Olá!
It’s been a while.
Not because I stopped caring about this project, but because I wanted to come back with something grounded, more organized, and more useful, instead of more noise.
During that time, I’ve been paying close attention to what really affects people who move to Portugal, not just what looks good on camera.
And that’s what I want to talk about today.
When people talk about prices in Portugal, they usually focus on groceries.
Supermarket shelves. Coffee prices. Eating out.
That information isn’t useless, but it’s also not what decides whether living here actually works for you.
In 2026, the things that matter most tend to show up later:
Housing conditions and rent renewals
Utilities in older apartments
Healthcare access and timing
And how all of that fits into a real, livable monthly budget
Those are the parts that create stress if they’re not planned properly.
📺 Prefer watching instead of reading? We also have this update in video format! Click to watch the full breakdown on YouTube. Don’t forget to subscribe for more updates!
Why “cost of living” videos can be misleading
Groceries in Portugal are still reasonable compared to the US, Canada, or the UK.
But groceries are rarely what makes people regret their move.
I’ve never met anyone who said, “Portugal didn’t work out because tomatoes were too expensive.”
The pressure usually comes later:
when rent renews
when winter hits an older apartment
when healthcare doesn’t work exactly the way the internet promised
That’s why focusing only on everyday prices can give a false sense of security.
It feels comforting, but it doesn’t answer the real question:
Can your budget absorb the parts that don’t show up in vlogs?
Housing is the real deciding factor
In 2026, housing is the biggest variable in Portugal.
Not food.
Not transport.
Housing.
Prices don’t explode every year, but they also don’t stay frozen.
I live in Lisbon.
I used to pay €1,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
Now I pay €1,022.40.
That’s not dramatic.
But it’s a reminder that even small changes add up, and rent is not where you want surprises.
Location matters more than people expect.
Lisbon, Porto, and parts of the Algarve follow very different rules than inland or central regions.
So when someone says, “Portugal is affordable,” the real question becomes:
Affordable where, and under what housing conditions???
Utilities: the part most people don’t plan for
Portugal looks warm on a map.
But many homes were not built with insulation in mind.
In winter, older apartments can feel colder than expected.
In summer, especially in the south, cooling becomes the issue.
Utilities aren’t just electricity and water.
They’re heaters, dehumidifiers, air conditioning, sometimes more than one.
On paper, averages look manageable.
In real life, utilities fluctuate, and that fluctuation is what catches people off guard.
This is why I always suggest budgeting utilities as a range, not a fixed number.
Healthcare: expectations vs reality
Healthcare is one of the areas where expectations drift the most.
Online, you usually hear extremes:
either it’s perfect and effortless
or completely unusable
The reality sits somewhere in the middle.
Once you’re registered and inside the public system (SNS), day-to-day healthcare is generally affordable.
What surprises people isn’t usually the cost; it’s the timing.
Appointments can take longer than many are used to.
Specialists often require patience.
This is why many foreigners use a hybrid approach early on:
public healthcare as the foundation, private care when timing matters.
For the private side, many people rely on international travel and health insurance like SafetyWing, which is commonly used by foreigners while navigating the early stages of living in a new country, such as Portugal.
Disappointment usually comes not from access, but from expecting it to work exactly like back home.
One thing that still works in your favor: transport
Public transport remains one of Portugal’s strengths.
In most major cities, a monthly pass costs around €40.
For people coming from London, New York, or Toronto, that number often needs a second to sink in.
If you live centrally in Lisbon or Porto, you can realistically live without a car at first.
Outside the main cities, that changes, and a car becomes part of the budget:
insurance, fuel, inspections, and maintenance.
Transport can be one of the cheapest parts of your monthly costs, or one of the quiet variables that reshapes everything.
The mistake that causes the most stress
It’s not miscalculating monthly costs.
It’s underestimating one-time setup costs:
rental deposits (often two or three months)
furnishing
document-related expenses and admin fees
In my case, I paid €2,000 for the deposit and €1,000 for the first month of rent, and then there were appliances and furniture on top of that - the kind of expenses you don’t fully feel until you’re already committed.
The first few months almost never behave like a “normal” month.
Portugal isn’t unusually expensive, but the front end of the move requires more cash than many people expect.
And if that’s not planned, stress shows up fast.
What actually matters more than the number
The biggest mistake I see is building a budget that only works if everything stays perfect.
Real life doesn’t work that way, anywhere.
That’s why I always recommend thinking in ranges, not exact figures.
Especially for housing and utilities.
A buffer isn’t pessimistic.
It’s what lets you stay calm when small things shift.
And in a new country, calm is worth a lot.
A practical next step (if this resonates)
If you’re planning a move, or already in the process, I put together a free checklist that lays out the order these things usually happen:
Housing → documents → healthcare → settling in.
It’s simple, practical, and built from real mistakes people make (including my own).
Over the coming weeks, I’ll also break down deeper topics for those who need more hands-on clarity, but I want to keep this email focused and useful.
Take your time.
Don’t rush the decision.
And if you reply, I’m curious:
Where Are You on Your Portugal Journey?
Talk soon,
Remote Life Portugal