Why Most Americans Living in Portugal End Up Leaving

Portugal is often portrayed as a perfect place by YouTube influencers and internet bloggers, a place with incredible tax incentives for expats and foreign investors, but is this the reality and what is it really like to live in Portugal today? We discover that he looks like any other. week there is an article from CNN or Los Angeles Times claiming that Americans are moving to Portugal in droves. These articles claim that Americans are driving up housing prices, driving the Portuguese out of their homes and there is growing resentment among the Portuguese who hate and love Americans. stop letting Americans in, but this has not been my experience at all.

Now there are plenty of reasons to hate American culture, foreign policies, reality TV shows, and terrible pop music that sounds like it was hijacked by idiots who have no musical talent whatsoever. The fact that America is the best country in the world just makes us look like a group of people everywhere we go, you see people in Europe who speak multiple languages, are used to multiple cultures coexisting together and really know about world geography, where do you think Portugal? It's located in South America, so do I have to pretend to be Canadian so people on the streets of Portugal don't hate me?

I feel so sorry for the Americans. I'm just Canadian. Sometimes I'm not even close to Lisbon and Porto. I'm the first American anyone has ever met, especially at my age, which is 32 years old. In fact, during the entire year I lived in Portugal I only met two Americans, but don't worry, the demographic majority of Americans. Those who come to Portugal are left-liberal communists who have a long list of things they should not do to better fit into their culture. I now live in Portugal and am an expert in drinking wine. My Portuguese friends love me. Oh wait, I don't have any.

Does my pool boy count, but the reality of Americans immigrating to Portugal is much smaller than you imagine? In fact, Americans make up less than one percent of the immigrant population in Portugal, as you can see from the 2021 immigration statistics in the Portuguese government's SEF. website there isn't even a high enough number of Americans to be on their list, but the reality of Americans

leaving

the number one country is a pipe dream for

most

. First of all, let me start by saying that I love

living

in Portugal. I'm learning something every day. about the wonderful Portuguese culture, but I think it's important to talk about the reality of moving to Portugal, since over 50 percent of Americans who move to Portugal end up

leaving

, so without further ado, let's get into topic number one : the weather in Portugal. one of the sunniest climates in all of Europe, especially in places like Al-Gad de or Madea, there is no shortage of sunshine and many people have been immigrating throughout Europe from places like the United Kingdom and Holland to live in an area fairer. climate for decades, however, it is important to note that Portugal is cloudy and rains quite a bit in winter.

Portugal is as far north as Maine, so if you're looking for a Southern California or Florida type climate, it doesn't really exist unless, like I said, you're in Madera because even in the Algarve in winter it can be quite windy and feel a It's a bit chilly, but if you're from somewhere like Southern California or Arizona, the cloudy weather can be a bit of a shock, but summers in Portugal have always been pretty calm without getting too hot until recently, ie. As the climate is changing, regions that never exceeded 80 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer are now experiencing heat waves in the hundreds, then there's the humidity.

Especially along the coast of Portugal, the humidity can reach up to 98 in winter, making even 50 degrees Fahrenheit feel really cold, the kind of cold that sticks to you and makes your sinuses hurt. In fact,

most

Portuguese houses are not actually built. Because of how cold it really is and the houses can get very humid most of the time inside these houses it is colder than the outside temperature with tile floors and stone walls, this can be quite uncomfortable during the winter months, November, December and January, of course, this. It's all based on the position of your house, sun exposure, how well the house was built, and tricks to help mitigate the cold and humidity.

Cave-type houses or apartments. I'll be honest, I don't like the long, gloomy winters here in Portugal. but man, when spring comes it is so beautiful and everyone comes out of their seasonal depression, it is quite a spectacle to see the beaches full, the birds singing and it is a beautiful time to be in Portugal, the number two of Portugal culture in a society in general. sense is more community-based than in the United States, the importance of making sure the community thrives seems to be a much more important goal than the independent individual versus the United States, where the sovereign individual attitude is much more of a norm in Portugal .

It is generally considered what you can do to improve your family and community, where it is based more on individual achievements and success. I'm not saying one is better than the other, he's simply number three in the bureaucracy. It's fun and you're going to hear a lot about this when it comes to Portugal. The bureaucracy and interpretation process here can sometimes seem a bit unfair and disorganized even for Portuguese citizens. Sometimes you just have to know someone who knows someone else. Do it. I know a guy who knows someone who can do it for her use.

This leaves some expats and immigrants coming to Portugal at the mercy of the bureaucratic process that can sometimes feel like waiting in purgatory. Fortunately, so far I have. I've really gotten lucky with these processes and everything has gone pretty well with only a couple of hiccups along the way. Make sure you always plan ahead and anticipate a couple of visits when you go to state government offices number four. The slowest pace when it comes to a slow pace of life. what everyone always talks about, there is no doubt about Portugal and most of southern Europe has a different sense of time, the constant urge in the United States to go, go, go, go, is not really the mentality here for most, so things like going to the supermarket, having lunch at a restaurant or cafe, or waiting months for an official document like a driver's license can sometimes be confusing or uncertain.

