Living in Portugal as an American is ANYTHING but easy. 

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"Living in Portugal as an American is ANYTHING but easy." Yeah.... It ain't easy for us portuguese either🤣🤣🤣

when living overseas you run into people who weren't happy where they came from, and after a while you realize they brought there own problems with them. no country can fix that

As a portuguese myself, this is all true. Yet, I've visited many well developed countries, different continents and I still wouldn't move elsewhere. yeah the salaries aren't as good as in germany and yada yada, bureaucracy is a pain in the asx, but... the way of life, the tranquility, the freedom, the safetyness, the sun, the sea, the landscapes, the people,... you can't buy that.

I am originally from Denmark, but lived in Northern California for many years and I would say for Americans the things to be aware of are you cannot get a 30 year mortgage if you are older. Also the mold and lack of modern insulation, heating and aircon comes as a shock to many. Be aware of this and make sure you have the money to either rent or buy a newer place if this will be a concern. And, of course when renting in Europe you need to remember that you likely will not have a dryer, just a washer. I love Portugal! I feel safe as a woman walking pretty much anywhere, the food is great, proximity and ease of travel to other places is great, and the Portuguese people are very relaxed and I find it to be a very welcoming place.

I like your honesty. I was born and raised in Los Angeles and met my wife in Portugal in 1985. We were married in Lisbon, where she was born and raised, a year later. We have spent the last 37 years living and raising our family in both countries. My situation is unique in that I’ve never known anyone but Portuguese people in Portugal. My wife’s family and friends,etc. I learned the language early as my wife learned English. Without mastering the language you will always be a tourist and even when you speak fluently you will always be a “estrangeiro”. It’s the same for my wife in the US. It’s not a big deal because we are both fluent in both languages but it is what it is. If you move to Portugal for love or love of the country then great but if you move, like most people, because you think it will be cheaper you are just doing yourself a disservice, a disservice to Portugal and will never assimilate. Just move to Arkansas if you want cheap. Um abraço

Some comments from US citizen settled here. A) Transportation is way better then the US ! Trains, buses , cheap Airline tickets if you wish to fly. US lacks by far ! Here , I don't even own a car. Bought a Scooter for whenever I need to, that's it !) B) Health care cost & services which are extremely important, especially for retirees is WAY BETTER then the US even under Medicare. C) Food is way better and fresh !!! nothing like in the US D) US is in a spiral mode down for the last few years to an unbearable mode (For me and many others that I know,) ... so am happy to leave the crap out there and relax here.

Good overview. I recently spent nine days in PT, to do a proof of concept in Porto for retirement. I will not retire there, but it has nothing to do with Portugal or her people. Portugal and the Portuguese are extraordinary. I could rave on for paragraphs, but I realized I could not be that far away from friends, family and familiarity. I add I would been entirely willing to learn Portuguese (one of the most musical and lyrical languages I've ever heard.) Bottom line for Americans - do extensive homework, go there and observe, and please be a gracious guest or new resident. Portugal is not going to conform to your ideas or expectations, nor should it. Keep up the good work Dave :)

As an American that moved to Portugal in 2021, I appreciate this kind of video. "Moving to Portugal" can be vastly different experiences based on where you want to live, what lifestyle you desire, and what your budget/income is. Lisbon, Coimbra, and Porto have become crowded with inflated costs. But the interior of Portugal is a completely different world. Videos should deal with the cities as a completely separate thing on its own. Costs are vastly lower in the countrysides. Not mentioned in Dave's video here is the challenges of making friends, finding one's tribe as an immigrant. In places where a lot of people speak English this is easier of course. Learning a new language is a huge challenge but ultimately worth it.

Funny. I have lived in Portugal for five years. All my trouble melted away and my life is perfect. And I don't make RU-vids about it, or sell anything either.

