Beautiful city, certainly, but I don’t want to be seen in those crowded circumstances anymore. And if it becomes normal that it is a bit more warmer a little earlier in the year, then here it’s nice with a sea breeze in the afternoon. Nice, and quiet too. And it smells fresh. But there are plenty of people who want to live in Lisbon, certainly.
Many Remote Workers want to live in Lisbon
A pity for the Portuguese who were already there, and who also want to live there – preferably in a bit of nice, affordable house. So many people are coming in that the prices are skyrocketing. Especially renting prices, because renting is what those short-stayers do, shoot up.
I looked at the numbers yesterday. Living in a house in all of Portugal is becoming more expensive. I can already ask € 8.22 per square meter here in the outback. If I take one of the houses in the Casa Principal as an example, a house of 56 m2, then that would be € 460.32 a month. Without nothing, so no water, electricity or internet.
Quite expensive, if you ask me. Perhaps you’re now in a convulsion, dear northern readers, but for a country where the minimum wage is 870 euros per month, which is paid 14 times a year, that is a high rent. (The 14 times is for your vacation and for Christmas.)
That way you are almost forced to have a dual-earners relationship
In Lisbon you wouldn’t be able to, then you would need a relationship ánd a second job to keep your head above water, because there such a same size house would cost € 736.96 per month. The people who have learned a skill or a trade earn a little more, but thousands a month is not an average salary here.
That rental price doesn’t only apply to Lisbon Center, but to the entire municipality.
Quite a large area, the whole municipality of Lisbon
All around are Cascais (the Gold Coast), Sintra (very touristy), Mafra (very historic), Ericeira (full of surfers) and the somewhat cheaper areas towards Santarém and south of the Tejo Setúbal. Suppose you end up there, because at least it is affordable, or because you’re forced to live with your parents/family, then you’ll be driving for about an hour. Two hours a day, back and forth.
That also costs money. That’s why there is quite a bit of dissatisfaction among the citizens of Lisbon, who now no longer treat the newcomers, who were attracted by the government, as welcoming and friendly as once was the case. Now they had restricted the annoying travel-bags-on-wheels of the Airbnb community, they come up with a Digital Nomad Visa (*).
It seemed the prevailing class a good idea: offer well-earning foreigners easy access, and you also earn something with it. After all, it costs something to maintain a whole country, doesn’t it. Portugal leans heavily on tourism, because there are few raw materials (except lithium in the north*) and little industry.
That prevailing class wants to live in Lisbon!
Generally spacious in nice neighborhoods in Cascais, Estoril (Lisbon) Matosinhos, Foz do Douro (Porto), Vale Do Lobo or Vilamoura (Algarve). These are generally the most expensive and most exclusive residential areas, with large villas, apartments and country houses. These places also attract many foreign investors and well-to-do expats.
House prices and standard of living in these areas are considerably higher than the Portuguese average. They are seen as the “rich enclaves” within Portugal. There have been gated communities in the Algarve for a long time.
So yes, quite a lot of people who want to live in Lisbon
I think: give priority to your own citizens, government! Those well-to-do foreigners end up well somewhere anyway. Otherwise you’ll give the opportunity to types like André Ventura – our own Portuguese Nigel Farage. That usually does not yield much more than a lot of chaos and bs.
Next week more about the Portuguese who go the other way: to the countryside. They are also plenty of them. The young people go to the city, and when they have become elder(ly), and earning/earned well, they retreat to the countryside. A Very Interesting group for us, so you can read more about that next week in our weekly blog.
(*) A previous variant of the Portuguese government stumbled and fell over plans for a lithium mine in the north of the country. António Costa is now standing smiling next to Ursula von der Leijen, because he has gone without any suspicion. His staff chef, on the other hand, was the target of a mocking campaign that even Ikea used for a popular ad.
(**) The Portuguese ‘Digital Nomad Visa’ – also known as the ‘Remote Work Visa’.
This is a special visa that Portugal introduced in 2022 to attract foreign remote workers. The most important characteristics of this Digital Nomad Visa are:
– It is intended for freelancers, self-employed people and employees who work for a foreign company, but want to work from Portugal.
– The visa is valid for 1 year, with the possibility of extension.
– Applicants must be able to demonstrate a minimum monthly income of € 2,800 (net).
– There are no requirements for having a Portuguese employer or location.
– The visa gives access to health care and social security in Portugal.
– The application procedure is relatively easy and fast compared to traditional work permits.
The Digital Nomad Visa is seen as an attractive option for Remote Workers who want to live and work in Portugal. It is an example of how Portugal is proactively trying to attract foreign talent.
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We moved here in 2000 from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to the Termas-da-Azenha, Portugal.
We started to rebuild one of portugals cultural heirlooms: Termas-da-Azenha, an old spa.
You’ll find mosaics and paintings everywhere.
Since Covid we rent the houses for a longer period of time, not as holiday houses anymore.
Each week a little blog about what is happening around us. An easy read. A few minutes in another world. A little about what it going on in Portugal. If you plan your holiday to Portugal, it might be a nice preparation.
In the weekend we publish it on Bluesky, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.