“How did you choose Portugal?” is one of the most common questions people ask about our upcoming move. When we started looking at early retirement options some of the major factors were: cost of living, location, cultural transition, weather, healthcare, and safety. Let’s go through those bits!

Cost of Living

For a variety of historical reasons Portugal’s economy lags behind the rest of western Europe. For comparison the United States and Canada fall in the 21 – 30 range and Mexico is in the 81-115. We had been saving aggressively in our 457b retirement accounts until a few years ago. At that time we estimated we could live in Portugal for about $2,000 a month so we started a separate savings account and each month we put one month of “Portugal living” aside.

Location

Neither of us have been to Europe. When we got married in 2007 we talked about doing a delayed honeymoon in Italy but it just never happened. We’ve both dreamed of exploring all different countries in Europe and moving to Portugal allows us to do so easily and affordably! With eventual Portuguese citizenship (our goal), will have Schengen passports which means we can directly visit the 26 member countries such as France, Germany, Italy, or the Czech Republic .

Cultural Transition

We are adventurous and can communicate pretty well, years of games like Time’s Up (and taking a few 911 calls) have prepared us for all different situations. We are both working to learn Portuguese (currently using Duolingo) and are nothing but excited to immerse ourselves in a new culture. But, transitioning in a country where most children have learned English as a second language will have its advantages.

Weather

Minnesota (and Alaska) winters aren’t fun. After living in Oregon for one year we both agreed NO MORE HORRIBLE WINTERS. Portugal’s climate is considered similar to California but with a bit more sunshine and milder winters. It is quite damp and the further north you go in the country the rainier and cooler it is.

Healthcare

Why not move to Alabama? First off, stop asking this question since it’s ludicrous and I’m never moving to Alabama for one billion reasons. Second, the United States is simply NOT an option for us. Either one of us would have to work until we are eligible for Medicare OR we would run the risk of going bankrupt from a medical emergency. Portugal offers universal health care and an affordable private option, both of which we will be eligible for. We expect to spend approximately $100 per month for private supplemental insurance and should have minimal out of pocket expenses.

Safety

We are not normally fearful people. For example, we’ve wandered around all different boroughs of NYC on foot and via subway – last time we visited we stayed in Bed-Stuy and had a great time. We aren’t reckless but we are definitely adventurous. When vacationing in Mexico (2.62, 140/163) there were places which felt concerning (why are military vehicles with huge guns patrolling? Why does every house in this neighborhood have security fences… some with barbed wire?). After long careers dealing all too often with criminals we are ready to live somewhere peaceful and Portugal is very near the top of the list.

Conclusion

Hopefully that answers the question “Why Portugal?!?”. If you have more questions or comments post them here and we’ll be more than happy to answer them!!

_{P.S. If you just want to complain about socialized health care please find somewhere else to do so. I debated it as a junior in High School and can’t believe our system in the United States is still broken and making people broke for no reason.}