Portugal has, over the years, become a widely sought-after destination for all sorts of remote workers and digital nomads – and deservedly so. Whether you’re moving to Portugal for a few weeks or a year, there are countless possibilities for you, your family, and your career.
Culture in Portugal
Like any other European country, Portugal has a rich history and an almost inexhaustible cultural heritage which is only matched by the current explosion of art, music, architecture, and so much more. Lisbon, Porto, and Guimarães have been named the European Capitals of Culture in the past. Each of these cities houses countless art galleries and museums of various interests and sizes which display artists both well established and just emerging.
If you’re interested in literature, you can familiarize yourself with the world of Fernando Pessoa or José Saramago, or the many other authors who you can discover at the Lisbon Book Fair held in June. Similarly, music is an integral part of Portugal – just listed for folkloric “fado” echoing across any square. But Culture is not just art. Portugal is full to the brim with delicious cuisine you can explore. As a naval nation, you can look forward to seafood as well as various game and cattle. Portuguese cuisine can also be light or embellished with cheeses from cows, goats, or sheep.
Cost of life in Portugal
Your expenses will depend on many things, such as whether you want to stay in the city or in the countryside, how long will you stay, what you’re used to, and so on. But in general, a small apartment outside of the city center will cost between €400 to €700, and a large fully furnished rental in the city center will be between €750 to €1700. Whether you are staying for 14 days or 6+ months in Portugal Flatio can help you to find fully furnished and equipped accommodation with bills and wifi included in the rent.
When it comes to food, restaurants can range anywhere between €7 to €30, and a domestic draught beer can be bought at around €2. Groceries largely depend on what you eat, but just to give you an idea: 1l of milk is about €0.6, a kilo of rice is about €0.9, and a dozen eggs is around €1.8. But it all depends on where you want to live.
Family life in Portugal
If you plan on bringing children along, you might be surprised to learn how good an environment Portugal is for them. The warm climate makes it possible for your kids to be outside for much of the year and UNICEF even ranked Portugal just above the UK in general child wellbeing. Education is also of great quality, with many private and international institutions worth your consideration (with private institutions usually being more moderately priced). Do make sure, however, that your children are prepared to attend school using Portuguese.
Expat life in Portugal
Portugal is an affordable, warm, and pleasant place to go, though many ex-pats warn that it is difficult to build up one’s own career. This is, however, made better by a good life/work balance most jobs offer so that you can spend more time on your hobbies or with your family. Lastly, most ex-pats agree that healthcare in Portugal is affordable and of high quality. In short, if you’ve been thinking about moving to Portugal, there is almost nothing that could possibly deter you in Portugal.
