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Home Lifestyle

Safety, Low Costs, And More: Why Portugal Is A Top Retire Overseas Option

10 Reasons To Choose Portugal

Kathleen Peddicord by Kathleen Peddicord
Apr 11, 2023
in Lifestyle
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Safety, Low Costs, And More: Why Portugal Is A Top Retire Overseas Option

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Portugal is hard to resist…

We’ve named thin-sliced corners of this beautiful, sunny, friendly, safe, welcoming, and affordable country as the world’s top retirement haven more than any other.

Just what makes it so tough to beat when considering options the whole globe over for reinventing your life?

In fact, Portugal checks every box on the would-be retiree’s list…

1. The Weather

Wooden footbridge to beautiful beach Praia do Camilo near Lagos
Adobe Stock/samael334

Portugal’s Algarve enjoys one of the most stable climates in the world and 3,300 hours of sunshine per year, meaning more sunny days than almost anywhere else in Europe. As a result, this region has a long-standing reputation as a top summer destination among European sun-seekers and a top winter retreat for those looking to escape Northern Europe’s coldest months.

The Algarve has no bad weather months, but it does have a winter. January and February can be cold enough that you’ll want a coat. The best months can be September and October, when the summer crowds have gone but the weather and sea temperature are still ideal.

2. Safety

Riverside in Tavira on a summer morning, Faro District, Algarve, Portugal.
Alamy/Stefano Valeri

Portugal ranks as the fourth safest country in the world. Violent crime is rare, and petty crime is limited to street crime during the busy tourist season.

As well, this country has managed to keep itself separate from the immigration crisis that is playing out in other parts of Europe.

3. Good Infrastructure In Portugal

Terminal of Faro International Airport, Algarve Portugal
Adobe Stock/joserpizarro

Portugal and the Algarve have enjoyed important infrastructure investments in recent years, specifically to do with the country’s highway network and airports. As a result, this is an easy region to get around and also a great base for exploring all of Europe and North Africa.

4. Affordable, International-Standard Health Care

hospital in portuga
Source: iStock/RS74

In the national health system, you’ll pay a small surcharge on doctor’s visits (about 4 euros) and tests (about 10 euros). A medical appointment in the private system is still affordable—between 50 and 80 euros.

As a result, medical tourism is a growing industry in the region, in particular for cosmetic, hip replacement, and dental specialties. Another reason why Portugal is a our top retire overseas option.

5. Golf

View from the sky at the golf courses in the tourist town Vale de Lobo in The Algarve, Portugal
Adobe Stock/sergojpg

The region boasts 42 courses in less than 100 miles and is recognized as a top golfing destination in continental Europe and the world.

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6. Great Beaches In Portugal

Carvoeiro town and beach in the Algarve, Portugal.
Alamy/Rob Wilkinson

The Algarve’s 100 miles of Atlantic coastline are punctuated by jagged rock formations, lagoons, and extensive sandy beaches, many awarded coveted Blue Flags from the European Blue Flag Association. The water off these shores is azure, and the cliff-top vistas are spectacular.

Most beaches have lifeguards during the summer season. Note that restaurants and snack bars are sometimes open only seasonally.

7. Low Cost Of Living

sardines in portugal
Image Source: iStock/bonchan

The cost of living in Portugal is among the lowest in Western Europe, on average 30% lower than in any other country of the region. A couple could live here comfortably but modestly on a budget of as little as 1,800 euros per month.

With a budget of 2,500 euros per month or more, you could enjoy a fully appointed lifestyle in this heart of the Old World.

8. English Is Widely Spoken

Waiter taking orders from customers sitting in a bistro
Adobe Stock/mavoimages

Living here, you could get by without learning to speak Portuguese… though any effort to learn the local language is a show of respect and appreciated.

9. Healthy Living

Fresh fruit and vegetables on an Algarve market
Adobe Stock/flu4022

The Portuguese are the biggest fish eaters per capita in Europe, and fresh fish of great variety is available in the ever-present daily markets. The abundance of sunshine in this part of the world means an abundance of fresh produce, too, also available in the local markets.

Meantime, pollution rates are low, and streets, towns, and beaches are kept clean and litter-free.

10. User-Friendly Residency Options

Seniors enjoying the sun at the sea, Lagos, Algarve, Portugal
Adobe Stock/ploosy

If you’d like to live in the country full-time you can arrange to do so simply by showing a reliable income of at least 1,200 euros per month, per couple. Many countries offer similar residency programs based on guaranteed income; however, these are typically targeting foreign retirees and come with age restrictions.

That is not the case in Portugal.

Anyone of any age who can prove income to meet the requirement can be granted the right to remain in Portugal long-term. This is one of the easiest residency hurdles of any country in Europe. Indeed, it’s one of the easiest of any country in the world.

And that’s why Portugal is a our top retire overseas option.

Until next time,
Kathleen Peddicord signature
Kathleen Peddicord
Founding Publisher,Overseas Opportunity Letter

Tags: cost of living in portugallive in Portugalmove to PortugalPortugalRetire To Portugalsafety in PortugalThe Algarve
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Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord

Kathleen Peddicord has covered the live, retire, and do business overseas beat for more than 30 years and is considered the world's foremost authority on these subjects. She has traveled to more than 75 countries, invested in real estate in 21, established businesses in 7, renovated historic properties in 6, and educated her children in 4.

Kathleen has moved children, staff, enterprises, household goods, and pets across three continents, from the East Coast of the United States to Waterford, Ireland... then to Paris, France... next to Panama City, where she has based her Live and Invest Overseas business. Most recently, Kathleen and her husband Lief Simon are dividing their time between Panama and Paris.

Kathleen was a partner with Agora Publishing’s International Living group for 23 years. In that capacity, she opened her first office overseas, in Waterford, Ireland, where she managed a staff of up to 30 employees for more than 10 years. Kathleen also opened, staffed, and operated International Living publishing and real estate marketing offices in Panama City, Panama; Granada, Nicaragua; Roatan, Honduras; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Quito, Ecuador; and Paris, France.

Kathleen moved on from her role with Agora in 2007 and launched her Live and Invest Overseas group in 2008. In the years since, she has built Live and Invest Overseas into a successful, recognized, and respected multi-million-dollar business that employs a staff of 35 in Panama City and dozens of writers and other resources around the world.

Kathleen has been quoted by The New York Times, Money magazine, MSNBC, Yahoo Finance, the AARP, and beyond. She has appeared often on radio and television (including Bloomberg and CNBC) and speaks regularly on topics to do with living, retiring, investing, and doing business around the world.

In addition to her own daily e-letter, the Overseas Opportunity Letter, with a circulation of more than 300,000 readers, Kathleen writes regularly for U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.

Her newest book, "How to Retire Overseas: Everything You Need to Know to Live Well (for Less) Abroad," published by Penguin Random House, is the culmination of decades of personal experience living and investing around the world.

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