Best Places to Live in Portugal for Expats and Digital Nomads

if you've ever thought of moving to portugal you're definitely not alone portugal is among the top 20 countries in the world to live in for its climate safety quality of life and attractive tax and residency schemes the only question then is where with so many beautiful cities to choose from in portugal i'm kristen and i'm here to narrow it down for you in this video on the top 10 best places to live in portugal as an expat retiree or digital nomad this video is sponsored by wise formerly transferwise the fast cheap convenient way to send money abroad with wise you get the real exchange rate that you see online up to eight times cheaper than using a traditional bank you can also manage your money internationally and hold up to 56 different currencies so from portugal you could open a wise account with a euro balance and use it just like a local bank account so you can send spend and receive money just like a local i've been using my wise account and debit card to save money and time while traveling the world as a digital nomad for the past eight plus years if you're interested in opening an online account with wise check out the link in this video's description and get your first money transfer up to 500 british pounds free here they are the top 10 places to live in portugal in 10th place we have coimbra located along the mondego river coimbra is the former medieval capital of portugal and home to plenty of romanesque architecture and one of the oldest universities in europe these days though it's also known as a safe quiet relaxed city that foreigners love to live in although coimbra is located just two hours by train from both porto and lisbon you might never want to leave coimbra scores high on the nomad list as a great city to live and work in with fast internet friendly people and an english-speaking population the only downside is that it can be expensive to live there compared with the rest of the country with the cost of living that can reach five thousand dollars per month next up is the port city of satubal which has become very popular among expats in recent years for its proximity to lisbon but with a lower cost of living satubal has yet to be fully discovered so it still has an authentic feel it's known for its fresh seafood beautiful beaches and affordable rent prices at about 10 to 25 percent lower than lisbon it's also home to the libermento market voted the best market in europe and which dates back to 1876. so if you want to live near lisbon but also save money and have a more authentic local lifestyle definitely check out satubal next up in number eight on our list in the north of portugal just over the border of spain we have braga so the farther north or the farther inland you go in portugal that usually comes with a lower cost of living and braga is no exception the rent prices in braga can be 30 to 40 percent lower than lisbon with the furnished one bedroom in the city center going for as low as 500 euro per month braga is one of the oldest cities in portugal founded in 16 bc but being the third largest city in the country it's also quite developed and modern with a growing tech scene so if you love history and architecture but still mixed with the dose of modern day life braga could be for you now we are going to head down the silver coast to nazareth on the costa de prata nazare is in a unique spot because it's centrally located between lisbon and porto best of both worlds and like much of portugal nazareth has a pretty moderate and sunny climate except in december when it can get a bit rainy buying real estate in this area starts at around 70 or 80 000 euro for an apartment while a home can cost you between 250 000 and 1 million here's a three-bedroom flat i found just 800 meters from the beach in nazareth going for only 165 000 euro pretty good deal so if you're the kind of person who's interested in surfing golfing or a more relaxed pace of life definitely give the costa de prata a look but try to brush up on your portuguese before you get there so you can blend in more with the locals next up we have the charming town of ponta delgada in the majestic azores islands ponte delgada is the capital of this archipelago of volcanic islands located 850 miles west of lisbon this place has been on my bucket list for years now and it's time to put it on yours too if you want to live and work from paradise in a place that looks like ireland and new zealand had a baby in jurassic park then definitely take a closer look at the azores you'll also be happy to know that it has a low cost of living at around 1500 euro per month with rent prices 40 percent lower than lisbon if you move to ponte delgada you can work at the one soulmart business center for only 80 euro per month and enjoy 200 megabits per second internet speeds with a view of the beautiful harbor so when you leave the office for the day you can add whale watching or kayaking to your to-do list and enjoy the sunset what more can i say at this point other than i hope to see you all there soon halfway through our list now we have the algarve on the southern coastline of portugal home to more than 100 000 expats algarve is an extremely popular region for foreigners to live in for its beautiful beaches and scenery safe surroundings and because it's so easy to get around speaking english the top places to live in the algarve are lagos sparrow albufeira and portimao lagos is one of portugal's most popular destinations and it honestly looks like a postcard the jagged cliffs in clear blue water kind of remind me of gozo and malta except much bigger and with many more amenities albufeira on the other hand is known for its nightlife and shopping while faro offers something for everyone as it's the capital of the region and it's particularly known for having a good healthcare system and infrastructure plus an international airport meanwhile portimao is the second largest city after faro but even though it still only has about 55 000 residents it still packs a punch when it comes to amenities infrastructure and proximity to beaches like praia da roca and praya doval just 10 minutes away the only problem with the algarve is that it can get pretty crowded with tourists in the summer sometimes the population triples so keep that in mind but it's still worth checking out fourth on our list we have porto a favorite among digital nomads and expats porto the home of port wine is a great alternative to living in lisbon with many of the same amenities but a slower pace of life it's also stunningly gorgeous and just happens to be a unesco world heritage site i haven't personally been to porto yet but if it's good enough for nathaniel drew to live in it's good enough for me getting down to third place on our list is the autonomous region of the madera islands named the best island destination in europe for seven years running and the new home of the digital nomad village although the madeira islands are quite isolated about 350 miles out into the atlantic off the coast of morocco they're really a great place for foreigners to live and work because there's a wide range of accommodation options there multiple co-working spaces a startup incubator and plenty of things to do in your free time if you're a fan of outdoor activities like surfing hiking swimming and diving the madera islands could be the right place for you top destinations include funchal and ponte del sol and here are my friends dave and jen from nomad x with more this is dave williams ceo at nomad x co-founder is here with my wife jen here we are in madera se chao in the northern coast we can share this with you here it's amazing it's like a little mini hawaii as you know we founded nomad x in portugal and we wanted to report back where would we most recommend for digital nomads in portugal there's so many amazing places but there's only one place i could go visit in portugal where would it be i would say madera immediately now during the pandemic maybe number one right now madera island for more information on living in the madeira islands and the digital nomad village check out digitalnomads.startupmedera.edu in second place we have arrived at portugal's capital city of lisbon with its miles of sparkling shoreline and cosmopolitan city lifestyle the hype around living in lisbon is real people internations ranked lisbon as the number three city for expats to live in in europe in 2020 and with an expat approval rating between 82 and 96 foreigners simply love making lisbon their home base there are at least 84 co-working spaces in lisbon too so no shortage of places to work from or meet people and there are a lot of different neighborhoods to choose from so some of the top neighborhoods to live in include chiato and barrio alto in the city center and also principe real just inland from the waterfront the historic area of alfama is really nice too but it can be a bit touristy in my opinion and if you like a house with a view i mean who doesn't you'll want to check out the grasa area alcantara to the west is also an up and coming area near the lx factory which is a super cool place to shop and hang out and eat with friends and then down the road belain is also a good option near the beautiful tower of belain when it comes to living in lisbon basically the farther out you go the cheaper and less crowded it gets when i was living in lisbon in 2018 i stayed near the parque eduardo vii which was far enough from the downtown core that it was quieter but without compromising the amenities or lisbon lifestyle i really liked it there and i also felt super safe just walking around and exploring so although it can be hard to find housing in lisbon compared to other areas of portugal i recommend checking out some of the suburbs around the city so that you can shop around and get the most bang for your buck and if you're interested in living in the greater lisbon metropolitan area make sure to check out some of the surrounding towns and neighborhoods like kashkaish for example a super popular surf town that's also known as the portuguese riviera and then another popular destination near lisbon is the fairytale city of sintra located just about 30 minutes away sintra is stunningly beautiful full of trees castles and these panoramic vistas i mean walking through sintra truly feels like you stepped into a fairy tale it's completely surreal but just keep in mind though that sintra has its own microclimate which can be a bit cooler foggier and rainier than lisbon we are having a tough time here because it's freezing and it's only 20 minutes from lisbon but it's a completely different climate like i had to buy i had to buy a sweater and it's so cold and there's so many tourists and the lions are like hundreds of people long to get into the sights so it's beautiful but it's cold and crowded so when you're looking for housing in lisbon you'll also want to consider the municipality of almada to the south where you can find lower rent prices up to 30 percent less and still be just over the river from lisbon's city center and the number one destination on our list is ariz is the hottest digital nomad destination in portugal right now ranking high in all the categories on the nomad list index one nomad describes it as the changu of europe complete with a surf culture vibe it's a walkable city with a small town vibe and a close-knit community that expats really love we'd highly recommend arie serra it's only 30 to 40 minutes from lisbon it's a hot spot for surfers it's a hot spot for yoga big co-living spaces hostels are there as well so it's the place to be a lot of the nomads that are moving out the city are going to arizera yes and like really cool nightlife as well they have this little uh i call it a bar alley and it's like two little bars you see restaurants and just really nice walls like right in front of the front of the beach it's beautiful the cost of living in arizera is pretty low as well at only one or two thousand dollars per month with furnished studios and one bedroom flats available from just five to six hundred euro there are also plenty of amazing restaurants and cafes and it's only 45 minutes from lisbon the only downside to living in aries era that i can see is that there aren't that many places to work from with only two co-working spaces at the time of making this video although that will likely change in our post-pandemic world where would you most like to live in portugal let us know in the comments below and keep watching for more cost of living videos in the world's most popular expat destinations

