According to recent research from the Expat Insider 2021 Survey, which is based on the responses of 12,000 respondents, made up of 174 nationalities, Portugal is rated as the best destination for living and working in Europe. In fact, Portugal, which came in at number 5 in the overall rankings, is the only European country to make it into the top ten. The survey asked respondents to rank destinations under several different categories, such as: quality of life, ease of settling in, cost of living, personal happiness, safety, health care, affordability, work, leisure and climate.
The number of foreigners living in Portugal has increased by 13.9% since 2018, which prompts the question: what combination of factors is attracting people to the country? For Europeans, part of the answer may be proximity. Portugal has three international airports, each serving 120 European destinations, making trips home easy and inexpensive. Portugal also offers attractions that we generally associate with the more far-flung parts of the globe, such as reliable sunshine, the Algarve, for example, enjoys three hundred days of sunshine a year. Another factor must be the country’s magnificent 1,000-mile coastline, which ranges from the Atlantic facing world class surfing beaches in the north to the golden sands of the Algarve.
The country, of course, has far more to offer than beach life; its interior contains ancient cities and magnificent and varied landscapes. It’s coastal capital, Lisbon, built on seven hills like Rome, has seen huge foreign investment which has restored its ancient grandeur and fuelled a vibrant cultural life and arts scene. Lisbon, with its fast broadband and network of co-working hubs has become a magnet for digital nomads in recent years, as well as attracting the rich and famous with its fine buildings, high end shopping and world class wining and dining.
Added incentives may also include the fact that Portugal is safe, it is ranked as the fourth safest country in the world, and it has a health care system which is ranked above that of the U.K. What attracts people as much as anything may be the lifestyle, which is relaxed and friendly: the Portuguese value family life and personal relationships and time is given to the simple pleasures of life.
Sunshine makes for a sense of easy living but so too does a low cost of living and Portugal has one of the lowest costs of living in Europe, some 31% cheaper than the U.K. Despite the relentless rise property prices in the most popular tourist destinations such as Lisbon, the Algarve and Porto there is still much of the country where accommodation remains very cheap. In the most affordable region, Braganca’s average rental property price, was a very reasonable 366 euros. Despite the pandemic there is no sign that foreigners’ enthusiasm for Portugal is diminishing, if anything it has increased as people start to explore other areas of this diverse and attractive country.