Hey! My husband and I love your videos and the perspective you add! We are Americans living in Portugal for the last 3 years. We agree with you on all points. For us, we are flexible people who came into our experience with no real expectations. We just wanted a safe, warm place to live and explore. Having patience and a sense of humor is essential for life here. After that, life falls into place. You have mentioned this in previous videos but I would also advise to anyone considering a move to Portugal, please take some languages classes. Although the Portuguese are friendly and many speak English, you will feel the language barrier preventing you from enjoying like and making Portuguese friends - and without speaking Portuguese, the bureaucracy will feel even worse!

I came from California and settled in the Silver Coast after living in the Algarve for a year and a half. Overall, almost everything is cheaper in Portugal. From rent to food to healthcare, etc., I am saving about 50% monthly. The key is to live in an area not frequented by tourists and to get to know the locals because they can help you save money (there is a double market system in Portugal, one for locals and another, much more expensive, for tourists and foreigners). Regarding car prices, the key is to not buy new because of the 23% VAT tax (not applicable to used vehicles) and the already high MSRP price to begin with. I bought a 2019 Ford Focus ST-Line (assembled in Cologne, Germany, by the way) with 10K kms, 7-year extended warranty and saved over 5,000 euros (paid 18K euros). Also, good used cars do not depreciate in value quite as fast as in other countries due to Portugal's strict car import regulations and new car affordability issues. Regarding petrol prices, Portugal does have some of the highest prices in Europe but, compared to the average U.S. owner who drives a big SUV or truck over longer distances, the average monthly cost can be lower, especially if you drive a diesel-powered economy car which is very common in Portugal. Yes, highway toll fees are very high, but one can take a train or to just about any faraway destination, which usually ends up being the cheapest and most relaxing option for me (for example, I recently took a bus to Lisbon from the Algarve and the one-way ticket price was 8 euros!) Bottom line is that, with a little research and chatting with locals who know the ins and outs of living in their area, anybody can learn the culture and assimilate.

I'm Portuguese. I agree totally about your video, hope US citizens understands what you explain. Have fun and enjoyng

Excellent video as always. Speaking from my experience of emigrating to Italy 30 years ago, I would add: 1. You must want to actually live in the new country and not just treat it as an extended holiday, moaning about all the things that are different; 2. You really need to learn the language in order to understand the history and culture - I've met too many people who have lived here in Italy for years, sometimes decades; who have never bothered to learn the language (something very prevalent among couples who "only speak English at home"). This year my wife and I discovered Portugal and fell in love with the place (especially since my wife is Brazilian), so we've become regular viewers of your channel. Keep up the good work, Dave!

Olá Dave! Thank you for telling the truth about what it's like to live in Portugal. I've been here in Porto for 9 months and so far it has been fairly smooth, but I am keenly aware of the pushback by locals (understandably) and I'm doing my best to be respectful and aware. Watching your videos earlier in my process has been quite helpful! I look forward to meeting you in person. I'd love to have you on my upcoming show (The Visionary Voyager) as a guest to talk about your experiences. I LOVE living here and feel quite welcomed by the Portuguese people in my neighborhood and the new friends I am making. I'm proud to say I live in Portugal!

Thanks for painting a more realistic picture of how living in Portugal is. I myself am Dutch, I moved from the Netherlands to Portugal, have a Portuguese job, and I pay Portuguese taxes from day one. And yes it hurt to go from 32 hours to 40 hours a week. And when I got my first pay check I almost cried. But that is my choice and I get a lot of sunshine back for that. I can't help but strongly dislike Americans that put up videos about how to get a cheaper life in Portugal but maintaining their income and standards of the US. And I didn't even know you had a 10 year tax advantage which is even less fair to Portuguese inhabitants ( I believe they are going to change that but I am not sure ). I am all for a world without boundaries and everyone should be able to live wherever they want. But not by exploiting the situation. There is one general rule of thumb: If you are not paying for it, someone else is. In this case it is the Portuguese inhabitants just like me, that cannot afford to live in Lisbon because the prices that they are asking, are simply impossible to pay if you work here. But also the ridiculous prices you pay in the city for a drink and some food because of tourism. There is no way one can pay a 2000 euro rent per month if he or she only get's a thousand on their bank account. And if you get a 1000 you are lucky because the minimum wage 760 euros BEFORE TAXES. There is a health system that I have been paying tax for for over 12 years now and will continue to every month until the day I retire. I think it is simply not fair, that I pay tax, but then for a "digital nomad" they pay relatively much less and still get to reap the benefits. But hey at least you will have to go through the same horrific waiting cueues to even see a doctor. Don't get me wrong, again I think everyone should have the right to live wherever they want. And if you are lucky to maintain your US income and benefit a tax advantage, good for you. I would do the same if I had the chance. But it is another thing to see people create videos and praising and advertising how great it is that you can get more quality of life for your money here in Portugal, making money of that video, and completely ignoring that part of that extra value is achieved over the back of others.

