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Pros of living in Portugal
1. Mild climate
If you like warm weather, come here: a temperate climate with humid air awaits you. There are about 300 sunny days a year. The average temperature is 22 degrees °C. This is a big plus of life in Portugal for Russians who are tired of severe frosts.
Although the country is small: you can get from north to south in 5.5 hours, and from west to east even faster – the climate depends on the city and area in which you live. The farther from the equator, the colder:
Temperatures are almost always comfortable in Lisbon. In winter, it rains periodically, during the day it is about 10 ° C, if not higher. Usually the thermometer does not fall below 0. In summer, about 29-30 ° C.
In the center and north of Portugal, winters are colder, but still not as cold as in other European countries. The lowest temperature is -6 ºC.
In the interior regions, summers are hot and dry, especially in Traz os Montis and Alentejo.
On the coast, you don’t have to suffer from the summer heat: it is softened by the sea breeze.
2. Nature
This is one of the best places to stay for those who want to escape from gray smoky cities. Portuguese cities have many parks, and the country itself is known for its beautiful mountains and rivers. Connoisseurs of natural beauty will definitely like the Douro River with its vineyards and the Ponta da Piedade lagoon. In general, the local flora and fauna are very diverse.
If you go to the beach or just take a walk through natural sites, you will be surprised by the cleanliness and neatness of the Portuguese.
3. Standard of living
The advantages of Portugal include a high standard of living. According to this indicator, it takes 18th place, ahead of the UK, Belgium and France. The criteria used to evaluate the standard of living index:
GDP per capita;
freedom of choice;
trust in social and political institutions;
life expectancy;
the level of healthcare;
social programs as a sign of a society in which people care about each other.
4. Costs
The unequivocal plus of living in Portugal is that here you will have enough of a much more modest budget than in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and many other Western countries.
Compared to the costs in the US, in Portugal they are three times less. The budget of a middle-class family is about 2000 €. On this amount, you can live, if not in a big way, then at least comfortably.
A couple of pensioners can live on 1400 €. This money will be enough for housing, food and affordable entertainment. In the UK or Germany, this is definitely not possible.
To live in Porto or Lisbon, the budget will need to be increased to 2500 €.
If you want to be in the middle of the action, but your budget is limited: work and spend most of the day in the city, and in the evening return to the suburbs with noticeably low rents (even 20 minutes from the city center is enough).
5. Real estate prices
Yes, real estate prices are rising almost every year, but they are still lower than the European average. This is a great opportunity to make money on investments or just buy a comfortable home in Europe at a nice price.
For example, you can buy a house with 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 living room, 1 dining room, terrace (and if you’re lucky, with a pool) for the amount of 175,000-240,000 €. The most expensive real estate in Porto and Lisbon. In smaller cities, prices are much lower.
For investment in real estate, you can get a residence permit. But in this case, certain conditions must be met. You can:
Buy residential or commercial real estate in the amount of 500,000 €.
Buy a property over 30 years old in the amount of 350,000 €, which has not been renovated.
Invest in property that needs to be restored (and done in accordance with the requirements).
6. Security
When considering the pros and cons of moving to Portugal, some make a positive decision because of the stability in this country. You will not hear every day about a rally, a murder or a robbery. This was confirmed by the 2020 Global Peace Index, according to which Portugal is the third safest country in the world.
Violent crime is extremely rare here, and minor ones, like wallet theft, periodically occur in large cities during the peak tourist season, as in other countries.
Ownership of weapons is allowed to a small group of people: hunters and sportsmen – and even then not for the purpose of personal protection. In general, the Portuguese people are famous for their peacefulness. Why commit crimes when you can eat fish and drink wine?
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