What It's Really Like To Live In Portugal PART 1: Cost, Language, and Lifestyle

What is it like to live in Portugal? Let’s talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Well, I haven’t seen any ugly so far.

Adjusting to a new country and culture is rarely a seamless process. There are parts of any place that you will like and other parts you won’t like. You have to decide what you can live with and live without. In this video, I talk about some key aspects of life in Portugal to help you envision what things are like day-to-day.

What is one thing you have heard about Portugal and want to know if it’s true? Let me know in the comments below.

🎬 VIDEOS

🧡 SUPPORT

✨ SOCIAL

[JuliaRochelleAbroad]

What is one thing you have heard about Portugal and want to know if it’s true?

[alexandrep.]

Okay i am Portuguese and i think i need to clarify this to everyone. Living in Portugal as a native one, its not an easy task, the cost of living is high and the wages dear god are very small compared to the rest of the European Union. Now if your an UK citizen, French, German, or US with stronger economies and have alot of money saved, heck Portugal is like Heaven for you. Want a good house save at least 250.000 euros presently for an Apartment with 2 Bedrooms depending of the city you choose (Lisbon, Porto). You will have an easy acess in communication, we portuguese know and understand very well the English Language. Me as a Civil Engineer i can say i earn pretty well so i can have a higher medium living. The sad part is that even with a college degree alot of portuguese ppl went for other countries like the UK to earn a decent wage.

[madhumenon]

I'd like to hear more about how you made new friends and a social circle after moving to a totally new country.

[AbiProwse]

All of this is so true Julia!! I really loved how patient I became in Portugal, and I'm definitely still trying to live a slower-paced lifestyle now. Miss it, and miss you!!

[manny]

Hi Guys, just want to leave a few names to check out. First of all is Portugal's own Jurassic town called Lourinhã, a beautiful town about 60km north from Lisbon on the silver coastline with huge Jurassic animals around town. Stunning white sandy beaches and low cost full meal restaurants. Secondly, Peniche about 17km north from Lourinhã. Peniche is a small fisherman's village that grew into a large town. At the docks, summer time the main Street to the docks, all restaurants to choose from, filled with fresh catch of the day. Mouth watering dishes, for a fraction of what you expect to pay. Also got stunning miles long surf beaches.
Towards the south from Lourinhã about 17 km you'll find Torres vedras, a small city with lots of old buildings, so much to see and do. Shop till you drop lol.
Further afield is places like Rio maior, Caldas da Rainha, santa Cruz os pictures beautiful too.
All these places are so stunning to visit. The best of it all is, it's a cheaper holiday than most main cities. Weather you want to surf, shop, tan, explorer or just relax, in Oeste region or otherwise known as the silver coast, there is something for everyone...

[thudercougarfalconbird]

Hi, Julia!
I've been to Europe 4 times but I have never been to Portugal. I'm looking at moving there under the D7 visa so I've been researching for over a year the lower Silver Coast and Lagos in the Algarve because of all the surf spots and relatively lower coast of real-estate. I'm a former Texas state surfing champion and that's one of the main reasons in moving to those areas along with the healthy lifestyle and the awesome weather.
I've been watching all the other happy go lucky expat YouTube'ers on the subject and find your videos to be the absolute best and most informative not to mention you're very easy-on-the-eyes.
Thank you for all the hard work! I will recommend your channel to anyone thinking of making the move to Portugal. l will also use your videos as a guide when l go to relocate.
Thanks again!
Big Fan!
Julian

[rayvogensen]

I liked the video. Nothing new for me since I have lived here since 1991 but it is always nice to see the perspective of someone from the States, who hasn't lived abroad before. For me most of the things mentioned, like slowness of government offices, were a piece of cake since I had already lived for almost 20 years in a very bureaucratic country called Brazil. The whole process of getting residency has become much more difficult now than it was when I first arrived. A combination of the pandemic and the huge influx of people, especially Brazilians, trying to become legal, has swamped the government office in charge of granting residency. As a free lancer I definitely would not live in Lisbon. There are so many smaller cities with very affordable rents, like Aveiro, Braga, Coimbra, Setúbal, Faro, Évora, Viseu, Viana do Castelo, the list goes on. If you are working on the computer all you need is a good internet connection.

[cleberdavidvideo]

I'm brazilian, I'm learning English, you speak fast, but I don't know, I can understand you! I subscribe in your channel! Thanks! I like too much Portugal!

[highlander]

Like your attitude julia rochelle I live in the States most people move to Portugal for their own reasons seems to be great place to live. Lot of americans moving to Portugal.I speak both fluently Spanish and english

[naturerelaxmusic]

Thanks for sharing that good info about Portugal Julia.

[luisv]

Ok, you made a video about my question so sweet

[JakchaiP]

Thank you so much for your information from Thailand. Me I my partner is researching about relocation to Portugal and D7 is super helpful!!

[atlanticcorgi]

What’s the best way to find apartments?

[nicoleecheverria]

I recently became a freelancer in Portugal and I felt all these 😄 a lot of annoying bureaucracy but overall worth it

[luisrivas]

Awesome video Julia. My wife and I are considering retiring in Portugal. You information is very helpful. Keep up the great work and God bless. =)

[teodoro]

Well, Im new to your channel, and it is the second US channel for whom I lost 20 minutes trying to figure where you are. "Portugal" is from Algarve to Viana do Castelo, some parts are very expensive (Lagos) and some very cheap (Castelo Branco region). I´m an european citizen, and visited Lisbon long ago. Greetings from Tigre.

[Calcifernus]

Nice channel! Visit Madeira islands and Porto Santo, they re beautiful

[NFPwife]

Hi! I'm here from the Ramsey group - thanks!

[ruisilva]

Welcome to Portugal. This country is not only Lisbon, Porto and Algarve. We need foreigners to spread throughout the country. We have many beautiful cities where there is a lot of quality of life.

[audreynaidoo]

I have been to Portugal in 2018, spent more time in Fatima, like the slow paced living, peaceful and serene, would love to live there, felt safe shopping late in the evenings, not sure about the cost of living there, would like to hear from you soon 👍