Are you about to move to Portugal? Before you do that, you should know the pros and cons of living in Portugal. That way, you will be able to make an informed decision. Furthermore, you will be able to understand whether Portugal is your place to be or not.
In this blog, we discover what makes Portugal the best or the worst country for expats. Continue reading as we unravel the pros and cons of living in Portugal.
Why People Move To Portugal?
The high commissioner of Migration in Portugal states that almost 7% of the Portuguese population is expat population residing in the country. This means that 700,000 people living in Portugal are not native to the country.
According to the records, the immigration count has been rising ever since 2015. For instance almost 4.7% of the population in Madiera is not originally from Portugal and this is the highest expat ratio in the region than ever before. In addition to this, in 2022 the total expat population had grown to 11,793 in the Portuguese island.
Most of the expat population in Portugal somehow prefer to stay in Lisbon. In addition to this, the other favorite residency areas in Portugal of the expats include Faro, Setubal and Porto. Here you must be wondering why such a big number of foreigners are moving to Portugal.
According to the data of the immigration department in Portugal, the reasons why most foreigners move to Portugal include education, internships, retirement, family reunification, religious purposes, and seeking asylum.
To understand further why people are moving to Portugal, let us find out the pros and cons of living there. That way, we will be able to understand why everyone prefers to live in the cities of Portugal.
Pros and Cons of Living in Portugal
To understand why is there a rising trend of people moving to Portugal, we break down the pros and cons of living in Portugal in this section. Let us compare the advantages and drawbacks of life in Portugal. Here are the advantages of living in Portugal:
| Pros of Living in Portugal | Cons of Living in Portugal |
| English is widely Understood | Portuguese is still preferred over English |
| Low cost of living | Lower monthly salaries |
| Pleasant Climate | No central heating system in homes |
| Beautiful beaches | Cold winters can be the biggest deal breaker. |
Mild Climate
One of the reasons people settle in Portugal is its mild climate. Its pleasant climate is famous among people who seek hot summers and extra sunshine even in winter. One can say the weather in Portugal resembles that of Mediterranean countries even though it faces the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean.
If you are residing in Lisbon, the temperature can peek up to 29 degrees Celsius in summer. The southern areas, like the Algarve, are warmer than the northern areas, where the temperature can range up to 26 degrees Celsius.
Speaking of the coastline, the climate here is quite comfortable, with continuous breeze originating from the Atlantic Ocean. Usually, the winter temperature in regions like the Algarve can reach up to 16 degrees Celsius, whereas it is 14 degrees Celsius in Lisbon.
The average temperature in January in Porto is 10.2 degrees Celsius, whereas the average temperature in August is 19.9 degrees Celsius.
| Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
| January | 6.3 | 14.1 | 10.2 | 43 | 57 | 50.3 |
| February | 6.4 | 15.1 | 10.7 | 43 | 59 | 51.3 |
| March | 8.1 | 17.1 | 12.6 | 47 | 63 | 54.6 |
| April | 9.4 | 18.1 | 13.7 | 49 | 65 | 56.7 |
| May | 11.7 | 20.4 | 16 | 53 | 69 | 60.9 |
| June | 13.8 | 22.6 | 18.2 | 57 | 73 | 64.8 |
| July | 14.9 | 24.2 | 19.5 | 59 | 75 | 67.2 |
| August | 15 | 24.8 | 19.9 | 59 | 77 | 67.7 |
| September | 14 | 23.5 | 18.8 | 57 | 74 | 65.8 |
| October | 12.2 | 20.8 | 16.5 | 54 | 69 | 61.8 |
| November | 9 | 16.9 | 13 | 48 | 62 | 55.3 |
| December | 7.3 | 14.8 | 11 | 45 | 59 | 51.9 |
| Year | 10.7 | 19.4 | 15 | 51.3 | 66.9 | 59 |
In addition to this, the temperature in Braganca around the year is given in the table below.
| Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
| January | 1.1 | 9 | 5 | 34 | 48 | 41.1 |
| February | 1.4 | 11.8 | 6.6 | 35 | 53 | 43.9 |
| March | 3.8 | 15.1 | 9.4 | 39 | 59 | 49 |
| April | 5.5 | 17 | 11.2 | 42 | 63 | 52.2 |
| May | 8.5 | 21.2 | 14.8 | 47 | 70 | 58.7 |
| June | 12 | 26 | 19 | 54 | 79 | 66.2 |
| July | 14.2 | 29.6 | 21.9 | 58 | 85 | 71.4 |
| August | 14 | 29.5 | 21.8 | 57 | 85 | 71.2 |
| September | 11.6 | 25.2 | 18.4 | 53 | 77 | 65 |
| October | 8.2 | 18.8 | 13.5 | 47 | 66 | 56.3 |
| November | 4.1 | 12.8 | 8.4 | 39 | 55 | 47.2 |
| December | 1.8 | 9.5 | 5.6 | 35 | 49 | 42.2 |
| Year | 7.2 | 18.8 | 13 | 45 | 65.9 | 55.5 |
Beautiful Beaches
The total length of the coastline in Portugal is 1793 kilometers, with almost 352 stunning beaches. Plenty of these beaches are awarded Blue Flag each year for their clean water and environmental friendliness.
By 2022, Portugal’s beaches received almost 431 Blue Flags, out of which 82 Blue Flags were awarded to the beaches in the Algarve region, which is in the southern part of Portugal. To your surprise, only Albufeira has 25 awards to its credit.
Affordability
When you are living in Portugal, the living expenses are quite affordable compared to the rest of the countries in Europe. According to the statistics available on Numbeo, the average living cost in Portugal is 35.3% lower than the cost of living in the United States.