Great video Dave!! Informative and creative. We can't wait to discover Portugal for ourselves.

Dave - Regarding Taxes - you failed to mention that..."for US expats there is a treaty between the USA and Portugal that prevents double taxation" - so if you are paying taxes in the USA your tax in Portugal will basically be ZERO.

I hear you. My wife and I have been retired here for 5 years. We have had challenges but all have been surmountable. Living in a welcoming village has helped us navigate and endure the cultural confusions. Have not encountered a backlash against American s probably because we are seen as immigrants not investors. Keep up the good content.

Thank you Dave for keepin' it real! Love , love this video!

have been following your channel for a while, and love the different perspective you share about Portugal. I was ordering a 23and me DNA kit today, and remembered you shared a promo in this old video for a competitor, so decided to contribute to the channel and use it. win win. thanks.

I think there was a huge piece of context missing.....there are currently 7k-10k Americans actually living in Portugal. That is only .001% of the countries population at most. So to make statements that Americans are driving prices higher on their own is misleading. Regarding the statement about NHR, you say you have to have a "skilled job AND qualify for the NHR". It is true that in order to qualify for NHR you cannot have been a resident for the previous 5yrs. However, you do not have to have a skilled job to qualify.

The guy from Sintra here. Man, you could have named the video "living in Portugal as a Portuguese". We also hate all those points, but you are right. We have such beauty and richness in plain sight, that we sometimes forget to enjoy what we do have. Thats why we have the word Saudade, because Portuguese that do leave the country, often miss it intensely and come back often on vacations. Thanks for the clip!

Hey Dave ! We really love your videos special for the reality of Portugal , Nothing is perfect and we start to develop more and a more patience, we used to be right on the schedule but now is a game change and We love it Keep up with the excellent insides and Saudade for the family

This was actually beautiful to watch. Good job!

I started working to move to Portugal in 2019 and plans fell through due to the pandemic. I decided to come to Porto because my Portuguese needs a lot of work. My cost of living did not go down, my rent is higher than I had planned. My apartment is almost double of the comparable apartments I looked at in early 2020. I feel like I have had it pretty easy so far with my documents and getting registered. It took a while and I got smacked in the face with beauracracy and trying to figure out processes and delays but it is worth it to me. I have not had people hate me often for being from the US. I try to speak the language, I wait patiently in queues, and I come back to whatever official organization for the 3rd time to get that last bit done. The food is good, the people are lovely and I can walk to almost anything I need. However, emigrating to a new country causes a lot of isolation and loneliness. I get sick of doing everything by myself and feeling like an idiot every day.

This is good info, thank you for the rounded views.

Dave, another great video! Thank you

I appreciate this “reality check” account of moving abroad. I’m currently based in Barcelona and relate to the imbalance of the “all rainbows” vlogs saturating RU-vid. There are very practical things to consider (taxes, cost of housing, population density, bureaucracy, transportation, integration, etc) and I’m happy to see you addressed this. Enjoy your work. Hopefully I will see you on my exploration trip this year.