I definitely have to say that after

living

in Portugal my pace has slowed down a bit and if I went back to the US I think people would think I'm a lot more relaxed than before I left, but there are definitely worse things number five. In my opinion speaking Portuguese here helps a lot if you really want to be happy and integrate into the culture and really start to feel what it is like to be in Portugal then you should definitely learn to speak Portuguese. When I first arrived in Portugal, I found an amazing online Portuguese master's course.

The link is in the bio below if you're interested. you are planning a visit or moving to Portugal. I highly recommend learning Portuguese as it will definitely make your experience much better. Number six, food now. I have come to love Portuguese cuisine and the quality of the ingredients here, as in many cultures around the world. Portugal. It doesn't waste any part of the animal for picky eaters and vegan vegetarians, this can definitely be a bit undesirable and the seafood here is some of the best in the world, but I know vegans and vegetarians here who love the amazing fruits and vegetables that are grown.

In the super fertile lands of Portugal, where the soil is incredible, if you're not in cities like Lisbon and Porto, your options can sometimes be a little limited if you're from a major US metropolitan city that you're used to. having many different options, such as Thai, Chinese, Indian, Korean food, etc. Indian food is very common in Portugal and is very good, however, some other things on this list can be hit or miss and difficult to locate if you are outside of the larger cities and if you are looking for authentic Mexican food, in most cases you won't be lucky because the Mexican restaurants I've been to serve what looks like a Walmart starter pack from Old El Paso and anyone from Los Angeles or near the border will cringe at the Now I'm sure there are a couple of great Mexican restaurants located somewhere in Portugal but most of them I've been to aren't even close and I wouldn't bother in Portugal, the eating hours are also very different than in the US Breakfast in the US usually consists on a piece of bread and a piece of sausage and cheese, then lunch is eaten between one and three and this is usually the most important meal of the day in Portugal and one of the longest, which can last up to two to three. three hours, as opposed to the quick 30-minute grab-and-go lunch we typically eat in the United States and then dinner is usually eaten much later than in the United States, around 9 p.m. m.

On average, it's also very difficult to find a good deli sandwich. Now, if you go to the supermarket, of course, you buy bread and some amazing deli meats, but it's not very common to see a store that makes you a deli-style sandwich. What I like most about Portuguese food is that it is very simple. It's not too salty, there's not a lot of sauces and creams and things that make it very heavy, they use a lot of olive oil and a lot of things that are really healthy and if you're a person with green thumbs you can have your own garden here.

There are many things that grow very well in Portugal and the soil is very fertile. Number seven, taxes. This is one that worries a lot of people and probably has a lot of questions. I have a complete video about the taxes that apply in Portugal. As for the details, the link will be in the bio below, but many people are worried about the high income tax rates and the 23 value added tax called Eva, but there are tax regimes that give you generous tax breaks, such as the non-standard tax regime that lasts 10 years, but after 10 years you will be charged the normal rate here in Portugal, which is taxed on a sliding scale of up to 48 percent for people earning more than 80,000 euros a year , but honestly, after comparing the cost of living in the United States and Portugal Portugal still ends up being less for me when you take into account things like health insurance, which is significantly more affordable in Portugal, no place is perfect, but if I If I were dying of cancer, I would rather be in Portugal than worry about the size of the hospital Bill and the treatment will be in the United States it is sad but very true ruin number eight in Portugal there are many abandoned structures and I am not talking about the old charming ruins there are many Dilapidated structures dotted throughout the country and laws and lack of funding can make it very difficult to remove these structures.

Some are very beautiful and should definitely be preserved, but there are many abandoned structures that could improve the area if they were torn down. You will find them in neighborhoods mixed with very nice areas. Nice houses and businesses in almost every city, there are also quite a few tags and graffiti almost everywhere. Sometimes you'll look out over a beautiful field and see an old dilapidated building completely tagged and graffitied, so if you're not a fan. Sorry, Portugal has tons of this, but Portugal has no shortage of amazing street art and murals. Fuel is one of my favorites where it looks like Portuguese tiles are breaking under the outside of the buildings.

Personally, I don't watch television. at all, so I don't care about this, the standard TV shows in Portugal can be a big culture shock for people in the United States, since the shows are quite different from what we are used to in the United States and, as I said before, Don't watch TV, so I don't care now. Streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max may be missing some of the shows you love in the United States. So what can you do about it? I use a VPN called Surfshark. The link is in my bio below, if you want three months free click the link in bio below so you can see Portugal is an amazing place but it's definitely not for everyone so I would recommend doing your due diligence diligence before coming to this wonderful country.

Come for a couple of months if you can afford it and see if it really suits you. If you want to see more videos about Portugal, be sure to hit the like button and subscribe. I'm Dave in Portugal and I'll see you next time, thanks. foreign