Nagy-Józsa Dorottya PCCIn short: Leadership development in Hungary is not priced by the day rate alone. The total depends on how many leaders you develop, in how many groups, for how long, with what mix of training and coaching, and how you measure the results. As a reference point, Y2Y Ltd.'s 2026 list prices for companies are HUF 460,000 for an 8-hour training day, HUF 60,000 per hour for individual coaching, and HUF 600,000 for a full-day AI workshop for a small group, all net of VAT. Ask every vendor for at least two versions of the same programme, itemised, with a measurement plan.
That's the answer. If you also need to defend it in front of regional finance, read on :)
"Can you just give us a ballpark in euros?"
We hear this a lot from international companies in Hungary. The regional L&D lead needs a line in the budget, the global template has a column for it, and "it depends" is not a currency.
Fair enough. But it does depend. Asking what leadership development costs is like asking what a car costs. A city runabout and a company fleet are both "cars".
Y2Y Ltd. has been developing leaders since 2016, typically in organisations of 300 to 10,000 people, including Magyar Telekom, Deutsche Telekom, SPAR, Auchan, Decathlon, Coca-Cola HBC, Nestlé and Egis. So this is not a price list. It is a user manual: what drives the price, what programmes typically look like, and how to compare proposals so the smallest total does not automatically win.
One more thing: we quote in Hungarian forints, net of VAT, and we do not convert. Your finance team has its own exchange rate.
Why there is no single number
Because leadership development is not a product but a series of design decisions. Two proposals can both be called "Leadership Development Programme" while one is two days in a hotel and the other a twelve-month process with coaching and measurement. One has the smaller total. Whether it is cheaper is another question.
And one cost line appears in no proposal: your leaders' time. Twelve managers in a half-day session is six management days. If that changes nothing, it is the most expensive part of the exercise.
What drives the price
Number of groups, not number of leaders
Group size has a ceiling. We work with a maximum of 12 people per group on site and 8 online, because above that it stops being development and becomes a lecture. Sixty leaders means five groups on site or eight online. Same headcount, different price.
Programme length
One session is cheaper than ten. It just does not work as well. The meta-analysis on leadership training by Lacerenza and colleagues (2017, Journal of Applied Psychology, 335 independent samples) found that more effective programmes used, among other things, spaced sessions, practice and feedback. Spacing needs calendar time. That is why we design programmes for 6-12 months, in phases.
The mix of training and coaching
Group training is the cheapest per head and the least personal, individual coaching the most tailored and the most expensive, with group coaching in between. The mix moves the total more than almost anything else, so decide it deliberately.
Measurement before and after
Without measurement, all you will have at the end is a feeling. We often start with PXT, and measure before and after with our own tools: mini360 for leadership feedback, Mikroklíma for team climate, and Your Assessor tests for skills. Measurement costs money. Not measuring also costs money, you just pay later.
Customisation and fit with the global framework
Many multinationals have a global competency model from HQ. Fitting a local programme into it takes preparation. Worth it, otherwise your leaders live in two worlds: the global one on the slides and the local one on the shop floor.
Reporting
Group summaries, phase reviews, a one-pager for the regional board? Agree on it up front. One rule is not negotiable: individual coaching content never goes into a report.
Languages and international teams
Language is a price factor with any provider, so put it in the brief, not the kick-off. We run leadership development programmes in Hungarian, English and German, and individual coaching in 14 languages.
For international teams, three questions save a lot of trouble later:
- Which working language do the group sessions use, and is everyone comfortable speaking up in it, not just listening?
- Do the materials and assessments exist in that language, or will someone translate on the fly?
- Where does coaching need a mother tongue? Group work can run in English, while a senior leader's individual coaching may go deeper in their own language.
Three typical programme structures
Pilot: one group, the first phase
- When: you have not worked together before, or finance wants evidence first.
- What: baseline measurement, one group of leaders (max 12 on site, 8 online), a few training and group coaching sessions, closing measurement.
- Point to watch: a pilot is the first phase of a longer programme with a joint review at the end, not a two-day showcase.
Standard programme: one leadership level, 6-12 months
- When: you are developing one level, say first-line or middle managers, across several groups.
- What: training at a roughly monthly rhythm, team or group coaching between sessions, individual coaching for key people.
- Measured by: leadership behaviour, team climate and 2-3 business indicators agreed in advance.