Love your videos mate, you're spot on life's an adventure we shouldn't expect a different culture to be the same as to what we leave behind. Also the point of it all is to step outside the comfort zone that's how we learn and grow within ourselves. Moving to Portugal from the UK (don't ask) next month Keep up the great work👍

Good video Dave, even after all those things that make it hard, I hope you still enjoy it here.

Dave, your channel is filled with important details and facts that many will learn from. PT is lucky to have you.

I am 20 years in Portugal, have a Portuguese wife, absolutely love Portugal... Your video was pretty spot on, even Portuguese get frustrated with the endless paperwork, waiting, more paperwork and on and on. Cars a crazy expensive. We drive a 1994 Opel Corsa, it old, beaten, battered and, when it comes to the end of its life, probably at inspection time this year, we will look for another sub 2000 Euro car. With the roads and the tracks we drive there is no point in blowing big bucks on a nice car! This week I saw a property for rent. 11,000 Euro per month, yes, thats correct 11,000 Euro. The Algarve is way too touristic for us though we do visit once a year, on the way back from spending Christmas in Spain 🙂 We live in Coimbra district, in between Lisbon and Porto, Coimbra, a beautiful historic city with easy access to beaches and mountains! From where we live we can be at the ski resort in 90 minutes and on the beach in 90 minutes! Yes, I love Portugal and all its frustrations! LOL

Thanks for you candor Dave. Love your videos. Damn it, I'm still coming there when I retire in 6 years from Charlotte. LOL

Great information Dave thanks

Good , honest reporting. Thank you for this 😊

I'm a Portuguese immigrant in the UK and missing family and friends is definitely the hardest part. Wish I could go back home but unfortunately, like I said... I'm Portuguese. 😉 Enjoy some pastel de nata and bacalhau à Brás for me. Cheers 🤜🇬🇧🇵🇹🤛

I am a part of that statistic, and im not too happy about it. But Portugal is almost 1000 years old and we still are here! In hardships we strieve. We will Prevail. So, just be happy and become Portuguese if you want.

Thank you for your straight up and clear information about living in Portugal. Much appreciated.

Man that last part was really beautiful, truly appreciated ✨️

Thank you for being honest. Immigrating is truly hard but can be awesome as you said it simply DO NOT COMPARE. As an immigrant myself from the middle east I totally understand the rewarding experience, extreme hardship in most cases especially in the first year . For me and millions of others moving to US not only it was brutal also culture shock. I am blessed that I am here 💯 I want to thank you again for your great videos. I sold me my next first trip to Portugal. I hope to be able to meet you there .Who knows 🙂👍👍

Having lived in Ireland and Germany, here's my 2c: * Bureaucratically, Portugal is better than Germany in general, Ireland is the Wild West (but usually very rapid) * Healthcare wise, Germany and Portugal are very good, Ireland was a joke when I lived there, kinda like the US; to the point where I demanded an exam, but the doctor didn't allow it because I didn't have insurance so he wasn't getting a commission * Transportation wise, Portugal is very good, Germany's excellent, Ireland is again a joke * Communication? Portugal is better than Germany in that regard we accept other languages *cough* *cough*. I take German lessons every week because you can't live forever inside a gentrified block in Berlin, for the rest your life; Germany is a beautiful place to explore, but you might need to sharpen your German for it * Gentrification? Everywhere is just as bad. Berliners complain about the rise in rents, but if they took a look at Dublin they'd cheer up because it could be worse. I might be wrong, but I believe it is especially bad in Portugal, because it's such a poor country and most American, Canadian, Irish, German, and even some Brazilian expats (yes, I've seen you walking around Porto and even around my grandma's backyard in bumfuck nowhere) arrive with already accumulated wealth and most times work remotely for American companies (I know I do) and further creates an environment of unfairness; I have a bus driver friend that has to live with his parents because the closest he can afford to live is a 1:30h trip away from his job in the Porto city centre. Boohoo right? But if the people cleaning the streets, serving your table and pumping your gas can't live there or have to be extremely poor to live in a city centre project, then this creates some of the imbalances I've seen in Dublin and Berlin. I'm an emigrant and I can't complain, but I have to accept that I'm propelling a very greedy and corrupt wheel (and so are other "expats") - that unless there's better policy to favor people that are trying their best to get out of lower class or even remain at middle class level, that wheel will just keep on turning.

