When I share my story, of the most common questions I hear is “why did you move to Portugal?” This really translates to two questions, but most are only polite enough to ask one. First question: why on earth did you chose to quit your job, sell everything, and move your family to a country you’ve never been to before? Second: why Portugal? I’ll get around to answering the first question one of these days. For now, I’ll start with a just few reasons about why we moved to Portugal.
Location, Location, Location
For almost a decade, I had dreamed of living in Europe. Though, I have to say, I had expected to be employed when I made the move. As family, we wanted to be able to easily hop on a train or plane and explore all that Europe has to offer. While Portugal isn’t as connected by train as other central European countries, it has a great train system within the country and it’s easy and inexpensive to hop a flight to other European cities.
Within Europe, we exclusively looked at only southern European cities. After almost a decade in Seattle, I wanted to be on the Mediterranean with all the sunshine and access to the ocean. I wasn’t looking to move to Europe to be in the London fog or the bitter cold of Scandinavian countries.
Doesn’t it sound so dreamy to say, “I moved to Europe!” If you’re going to have a third-life crisis, might as well be here. 😆
Cost of Living
To maximize how long we could stretch our FUN-employed sabbatical having a low cost of living was key. When we first looked at locations, Portugal housing was very affordable. The word is out. Turns out, we aren’t the only ones moving to Portugal (who knew?!) and rental prices are skyrocketing. Lisbon is now the most expensive place to live in Europe. You read that right. Lisbon rent is more expensive than Paris, Amsterdam, or Munich. That said, general cost of living is very reasonable and outside the major cities there are plenty of affordable housing options. Groceries, transportation, utilities, meals out (particularly at local restaurants) are much cheaper than the States. For us, coming from one of the most expensive cities in the U.S., our fully furnished, 4-bedroom apartment in city center is still costs less than half of our mortgage each month.
European City Life
There are so many aspects of European city life that I had dreams of. To name a few – picking up produce at the corner fruit stand, giving up our car to master public transportation, cafe culture, delicious, inexpensive wine. What’s not to love? For the most part, Porto is living up to these starry-eyed day dreams. The only caveat that we are still figuring out is how to fully navigate the city with kids without a car. In Porto specifically, there are trips to certain beaches or neighborhoods that are much easier by car. That said, for my husband and I, Porto has an incredible, updated public transportation system. It’s so easy to get anywhere by metro, bus, or a cheap Uber ride.
Also, the people! I’ve found the Portuguese culture to be warm and welcoming. Not to mention, their lifestyle while hard working, is more balanced than in the States. I feel like I’ve got a lot to learn about that here!
Visa Options
We found Portugal to have incredibly friendly visa options when comparing it to Italy and Spain – our other top contenders. This ultimately was the deciding factor for us. Our family is here under a D7 visa, also known as a passive income visa. This visa type offered Josh and I the most flexibility in terms of qualifying under passive income (since we were quitting our jobs at the time of applying) AND we can go back to work whenever we are ready. We won’t have to apply for a new visa, rather, we can work in country or out of country on this visa. This made it more flexible than the visa options we researched in Spain or Italy. Portugal also has a fast residency to citizenship – after 5 years of residency and a language test, you can be eligible for citizenship. It’s considered one of the fastest options for an EU passport.
Portugal is also one of the few countries in Europe that has an active (and new) digital nomad visa (aka D8 visa) which allows digital nomads to work in country for one year (with renewal options). One important note – the touted Golden Visa Program could change. This visa option allows you to obtain residency based on real estate or capital investment. However, in response to the housing crisis within the country, Parliament is assessing changes to pull back on this visa program. As with anything visa related, I’m not an immigration expert and you should do your own research!
Was Moving to Portugal the Right Move?
Why we moved to Portugal is layered and nuanced – I can’t begin to dig into every factor that we thought through. I’ve only been here a couple months, and so far Porto and Portugal are living up to the hype. I’ve found the Portuguese community to be incredibly warm and welcoming. Plus, there is a large expat community here. You can build community with others who are finding their way in a new country. I’ve still got more to learn and experience, and every international move has its ups and downs (and we’ve had those), but I’m loving Porto!
Have any questions about Portugal or living abroad? I’d love to share more – ask away in the comments below!
New to the blog? Read more about our journey here: In search of nourishment.
Do you find Porto to be family friendly and safe? Are there any playgrounds or parks? I have kids that seem very close to yours (3 years old and 8 months) thanks!!
Hi! Porto and Portugal in general are so safe and family friendly. I should have added that as one of the core reasons why we moved here. There are plenty of parks and playgrounds within the city and particularly as you start to get into the outer suburbs. There’s no shortage of spaces for the kids and they are so widely loved here. Sometimes I felt like my kids were a nuisance in the States, but I rarely get that vibe here.