Hungary raises tobacco tax on 1 November 2026: Marlboro now costs more than in Austria

Since Sunday 1 November 2026, tobacco costs more in Hungary. Act L of 2026, passed on 15 September and published in the Hungarian Official Gazette (Magyar Közlöny) on 18 September, is mainly about helping motorists cope with higher fuel prices; yet its section 7 rewrites the whole schedule of excise duty on tobacco.

For cigarettes, the fixed part rises from 33,690 to 36,720 forints per 1,000 cigarettes (+9%), plus 24% of the retail price as before. The minimum tax jumps from 47,140 to 59,800 forints (+27%), or 1,196 Ft per pack of 20. Manufacturers moved early: a pack of Marlboro Red went from 2,750 to 2,950 forints as early as Thursday 29 October, an extra 200 Ft.

What the Act of 18 September 2026 changes

The preamble cites the social cost of smoking, budget revenue and the gaps in taxation between tobacco products, hence increases that differ from one product to another.

Heated tobacco takes the steepest rise: 50 forints per stick instead of 40 (+25%), or 1,000 Ft of tax per pack of 20. Rolling tobacco sees its fixed part go up by 10% and gets a new component of 5% of the price. E-cigarette liquid goes from 38 to 41 forints per millilitre.

A second, smaller step on 1 January 2027

Hungarian law indexes these amounts every year to the previous July's inflation, and the Act of 18 September applies the 2027 indexation to the November rates. The Hungarian tax authority has published the schedule: 37,160 forints per 1,000 cigarettes on 1 January 2027, or +1.2%, the inflation rate of July 2026. For a pack, that is less than 9 forints of extra excise.

The new prices, brand by brand

In Hungary, the manufacturer sets its price, but tobacco may only be sold at the price published by the regulator, the SZTFH (section 145 of the Excise Act), and that price can only change on a Monday or a Thursday. BAT therefore chose Monday 2 November, Philip Morris Thursday 29 October. A pack in stock sells at the new price, even if it was taxed at the old rate.

The increase is uniform: 200 forints more on almost every Philip Morris and BAT pack, of which about 150 Ft is excise and VAT (27%) for Marlboro Red by our calculation. Taxes then come to about 2,070 Ft, 70% of the price. JTI and Imperial Brands had not yet published their new prices on 30 October.

According to the SZTFH price history, Marlboro Red cost 1,220 forints on 1 November 2017 and 2,950 on 1 November 2026: 2.4 times as much in nine years. Prices for each brand since 2017 are on our Hungary page.

Now more expensive than in Austria

At the European Central Bank reference rate of 30 October 2026 (366.33 forints to the euro), Hungarian Marlboro Red costs €8.05. In Austria, the same pack has cost €7.00 since 2 February 2026, according to the Monopolverwaltung, which runs Austria's tobacco monopoly. A year earlier, it was the other way round.

Two moves add up: the pack rose 16% in forints in a year, and the forint gained about 6% against the euro. Germany remains more expensive, at €9.40 for Marlboro in our database. In Austria, the next increase is limited to about 5 cents a pack on 1 February 2027 (the increases planned in Europe).

The Austrian authorities accept 800 cigarettes per person brought back from another EU country for personal use (our customs guide). Price remains one of the best-documented levers against smoking (our analysis); if you want to quit, see our stop smoking guide. In France, Tabac Info Service answers on 39 89.

Sources

• Magyar Közlöny No. 135 of 18 September 2026: Act L of 2026, sections 7 and 8.
• Act LXVIII of 2016 on excise duty, section 145 (Nemzeti Jogszabálytár).
• Hungarian tax authority (NAV): 2026 excise rates and 2027 rates.
• SZTFH, official tobacco prices: list of 2 November 2026 and history since 2017.
• European Central Bank, forint reference rate.
• Monopolverwaltung, cigarette prices in Austria and oesterreich.gv.at, tobacco brought back from the EU.