Thanks Dave, great vid here with good honest content. Plan to visit in October for my 60th Birthday.

Thank you for this video. I moved to Portugal from Toronto during pandemic I must say your video is well done, fair, and accurate (per my experience).

Dave, still a bit exagerated in some topics. The most important part you spoke is the final resume, of course. My advise is that as a foreigner should live some 2/3 months and see for yourself than decide for yourself! Don't forget that strike is a right, that maybe you know litle about... And that's it! It's not a big country, but it's a great country. You don't need to live in Lisbon or Porto, you can choose the interior if you're not fond of the beach. Also there are some vilages or cities midway to the beach. As someone said here choose another smaller town, learn portuguese and you'll be like in heaven. Just try it. You are all welcome to Portugal, that's one of our traditions.

Didn't see anything different from others countries, and the legislation and permits to live in Portugal are a lot easier than in U.S. Every one complains about the queues in the DMV and other services in the U.S., in Portugal is the same. If I go to another country, I learn what I need. Never had any problems.

broo im portuguese and you are now my favourite youtuber to watch, keep up the good work!

Another great video. Warts and all.

Great Video and highly informative. I was wondering why all American's moving to Portugal. I am personally moving to Spain in a few years and looking forward to this move, but this video gives me information that I need to check on before my move to Spain.

Good video, and good to have you here Dave! The most expensive things in Portugal is to buy a new car and housing. How to solve this? Buy a second hand car, you will save a lot of money. If you buy a new car, the moment that car leaves the auto stand right after you bought it, it will loses 40% of it value. Buy the house instead of renting it, it will come cheaper, even with the interest rates rising.

Thanks, Dave, for the very pragmatic video...

Great story telling dude! :D

I agree. I have seen real estate prices double to triple the price. It's detrimental for the Portuguese way of living.

I lived in Lisboa for 6 months. Portugal is a great place, nothing to fault about it in my opinion but I feel sorry for the locals. The government is definitely prioritising foreigners over Portuguese people! Oh yes, and please learn Portuguese, it’s Portugal after all, not California !

Greart video. I am a subscriber now. You said the truth about Portugal. However, it is for me the best place to live. Peaceful and beautiful. Friendly people and a great countryside.

Dearest Portugal, I’ll be back soon! Thanks, Dave for the information. It’s super helpful. 🇵🇹

You mentioned that you miss your family alot. What made you decide to move to Portugal? By the way, great videos! Very informative and helpful. My wife and I are Azorean, but we have never visited the mainland. We are planning to go there for 10 days next summer. Thanks again Dave! Keep it coming

Great content! 💕

Excellent message. Excellent attitude... on my way to Portugal !

another great video Dave., thank you. Yes, there are a ton of Americans (likely others) who want exactly what they just left. Not sure why they travel but they do. No place is perfect and few have rainbows and kittens on the same menu.

I work in Food deliveries Part-time in Lisbon and Greater Lisbon, and I have been meeting more and more Americans recently, I live in Loures, it's beautiful and recently met a very nice Christian Missionary ✝️ Family, it was a nice chat with them as I am Hindu 🕉 and We exchanged information and experience about portugal 🇵🇹 I told them I am hear for Half a decade and I have learnt to love portugal, because it has it's flaws but no land or culture is perfect 😅

Good info, thanks

Good job Dave. The exact same thing can be both the source of happy surprises or bitter disappointments... All depending on the expectations of the bearer. Happens with all in life from the stock market to a birthday present to moving to a new country. Thanks for helping on that!

You are lucky to be/live in the best country in the world. This is Portugal!

