IS PORTUGAL A COUNTRY WHERE IT IS

EASY TO LIVE?
Portugal is a country in southern Europe, located on the Iberian Peninsula,
bordering Spain. Its location on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean has influenced
many aspects of the country's culture: salted cod and grilled sardines are
typical national dishes, the beaches of the Algarve are popular destinations and
much of the country's architecture dates back to the 16th to 19th centuries,
when Portugal was a powerful maritime empire.
This is a small, welcoming country that has many similarities with Brazil.
However, if you are planning to live in Portugal you need to know that not
everything is advantageous. There are some points that end up weighing on the
day to day and, for some people, can end up making life in the country a little
complicated. Listing the advantages and disadvantages of living in Portugal is
something very particular, some aspects may not be observed by other people,
check out the list we prepared. Some aspects may seem unusual, but on a daily
basis they make a lot of difference, for example, you can have a well defined
budget for the supermarket without fear of the dreaded inflation.
Having this in mind, first of all, the advantages: it is possible to live with less,
a couple can live on around 1,800 euros per month, and living means in addition to
paying the bills, going out to eat, maintaining an active social life and having
regular leisure activities. With control of the bills it is possible to make regular
trips, whether within the country or abroad. It also depends, of course, on the
city where you live. In Lisbon, costs are higher. The services are of quality and
accessible, health, education, transport and a series of other services that
make a big difference and become a great advantage of living in Portugal. The
education system in Portugal is of high quality and the proof is that the
overwhelming majority of students in primary and secondary education study in
public schools. Public universities are also affordable and there are usually
places left over. And not forgetting the food, which is one of the tastiest and
healthiest in the world. With lots of olive oil, cod, sardines and vegetables. We
are surprised every day with the delights of Portuguese cuisine. The sweets are
not so sweet and the bakeries are true paradises on earth.
Secondly, there are the disadvantages: Not everything is flowers, of course
there are difficult aspects that become a disadvantage of living in the country.
When analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of living in Portugal, one must
learn to deal with the difficult aspects. Salaries are very low, compared to
European standards, Portugal's salaries are a disadvantage of living in the
country. Even very qualified professionals receive low salaries, the average
salary in the country is 1,300€ (end of 2021) and the minimum wage is 705€ (in
2022). In other words, most workers do not earn two minimum wages. Difficulty
in creating ties with the Portuguese, it is very common to see Brazilians who live
in Portugal and only live with other Brazilians. Of course, affinity happens right
away due to cultural ties, but the lack of contact with Portuguese people is a
very common complaint. Portuguese people don't usually make friends from one
day to the next. Many Brazilians consider this difficulty in creating ties and lack
of contact with the Portuguese a disadvantage. On the other hand, those who
manage to break this barrier can be sure of a very solid friendship. And the
bureaucracy for immigrants is tiresome, the list of documents to live in Portugal
and that you need to provide is very long and, the worst part is that many public
services in the country present conflicting information. This factor is rather
exhausting and adds to that, the need to renew the residence title every year
or every two/three years. To go through the difficulties of scheduling
appointments, the time it takes for the documentation to arrive, in short, it is a
boring and exhausting process to be born again in another country.
In conclusion, even though Portugal has good advantages, it loses by the
disadvantages, containing good food, good accesses, to health and education,
good views, landscapes and being a great tourist spot, it is a country that is not
easy to live especially because of the moment we are going through, inflation,
which has already made it difficult for the Portuguese.