What Expats Love Most About Portugal

Surprise: It's not the climate or the cost of living

Peace and beauty in Porto Covo. Photo: Gregory Garretson

A few weeks ago, I asked fellow foreigners residing in Portugal to tell me what they like and dislike most about living here. Of course, I know what I think about Portugal and why I chose to move here, but I know that I’m often seen as odd, so I wanted to see if there was a consensus. And, for the most part, there was.

Being an underutilized linguist, I performed a qualitative study of the survey results, which I have decided to present in two separate essays, intercalated with another essay series to maximize your pleasure. So stay tuned for the bad things about Portugal in two weeks. Today we will talk about what we love about this country.

I am using the word “expat” in the title of this piece, despite my inherent dislike of the term, because it conjures up the right demographic. I had over 25 responses to my survey asking people what their favorite and least favorite things about life in Portugal were (thank you, folks—you’re the best!). The respondents were overwhelmingly (> 90%) Americans, which is not surprising when we consider that the medium was Substack, which is itself overwhelmingly written and read by Yanks. Plus, we must recognize that Portugal is, for better or for worse, the hot new destination for Americans fleeing the brewing chaos in North America.

This is also reflected in the data. Of the people who responded to the survey, about one-third had been in Portugal for less than a year, about one-third had been here for 1–5 years, and about one-third had been here for over 5 years. So the results range from first impressions to long-held opinions. Let’s take a look.

The cook talks to patrons in one of Lisbon’s wonderful tascas. Photo: Gregory Garretson

The people-culture-lifestyle complex

The most-appreciated qualities of life in Portugal have nothing to do with money or climate. The top three themes were “people”, “culture”, and “lifestyle”, which I see as forming a complex of characteristics. Among the points made were these:

• people are friendly

• people are welcoming to foreigners and encouraging of attempts to communicate

• people take care of one another

• people respect and are kind to the elderly

• grandparents, parents, and children spend time together

• there is a real sense of community

• there is a generally collectivist mindset

• service in restaurants and shops is kind and attentive

• people are patient

• people spend lots of time together

• the pace of life is relaxed and unhurried

• there is a general feeling of peace

• there are loads of traditional celebrations, where all generations participate

• there are lots of cultural events, and they are reasonably priced so many can attend

Please note that these are not vapid claims that “the Portuguese are so lovely”, which some writers like to complain about. Instead, this is a recognition that the culture here is one in which individuals value and respect each other (as a general rule—I don’t have space to go into the gender and race aspects, which are significant). People are patient, time is taken for togetherness, and socialization is not strictly segregated by age.

And yes, the Portuguese are generally welcoming and kind to foreigners—at least those of us who look somewhat like them, and especially those of us who make an attempt to assimilate and communicate in their language.

Reading in a cafe. Photo: Gregory Garretson

I want to highlight the “pace of life” aspect especially. Look at this list of phrases taken directly from my survey results:

• sense of calm

• calm and peaceful

• calmer, simpler lifestyle

• relaxed lifestyle

• relaxed pace

• simpler life

• relaxed pace of life

• slower pace of life

• slow pace of life

• slow pace of life

It reads almost like a poem, doesn’t it? Clearly, the lifestyle—which is inextricably bound up with the culture, which comes from the people—is a major attraction to Americans.

Hmm, why might that be? (But hold that thought for a moment.)

The sky in Lisbon. Photo: Gregory Garretson

Beauty

The word “beauty” is used over and over again in my data. Portugal is simply a gorgeous place (see, for example, part 1 and part 2 of my visual tribute to my neighborhood), and boasts a fantastic variety in the landscape—from beaches and sandbars with flamingos to snowy mountains to towering cliffs over crashing waves, to rolling hills dotted with olive trees. And the towns and cities are, in many cases, eye-poppingly lovely.

So the second most common thing that people appreciate about Portugal is its beauty, especially if we combine that with comments on climate (which, however, came much lower on the list).

Allow me to come in with a personal opinion for a moment. As long-time readers of Living Elsewhere will know, beauty is a major component of my own worldview. I am inclined to seek beauty everywhere, including in places where most others would not notice it. For someone with my particular sense of aesthetics, Portugal is a paradise. I feel drawn to the countryside, to the cities, to the villages, and yes, to all the azulejos (tiles). I hear myself say, on pretty much a daily basis, “Oh my god, it’s so fucking beautiful here!” It is hard to overstate how much joy this brings me.

And of course, the fact that the sun is usually shining doesn’t hurt either.

I also want to put in a plug for the sky. At least in Lisbon, the sky is of such varied and spectacular beauty that it nearly brings me to tears on a regular basis. I can’t think of a simpler, cheaper, or more fundamental entertainment than admiring the beauty of the dome above us.

