Things We Love and Hate about Living in Portugal

While we were far from the first Americans to move here, we’re constantly contacted by people who want to make a similar jump.

Our first piece of advice is that everybody is different and that the lifestyle options in Portugal are numerous.

Great Food

Things We Love About Living in Portugal

We love chowing down on traditional bacalhau (cod) dishes at tascas (taverns) as much as we love dining at fancy Michelin-starred restaurants like Belcanto.

Legendary houses like Graham’s, Kopke, and Sandeman’s operate in the northern city of Porto where they produce port wine using grapes grown in the nearby Douro Valley.

Portuguese Wine

Frugal shoppers will find great deals on products like pottery and glassware produced in the country. Groceries tend to be less expensive, unless they’re imported.

Affordable Cost of Living

The beaches in the Algarve are legendary. However, the dirty little secret (shhhh) is that Portugal has beautiful beaches all along its Atlantic coastline.

Stunning Beaches

Like anywhere in the world, there are both good and bad things about living in Portugal. The same goes for our chosen city of Lisbon.

Things We Don’t Love About Living in Portugal

For every great food we’ve found in Portugal, we’ve also missed certain American food that are either difficult to find in Lisbon or simply taste better in America.

Foods We Miss

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