In addition to this, the rent in Portugal is lower than that in the US. It is almost 51.1% lower in Portugal when compared to the US.
Not only that, Portugal is also cheaper than other European countries like Spain, Austria, Switzerland, and the UK.
| Restaurants | Range | |
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 10.00 € | 7.00-15.00 |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 40.00 € | 30.00-70.00 |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 8.00 € | 7.00-9.00 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) | 2.50 € | 1.30-4.00 |
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 3.00 € | 2.00-5.00 |
| Cappuccino (regular) | 1.76 € | 0.75-3.00 |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.56 € | 1.00-2.50 |
| Water (0.33 liter bottle) | 1.10 € | 1.00-2.00 |
| Markets | ||
| Milk (regular), (1 liter) | 0.92 € | 0.80-1.10 |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) | 1.37 € | 0.80-2.53 |
| Rice (white), (1kg) | 1.35 € | 0.99-2.00 |
| Eggs (regular) (12) | 2.75 € | 1.80-3.60 |
| Local Cheese (1kg) | 9.85 € | 6.00-20.00 |
| Chicken Fillets (1kg) | 6.79 € | 3.00-9.00 |
| Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 11.69 € | 7.50-16.99 |
| Apples (1kg) | 1.97 € | 1.00-3.00 |
| Banana (1kg) | 1.26 € | 1.00-2.50 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 1.59 € | 1.00-3.00 |
| Tomato (1kg) | 2.21 € | 0.99-3.00 |
| Potato (1kg) | 1.45 € | 0.70-2.50 |
| Onion (1kg) | 1.71 € | 1.00-2.82 |
| Utilities (Monthly) | ||
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment | 111.46 € | 80.00-200.00 |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data | 19.18 € | 12.00-30.00 |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 36.97 € | 29.50-50.00 |
| Sports And Leisure | ||
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 36.28 € | 22.00-55.00 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 12.80 € | 7.00-20.00 |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 7.50 € | 6.00-10.00 |
| Childcare | ||
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 396.71 € | 300.00-600.00 |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 9,293.62 € | 5,285.00-19,420.00 |
| Clothing And Shoes | ||
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 73.48 € | 25.00-120.00 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …) | 31.43 € | 15.00-50.00 |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 72.39 € | 47.00-120.00 |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 81.85 € | 45.00-150.00 |
| Rent Per Month | ||
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 939.65 € | 650.00-1,500.00 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 727.71 € | 500.00-1,100.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 1,701.58 € | 1,000.00-3,000.00 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,228.59 € | 800.00-2,000.00 |
| Buy Apartment Price | ||
| The price per Square Meter to Buy an Apartment in the City Centre | 3,245.53 € | 2,000.00-6,000.00 |
| Price per Square Meter to Buy an Apartment Outside of Centre | 2,130.31 € | 1,250.00-4,000.00 |
| Salaries And Financing | ||
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 1,046.78 € | |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.48 | 1.46-5.43 |
English is Widely Spoken
Settling in Portugal can be easy for expats as most of the local residents can understand and speak English. Most of the population in bigger cities like Algarve can especially understand and speak English, implying that you won’t need to learn the local language in an emergency before moving to Portugal.
Safety and Low Crime Rates
One of the advantages from many pros and cons of living in Portugal is that this country is safe and has low criminal rates compared to the other countries in the World. According to the Global Peace Index of 2023, Portugal was 7th safest country in the world.
Hence, one of the pros out of many pros and cons of living in Portugal is safety. If you are seeking safety, Portugal is your place to be, as it is ranked as one of the safest countries in the world.
Furthermore, if you belong to any minority group and are prone to violence in your parent country, you can move to Portugal as it endorses and fosters diversity. This place is safe for all sorts of ethnicities because the government here is well-functioning, and human rights are rightly served in the country.
Cons of Living in Portugal
Now that we know a lot about the pros of living in Portugal let us take a look at the cons. You can only decide whether to move to Portugal or not when you know the pros and cons of living in Portugal. Here are some of the cons of Living in Portugal:
Slow Pace of Life
Many expats complain that life in Portugal has a slow pace. It is one of the cons among many pros and cons of living in portugal that you will find dull nights in many parts of Portugal other than Lisbon and Porto.
Furthermore, often the shops and restaurants are closed on Sundays and even during the afternoons for siesta. Hence, the slow-paced life in Portugal is one of the cons among many pros and cons of living in Portugal.
Low Salaries
Although the living costs in Portugal are lower compared to the other European countries the monthly salaries are also lower compared to the countries like Germany and the USA.
For instance, the monthly salary in Portugal is 2.5 times less than in Germany. It is 3.5 times less in Portugal than in the USA. Hence, low salaries are one of the cons out of many pros and cons of living in Portugal.
No Central Heating
Usually the heating system depends on the property you are living in, but most of the houses in Portugal have no central heating system.
This implies that the homes are cold during winters in Portugal, which is one of the drawbacks among multiple other pros and cons of living in Portugal. However, if you use electric heaters, it may cost you hefty utility bills.
FAQs
Q: What are the Negatives of Living in Portugal?
Although living in Portugal can be the best decision you make in your life, there are some drawbacks as well. These drawbacks may include slow bureaucracy, language barriers, and lower salaries.
Q: How much Money do You Need to Live Comfortably in Portugal?
If you are a family of four, you may need at least 2,514.6$ (2,333.8€) without rent to live comfortably in Portugal. On the other hand, a single person might need 712.3$ (661.1€) without rent to live comfortably in Portugal.
Q: Is Portugal a Rich Country or Poor?
Portugal is grouped as an advanced or developed country with high annual income or GDP, so one may consider it a rich country.
