 48 hours

Hourly US AQI. Highest 116 around Sat 22:00, lowest 42 around Sat 13:00.

50100

Good 0–50Moderate 51–100Sensitive 101–150Unhealthy 151–200Very unhealthy 201–300Hazardous 301+

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	Worst hour	PM_2.5 avg	UV max
Fri 13 Nov	18–57	Moderate	0:00	6.6	0 Low
Sat 14 Nov	42–116	Sensitive	22:00	15	1 Low
Sun 15 Nov	54–113	Sensitive	0:00	20	1 Low
Mon 16 Nov	46–66	Moderate	0:00	12	1 Low
Tue 17 Nov	26–48	Good	1:00	4.8	0 Low

Common questions about the air in Budapest

Is the air in Budapest safe today?
Yes. Right now the US AQI in Budapest is 47, which counts as good. Great air. A perfect time to be outside. It is expected to reach 63 (moderate) around Sat 17:00.
When is the best time to be outside in Budapest?
Sat 11:00–14:00. That is the cleanest stretch in the next 24 hours, with the US AQI averaging about 44. The worst hour is around Sat 17:00, at 63.
What is the main pollutant in Budapest?
Fine particles (PM_2.5). It drives the index right now, at 8.4 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 PM_2.5 averages about 9.5 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 0.4 cigarettes. Over the next 24 hours PM_2.5 averages about 9.5 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?
Tuesday looks cleanest. Its AQI peaks at 48, against 116 on Saturday, the worst day in the forecast.

Measured near Budapest

Station and measurements	Distance	US AQI	Level
Budapest Erzsébet tér OpenAQ, reference monitor NO₂: 15 µg/m³ · Fri 18:00	0.9 km	8	Good
"Budapest Szena" OpenAQ, reference monitor PM₁₀: 11 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00 NO₂: 12 µg/m³ · Fri 17:00	1.4 km	9	Good
Unnamed sensor Sensor.Community, low-cost sensor PM_2.5: 2.9 µg/m³ · Fri 18:38 PM₁₀: 6.2 µg/m³ · Fri 18:38	2.4 km	16	Good

Air quality near Budapest

US AQI right now. Cleanest nearby: Prague (46); worst: Kraków (75). The tick on each bar is Budapest, at 47.

Vienna 214 km NW 47 Good
Kraków 293 km N 75 Moderate
Belgrade 320 km S 52 Moderate
Sarajevo 408 km S 74 Moderate
Prague 442 km NW 46 Good
Warsaw 545 km N 71 Moderate

All 162 cities →

About this forecast

Forecast from CAMS Europe and global via Open-Meteo: the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) model at about 40 km resolution (about 10 km inside Europe). Global runs update every 12 hours and European runs every 24 hours. Models smooth out street-level peaks, so busy roads and industrial sites can be worse than shown. Nearby station measurements are independent observations, not adjustments to the forecast. The point forecast uses Open-Meteo’s CAMS products, including a separate carbon monoxide product; it can differ from the globe’s global grid. The AQI rates each hour on the US EPA scale, the same way the map colors it; official daily figures average over 24 hours (8 for ozone), so they can read lower after a short peak. Readings for 47.50°N, 19.04°E, valid 2026-11-13 17:00 UTC.