Yes, most definitely. Budapest has a high standard, low cost lifestyle and the government is not concerned about foreigners provided they do not meddle in Hungarian affairs. Most foreign passport holders can stay visa-free for between three and six months, and many longer-term workers avoid registering with the authorities by simply travelling to nearby Vienna occasionally. It is easy to conduct business in Hungary, using either a local or an offshore company, without becoming officially resident, simply using a pre-paid mobile phone card for communication.

Is Hungary a good retirement destination?

Budapest is a young city. If you have a sense of adventure and are looking for a way of staying young, then the answer is yes. If you are looking for a quiet life with every convenience, then the answer is no. Hungary has beautiful lakes and forests where you can buy a house or even a castle for renovation at the same price you would pay for an apartment other places, but you will find there is mighty little there, and outside the capital you might encounter language difficulties and start to get a little depressed at the long winters. But one person's hellhole is another's window of opportunity…

What are communications like?

The former state telephone company MATAV is now majority owned by German giant Deutsche Telekom. The phone system is modern, efficient and mostly digital. Although international calling is relatively expensive, increased competition will drive this down in the next year or two. The mobile phone penetration rate is very high. Hungary has two GSM networks and a third being built, with calling costs being low by mobile standards. Internet access is excellent and cheap. Hungary has the second highest  (after Estonia) proportion of homes connected to the internet of all the former Communist countries. The postal system is adequate and improving. It works, but international mail costs Western European rates but without the speed and service to match. Anything urgent should be couriered.

What is the best way to get to Budapest?

Of course there is an airport, with direct flights worldwide. On arrival the best way to continue is with the shared airport minibus which will take you to the door of any downtown address for about $6. You can also reach Budapest by train, including overnight direct trains from Paris and Brussels. Alternatively take the highway from Vienna, which was finished just a couple of years ago and was built using French road-building skills.

What about my personal safety in Budapest?

Since the fall of Communism, the authorities have had a difficult time controlling the growth of organised crime, but as an expat you are not likely to encounter this unless it is your lifelong dream to own a bar or a strip joint. Following bad publicity in 1997 which was damaging the tourist industry, the government has clamped down hard on overcharging by taxi drivers and restaurants, although the American and British embassies still publish restaurant "blacklists". Care should always be taken of personal belongings and parked foreign cars are popular targets, but overall you will be quite safe in Budapest. It is like a western European city - forget horror stories you have heard about Eastern European countries such as Russia or the Ukraine. Budapest is not like Moscow.