Stjärna the turtle, symbolizing perceived safety. Photo: Gregory Garretson

We’re not in Kansas anymore

I have nothing against Kansas, but I can assure you that my survey respondents are very relieved not to be in the United States anymore. Look at these snippets from the data:

• safety

• feeling of safety

• I feel safe

• Feeling safe and feeling like my kids are safe

• I don’t have to go through a metal detector to go see a concert

• feeling of being safer from violence

• not worrying about gun violence and getting shot at

This is one aspect of something Americans appreciate about Portugal that I coded as “NOT THE USA”, which was the third most common general theme. To a certain extent, Americans are finding something here in Portugal that would seem normal to other Europeans, but which is, sadly, far removed from the new normal across the Atlantic. Gun violence is 22 times more frequent in the USA than in Europe—think about that: a difference of 2,200.0%.¹

Other aspects of US culture, besides safety, that were reported to be in blessedly shorter supply in Portugal include aggressive selling, ranging from billboards to upselling in shops; the extreme pretentiousness/preciousness of establishments (“meet the cow that made this ice cream”); the screeching 24-hour news cycle; and of course, the poisonous political climate that is tearing the society apart.

Other things we like

There were a few other categories that came up in the responses, though each of them much less than the ones mentioned above. These included three things that also point to the respondents being Americans in particular: the lower cost of living, the quality of public transportation, and the location of Portugal in Europe. But let’s start with the food.

Wines at a wine tasting. Photo: Gregory Garretson

Food

I know that not everyone loves Portuguese food (we will hear about this in the next part of this series), but many of my respondents said that they do. They mentioned the cuisine and the abundance of fresh produce as things they like about Portugal.

They also mentioned the wine, which I was happy to see. Again, not everyone drinks wine, but for those who do, Portugal is like paradise. There are over 200 autochthonous grape varieties here, and thousands of producers making hundreds of types of wine. I think that Portugal is probably the world’s best-kept wine secret, since there is quite a lot of production but comparatively little export. I recently went to the state-run liquor store in Sweden and counted the Portuguese wines on offer: only 18 different wines, compared to the hundreds from Italy and France. And I happen to know that some of those 18 are among the worst ones produced in the country. I believe that the Portuguese export the junk and keep the good stuff for themselves. Which means for us, too.

My lunch today cost €11, and included soup, dessert, coffee and a drink. Photo: Gregory Garretson

Cost of living

I think that most Europeans would agree that the cost of living in Portugal is remarkably low. Food is good, plentiful and inexpensive; I frequently eat lunch—a big lunch, including wine, dessert, and coffee—for under 13 euros. Transportation is reasonably priced; my monthly transit pass for unlimited travel in Lisbon costs only €30. And the cost of everything from clothes to musical performances is very modest. But of course, housing is a completely different story, as we will discuss in the next part of this series.

One of the modern trams, under the 25 de Abril bridge. Photo: Gregory Garretson

Transportation

With regard to public transportation, I do not believe that most other Europeans would be very impressed with what Portugal offers, especially when it comes to trains (it has just about the worst rail coverage in Europe). But when I return home from where my parents live in New England, where there are zero trains and zero buses, I do glory in the abundance of options here. The monthly pass I mentioned gets me onto the subway, any bus, any elétrico, and some ferries. Plus, of course, the elevadores, or funiculars, which are currently dormant due to the recent tragedy at Glória.

Cabo da Roca lighthouse, the actual westernmost building in continental Europe. Photo: Gregory Garretson

Location

Then we have location, which is a funny point. To Americans, Portugal is wonderfully located because it is in Europe, which means that you can travel to the rest of Europe easily—provided you are willing and able to fly. But for me, as someone who has lived in Europe for over 20 years, Portugal feels like the end of the earth. I mean, I moved from Sweden, which dangles from the Arctic Circle, to the westernmost spot in continental Europe, and in both places I feel like Europe is somewhere way over that way. But I get it—the Atlantic is big, and being on this side of it is nice.

This brings us to the end of the list of things that expats in Portugal say they most appreciate. In the next part of this series, we will see the things that they most dislike about living here. In the meantime, I will share one last set of photos of Ajuda, my little part of the world. I hope you will enjoy it.

Do you agree with the things that came up here? Is there something you love about Portugal that you think was missing? Please share your views in the comments—but as always, please do so politely. Let us aspire to have a collectivist mindset here on Substack, too.

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Here are some related pieces that you may enjoy:

Why America Is No Longer Home

The Crazy Variety of Portuguese Eateries

My Gorgeous, Ordinary Neighborhood in Lisbon: A Photo Essay of Ajuda (Part 1)

My Gorgeous, Ordinary Neighborhood in Lisbon: A Photo Essay of Ajuda (Part 2)

1. Note that this does not mean that Portugal lacks violence entirely. Just this week, an American tourist was killed with a knife in a fight in Cascais. See this account in the always-excellent Portugal Decoded.