Lisbon vs Porto: which is the best city to live in Portugal?

In this video, I'll compare 2 cities in Portugal: Lisbon and Porto. I'll go over the pros and cons, and will help you choose the best city to live in Portugal for you! If you're moving to Portugal soon but can't choose a city, this video might give you some answers.

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// timestamps
00:00 Size & Population
01:04 Climate
01:52 Cost of Living
03:00 Transportation
04:42 Education & Job Opportunities
06:02 Entertainment
06:42 Food & Drink
07:10 Beaches
07:56 General Vibe
09:04 Making the Decision: Lisbon or Porto?

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[zalapori]

I've lived in both places and to give some perspective to comment readers, it's really up to your personality and which place matches your vibe. For example, I've now lived in Cascais (the villa next to Lisbon), and everybody seems to love it. It's beautiful, placed by the beach, sunny, nice... But I personally don't feel good here at all. Don't believe what people say, even if it externally ticks all the boxes, if you don't feel good there, it's not for you. On the other hand I felt much better in Porto which is ironic because it's mostly grey and cold, I don't like everything about it but I felt more comfortable there. I also met a person that lived in Porto before, didn't feel good there, moved to Lisbon and loves living in Lisbon. Follow your gut and listen to your heart.

[MrTravolta]

Lisbon is bigger but that doesn't mean better. That's subjective.
If you want a quiter city, choose Porto, although in that order, the smaller the city, the calmer and more peaceful it is, and therefore you have other options such as Braga, Coimbra, Lagos, Aveiro, Funchal, etc.
Comparing Lisbon to Porto is almost like comparing Porto to Braga or any other two cities of different sizes. The bigger the city, the more it has to offer, but also the more stressful and confusion it is.
I lived for several years in the 2 cities (Lisbon and Porto).
And i prefer Lisbon, not by much but here’s why:

Lisbon has more variety and interesting places to visit, it has more museums, more shows, more entertainment, more restaurants and bars, but all this because it is also bigger. There are things that Porto don't have like the Oceanarium, Zoo, Quake, Laser Tag, Kidzania, Casino, etc...

It is much more pleasant to walk in Lisbon along the river. You have the Belém area and from there to Docas, you have between Cais do Sodré and Santa Apolónia and the Expo area. All in all, it's almost a 10km walk along the river, with lots of space, lots of light, lots of green spaces, places to relax and have a picnic. Also a lot of places where you can stop to eat and drink and places to visit.

Transport is the same, both are well served according to their size. Although when traveling abroad, Lisbon gives you more options.

If you pretend to live, Lisbon is more expensive, especially for buying and renting a house, otherwise it is similar for day-to-day purchases.

The beach in Lisbon is further away but on the other hand it is much better. Costa da Caparica is an excellent beach. The sand is spectacular, there's plenty of space and it's not as windy as on Porto's beaches. The water is a little warmer but still cold.

Walking in Lisbon is difficult, but also in Porto because of the narrow and irregular sidewalks and the ups and downs. Although in Porto, as it is smaller, you can get anywhere more easily.

The climate in Lisbon is almost the same, just a little warmer.

Lisbon is less safe than Porto but is still a very safe place to live.

People's sympathy is very similar. In tourist areas and even foreigners who normally work tend to be less communicative and more closed, and in Lisbon there are more people like that. But if we go to a shopping mall or a neighborhood in Lisbon, it's the same.

