International Living Community

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for your interest in Portugal and for writing to International Living. Although Portugal is a compact country, it does offer different options for living. From vibrant cities like Lisbon and Porto… to charming coastal towns along the Atlantic Ocean… to rural landscapes where sheep graze amid orange orchards and cork oak forests.

Since 10 days is not that much time for a scouting trip, I would suggest that you first think about what type of environment you wish to retire in. If you are a city person, then I think you should concentrate on one of the two cities mentioned above. Do you prefer a climate like Florida, with hot summers and mild winters or are you ok with warm summers and rainy winters?

For the best weather in Portugal, and perhaps all of Europe, the Algarve is the place to be. The southernmost part along the coast offers hot, dry summers and less rain in the winters than the rest of Portugal. Here you will find expat havens like Lagos, Tavira and Albufeira, a bit of a larger city where English is widely spoken and there are plenty of expats to hang out with.

For more affordable living check out the Silver Coast, one hour north of Lisbon near the mid-sized city of Caldas da Rainha. Here the pace of life moves slowly, there are still expats, but most are from Europe or the UK and there is plenty of history and charming areas to explore. Winters here receive much rain with cooler temperatures and summers are not as hot as they would be in the south.

To make the most of your 10 days, I do suggest that you rent a car to make exploring that much easier and quicker.

If you’d like a detailed scouting trip itinerary, including links to trusted websites and contact information you’ll find immensely helpful, then you should consider our Portugal Scouting Trip Itineraries and Travel Guide. If you’d like to spend one week, two weeks, or up to four weeks in Portugal, this guide will show you how to have the trip of a lifetime while you’re there.

Happy exploring and safe travels to you!

Hi Debra,

The short answer to your question is yes, I do think that a single can live in Portugal for $1,600, which at the current exchange rate is around €1,485, depending on your lifestyle.

Your largest expense will be rent, unless you plan to purchase a property outright. Depending on where you choose to live, rent prices vary. Lisbon, Cascais, Porto, and the Algarve are the higher-priced areas.

Check out the mid-sized city of Caldas da Rainha, one hour north of Lisbon, which should have some affordable housing options.

To give you an idea of what you can expect to pay for rent, I suggest searching on the property website idealista.com. You can change the filters to location, number of bedrooms, city center, etc…

Here you will see terms like T1, T2—the T stands for apartment and the number indicates how many bedrooms. If the T is replaced with a V, it’s a freestanding house.

You would probably want to live in a small community so there is no need for you to have a car, as gasoline is expensive—currently as much as $7.75 a gallon.

As part of the resident visa for Portugal, you would need to carry private health insurance, which will add to your budget. Depending on your age and health condition, the prices of insurance will vary. But you will also have access to the public healthcare system to use if necessary, which will help keep your medical costs down.

You can find more information about the cost of living in Portugal in Chapter 6 of the Escape to Portugal guidebook—available on the IL Bookstore here.