I first came to Spain when I was 20 to practise my Spanish. If you are not interested in the Portuguese language or culture, I dont understand why you are there. As someone else said, if you just want somewhere cheap to live, you can find that in the USA.

dave great video you hit it right on point love the quote at the end of the day DONT compare places and enjoy the right keep up the great videos maybe someday i will make it to the algrave

Having lived in other cities, different countries, at different ages I can say my experience has always been positive to great. You get from others what you first offer them and what you expect. "Challenges" is life for everyone everywhere no matter what.

Good to know! I think many Americans underestimate the challenge of living in any foreign country. I've never been to Portugal, but I lived in Japan for a few years. It was wonderful in many ways, but it eventually drove me crazy.

You will never find an American who doesn’t complain. Expecting American way of living while not in America is childish. I have also found that sense of entitlement among Americans is so high that they complain wherever they go. Every American expects a red carpet welcome, which they get in most countries, and when there’s a bit of hiccup they act like Kim kardashian.

All true... Great vídeo Dave!

Hello Dave. I am portuguese and I am from Lisbon. I really love your videos. I think you just got our lovely and unique way of living :)

I hope to move to Portugal from CA. Hopefully to an area without Americans and tourists. My ancestors are from the Spanish Islands. Way too touristy there!

Lol as a Brazilian, I died of laughter from the strikes and misspelling errors! We obviously inherited that 😂

One of your best videos.

A very honest and correct video about moving to Portugal. I know, I'm Portuguese and I live this every Day!

Your honesty is refreshing, Dave. It's true that there is a growing movement against gentrification in Lisbon and Porto, the biggest cities. This is happening also in other parts of the Mediterranean which became tourist magnets. I understand the problem some people face with sky rocketing housing rents, specially for older people that always lived in the city center. But I abhor these movement's language which is akin to xenophobia. Portugal is a poor country for European standards and it has been poor for a long time. Nowadays portuguese people refuse to exploit our country's natural resources and dare to attack our industries "on behalf of the planet" (which is funny if we look at the high environmental stantards enforced by the European Union). While doing that, they don't understand why we keep being poor and now attack one of our best "resources/industries": tourism. I'm a portuguese but I don't live in a big city, I live in the "landscape" - as we call it ironically. There are plenty of foreigns happilly living outside the big cities, they're mainly from northern Europe: germans, british, dutch, etc. If you can work from home, you don't have to live in a big city. Surely a big city has more to offer, but a lot of public services you can already do online. As for the pace of things, it really isn't for everyone - specially people from big busy American cities -, but it isn't Africa, lol.

We've been there twice and loved it even more the second time. If we move there, I definitely don't want to make life harder for the Portuguese people by driving the price up. The Portuguese people were lovely and welcoming and we don't want that to change. Thanks so much for the video!

Thank you Dave for your patience and love. I hope that the frustrating portuguese beurocracy tend to be forgotten by our food, wine and good friends I'm sure you already have among us. I hope you feel in peace with yourself feel and this is your home too. Welcome to Portugal.

You do a lot of good for my country, sir. Obrigado.

It's good that other people from abroad are moving to Portugal and maintaining the population alive! With all these young portuguese people moving out I was afraid that it would soon become like a ghost country

I was born in Portugal, speak fluent Portuguese, but lived elsewhere most of my life, some 40 years in the States, so I am American (dual citizen, actually). I can tell you that even speaking the language and having a good understanding of the culture, it has been pretty tough. It took months to get my container release (and 3,000 Euros) because they were looking for some document that had always been there), it took me 6 months to get my US drivers liense recognized here, 8 months to get my car and motorcycle licensed ($$$), dealing with weird things about setting water and electricity accounts, more paperwork, and on and on... I can only imagine how it would be like dealing with all this stuff if you do not speak Portuguese... As for costs, you are absolutely right, prices are getting pretty high for most things here, there are the tolls, the fees, the taxes. As for the Non habitual tax resident, I was denied that because I had a Portuguese ID card with a Portuguese address!.... could I prove I lived in the States? sure, how about 20 years of IRS receipts? no, that was not enough so I was denied. It is a nightmare indeed. So, yes, do come prepared. If you can put up with all this c***, this is still a wonderful place to live.