Channel: Traveling with Kristin

Views: 313,454

Rating: 4.8857288 out of 5

Keywords: Best places to live in Portugal, best places Portugal, best places to live in Lisbon portugal, best places to live in Portugal for retirees, best places for digital nomads, living in Portugal, living abroad, expat, expats in Portugal, best cities in Portugal, Portugal, life in Portugal, cost of living Portugal, Lisbon, algarve, algarve Portugal, faro, porto, ericeira, madeira, digital nomad village, digital nomad, travel guide, cost of living, travel, Traveling with Kristin

Id: VH9tBtk5yq4

Length: 14min 45sec (885 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 20 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/Metaluim]

Nada como virem para ca usufruirem do estatuto de RNH enquanto o ze tuga paga impostos que se fode.

[u/masterchiefpt]

Eu quando leio expats páro por aí.... Eles são imigrantes, que diferenças existem destes para aqueles num bote de madeira vindos de Marrocos?

[u/Open-Opportunity-607]

O que não há para gostar?

Os locais pagam as estradas, a polícia, a saúde e a educação.

Eles estão uns anos a pagar menos impostos, e após 3 anos têm acesso a EU.

Depois saltam para a Alemanha, Holanda, França e pronto.

[u/DanielShaww]

Portugal is a hidden gem, and so cheap too!!!