Full leadership academy: several levels, 12 months
- When: you are developing several levels at once, from talents to senior leaders, often across sites or countries.
- What: a separate track per level, aligned with your competency model, individual coaching for senior leaders, several languages if needed.
- Measured by: before-and-after measurement at every level, plus organisation-level indicators.
We work at this scale too: 200+ employee and leadership groups in a single enterprise programme within one year, 1,500+ leaders and talents at SPAR since 2021, and 500+ participants at Deutsche Telekom since 2024.
How to compare proposals
First, put them on a common footing: same objective, same target group, and price per participant per month. Then use this table.
| Criterion | What to ask | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosis | What is the programme based on? Interviews, a survey? | The proposal arrived before the first question |
| Timeline | How many months, how many sessions, what happens in between? | Two days of "leadership development" with no follow-up |
| Delivery team | Who runs the sessions, with what qualifications? | A company name in the proposal, but no trainer names |
| Language | Is the programme delivered natively in your working language? | English programme, translated live from slides in another language |
| Coaching | Individual or group, how many sessions, who is the coach? | "Coaching" means a Q&A at the end of the training day |
| Measurement | What is measured at the start and the end, with the same tool? | A satisfaction form on the last day |
| Phases | Is there an evaluation point where you can adjust or stop? | The whole year must be ordered at once, with no exit point |
| Hidden costs | What is not included: venue, travel, licences, translation, reports? | "Other costs as incurred" |
| Data and confidentiality | Where is assessment data stored, who sees individual results? | No answer, or "we'll sort it out later" |
Two procurement points that save a lot of back-and-forth:
- Clarify the invoicing entity early. Which legal entity is invoiced affects the VAT treatment and the approval chain.
- Check cancellation and rescheduling terms. Leaders get ill, business gets busy. Know the rules before the first session moves.
We always propose at least two versions, a lighter and a fuller one, so finance decides how much impact it wants instead of answering yes or no. If a provider can only offer one fixed package, that is information too.
Showing finance it was worth it
The classic framework is the Kirkpatrick Model: reaction, learning, behaviour and results. Many programmes stop at level one, the happy sheet. Regional finance cares about levels three and four.
The good news: according to the same meta-analysis, leadership training showed improvements at all four levels. The less convenient news: the features linked to stronger effects, such as needs analysis, feedback, practice and spaced sessions, are exactly what gets cut first when the budget is tight.
So measure before and after with the same tool, and agree on 2-3 business indicators up front. And be honest with finance: anyone promising an exact ROI before the programme starts is forecasting, not measuring.
FAQ
How much does a training day cost in Hungary?
Y2Y Ltd.'s 2026 list price for companies is HUF 460,000 for an 8-hour training day, net of VAT. But the day rate alone tells you little. What matters is what happens between the days: coaching, follow-up and measurement. Compare whole programmes per participant per month.
Do you quote in euros?
We quote in Hungarian forints, net of VAT. Your finance team converts at its own internal rate, which keeps the proposal stable while exchange rates move and keeps a multi-vendor comparison honest.
Can the programme run in English for an international team?
Yes. We run leadership development programmes in Hungarian, English and German, and individual coaching in 14 languages. For mixed-nationality groups, agree on one working language for the group sessions.
Is it worth starting with a pilot?
Yes, if the pilot is the first phase of a longer programme, not a standalone showcase. One group starts, you measure at the start and the end, review together, then decide on the rest. Finance gets evidence before committing to a full year.
How long should a leadership development programme be?
If you expect behaviour change, plan in months, not days. We design programmes for 6-12 months, in phases, with an evaluation point after each. Research links spaced sessions, practice and feedback to stronger results, and none of those fit into two days.
What should procurement ask for in a leadership development proposal?
An itemised breakdown, a month-by-month schedule, a measurement plan, named trainers and coaches, the delivery language, what is not included in the price, cancellation terms, and how assessment data is handled. And at least two versions: a lighter one and a fuller one.
So, how much?
As much as your objectives, the number of leaders and your patience justify. I know that does not fit into one cell of the budget template. But with this article in hand, you will stop comparing totals and start comparing programmes. That is a very different conversation with finance.
If you would like to work out together what you actually need, the first consultation is free. More on our leadership development page, or simply write to info@y2y.hu.