Thanks for the shout out, great video!

Hey Dave. Nice video

I’m an expat living in Paris for the past 15 years. Not to one up you, but bureaucracy is a French word. It is unbelievable here. But you have to sometimes take the negatives to live in a place you love. If it’s any consolation locals have to deal with it too.

Viva Portugal 🇵🇹

Good job. You are a special person.

You have posted the most honest video I have seen about expats moving to Portugal.. I plan to share this with friends that think Portugal is so cheap… I know better too, as I am still a tourist visa expat twice a year, but working my way to be a permanent resident too!

As a brazilian, I can say that even for me adapting to Portugal is difficult. I imagine that for an american it is a nightmare.

Giving a DNA sample to a corporation. What a great ideia 👍.

thanks for your honesty :)

I’m a Portuguese immigrant in the USA and I really like your insights about Portugal 👍🏼

I feel that Americans are being wrongly blamed for the increase in costs, as we are 24th in the country for ex-pats coming there.

I'm not hearing anything negative about Portugal. What I'm hearing is Americans expect everything to be done yesterday, the whole world is only there to work for them, they whine incessantly and after emigrating, anywhere, they miss being back home. Tough.

I’m a Portuguese native living in Florida for 25 years and I’m considering visiting Portugal for the past 4 years… I just love your honest and well made videos with some humor on it. Besides being Portuguese it will be as hard as for everyone else that goes to a different country and all the cultural challenges

Hi Dave, I will be going to Portugal in the beginning of July. I was born in the U.S. but I also lived in Portugal for many years so I understand a lot of the differences that exist between both countries. It would be cool to meet up there if you are available. Keep up the great content!

Hi Just to help out about the cars price tag. In Portugal new cars are doubled taxed, you pay the IVA and another tax called ISV (Imposto Sobre Veiculos), translated its "Tax Over Vehicle" and it only aplys to newer cars and the more pollutant and bigger the engine the more tax you pay. If you divide the price of a new car, almost half of its value its tax's... As for the highway tolls, they're simply ridiculous... and the way they work is so twisted... for example the class's of cars are done by measuring the height of the center of the wheel to the hood... some suv's because of a hood scope or even milimeters become class 2 and pay way more for tolls.

Good video. My wife and I are thinking of moving to Portugal in 4 years but first are going to move to the US. I am American. It is taking me 2 years to go through the bureaucracy to get her and our son a visa. 1.5 was normal then they started asking for an unnecessary doc that will take me 6 months to get for a lot of money. I doubt Portuguese bureaucracy can top that. There are some people who always want to blame their problem on foreigners moving there but it is silly with Portugal as with most places. Large cities in Portugal like Lisbon are plagued by airbnb. When I was there 6 years ago, Portuguese were already telling me that most of them have had to move to the outskirts. I found the same in Budapest. Also Portuguese wanted to join the EU. Well guess what? When I was there tours of people from more prosperous EU countries would come in to scoop up property which was cheap by their country's standards. There were also a lot of Chinese buying to get residency and I heard a lot of complaining about them. Inflation is bad in Thailand where I live and unlike the US wages don't go up with it. A place like Pittsburgh is 2x the cost of Bangkok but wages are at least 4x. Anyway, we are looking at Braga and Coimbra and would love some videos on those smaller places that will give us a reality check

That’s why I love “Our Rich Journey” they give the entire picture and more.

Thank you for making this video. That first point of the cost of living is so real. It's heartbreaking to see how many of my friends and family are being pushed out of our home because we just cannot live there. 😢 homelessness is also increasing substantially.

NOTE: "Costed" is NOT a word. 06:45 The past tense of 'cost' is simply... "cost'.