[ajdrums]

Thanks Yulia, great content as usual. We moved from Australia to Algarve for D7, finally found great speciality coffee in Lagos like home. We don't love Portugal so far, Praia da Rocha seems quite run down and tacky although beaches are ok. People are lovely, red wine is excellent but overall we are underwhelmed. We only stopped in Lisbon for the day, streets too hilly and worse narrow with kids in tow, the great restaurants were not enough to offset that although only a part of city explored. I guess Lagos is our favourite place so far with nice beaches and high quality coffee and food scene. Alvor was quite nice also 😊

[xcolettexx]

I was living both in Lisbon and Porto. Actually, in Lisbon, I had a feeling of stagnation and boredom faaar more than in Porto. Yes, Lisbon has a bigger territory on paper, but you never end up going to big percentages to these places – they're mostly residential areas with no particular points of interest. I'm ending up actively "using" a very similar area of the city in Porto as in Lisbon. This includes the shoreline – Porto has a much closer connection to the ocean while going to the beach in Lisbon usually felt like a bigger expedition (it’s a longer ride by train/car).

The art scene of Porto always seems far more interesting to me, Lisbon has lots of mainstream placeholders, and Porto has a strong underground, independent movement. Also, most of the musicians are coming to both places or just to Porto directly. Local people are just more fun and kind in Porto ;) but if one is not speaking the language or hangs out only with an expat community, it will not be so obvious. Aaaand, Portuguese people in general are just nicer than average anyway.

I definitely see a growing sense of frustration amongst locals, due to the declining quality of life attributed to an influx of people coming here from countries with more lucrative salaries. I think that instead of just thinking "which place will entertain me better" we should also consider "what I am going to contribute to the place and what will be the long-term influence of my presence on it".

There are some inconsistencies in your video – the 0:56 beach is not in Porto, it’s Porto de Galinhas in Brazil, same 7:16 – this beach is in Madeira. And Porto has trams too ;)

[lettuceatter_]

There are trains in porto as well and porto's metro lines are more extensive than lisbon's

[kamalahasanmoorthy]

"*Thank you All, God Bless Everyone Take Care All -Long Lives 100 years and above all*"

[cesareborgia]

I lived in both cities. Pls don't listen to those type of comments. Porto is nothing in comparison with Lisbon. Porto is London 2.0 exept 4 month's is raining non stop and the buildings are not prepared for the winter. The center is super crowded that makes it even worse. Everybody says in Lisbon people use to be more conservative. I experienced the complete opposite. Porto is the perfect prove that Portugal didn't recover from the dictatorship....

[darrenyorkshire]

@3:00 porto got a very good expansive metro, as well as the busses, and trams.

[Cami-hu]

@thisisYulia can you do a video. On where can expats with teens, move in portugal and how to look for great schools. TIA ❤

[keyokoneemo]

Nice video thanks!❤
What is more preferred, Quebec city or Lissabon?

[farhanzoid]

Hey Yulia
Which city good for Digital Nomad?
Is it D7 visa Still Available?
Btw Advance congress for 100k❤️🍻

[GiuseppeAllettocontemporaryart]

great post!!! 😊😊😊 I'm an italian painter 🟣 I've just posted a Video about a wonderful place in Lisboa 🟥

[Miromabdulkadir]

mrs Yulia good day i have a question is Portugal affordable for foreigners like university

[josecorreadequeiros]

Many errors on comparing the two cities! A North American tourist said the best phrase about: “Lisbon is quantity, Porto is quality!”

[allinonevideosmaster]

The only thing legends know about Portugal is Cristiano ronaldo 🐐

[tamaramadelin]

❤️Lisboa to live, Porto to visit!! Porto is too small and in Lisbon there are many central areas not hilly and it's just a hidden gem of places and discoveries!!

[medd]

Do you have any information about what part-time jobs students can have? Type of jobs enough to make ends meet

[MarcLarsson-bl]

I was robbed and attacked by the person I rented from in the Algarve. The police do not care. Only use internationally known RE agents: Engel & Völkers, Long and Foster, ReMax, Coldwell Bankers International, etc. I've heard of other foreigners having similar issues.

[Cosmicmiind]

You can’t even compare Porto with Lisbon, Porto is beautiful, calm but laidback. More conservative family friendly city .. city is just BEAUTIFUL ❤️❤️ just walking down on the river bank will blow your mind .. also ppl are even more friendly and more safer !! ❤️❤️