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April 02, 2022 Post a Comment

Let's face information technology, nowhere is perfect.

There are a lot of pros to life in Portugal: the weather is great, the cost of living is low, the beaches are cute…I could become on. This website has hundreds of articles, and nearly all the articles except for this one focus on the pros of living in Portugal. But, it'southward not all pros. There are a few cons too.

Many other articles don't mention the downsides – only the upsides. Only, information technology's of import to get the full pic earlier you move somewhere which is why this list exists. That manner, if y'all read this and still decide to motility to Portugal, you lot'll have appropriate expectations.

It's also of import to point out that this is a list of the downsides of Portugal primarily from the point of view of an outsider (although Portuguese people often agree with many of the things on this list). Information technology's also not a listing of things that Portuguese should change, and information technology'southward definitely not a listing of things that Portugal will change.

Portugal is Portugal, and yous shouldn't come here hoping for change or expecting change. Moving to any country and wishing information technology was different is but a recipe for disappointment. Instead, counterbalance upwards the pros against the cons and and then, being honest with yourself, determine if Portugal is correct for you.

In no particular order, here are some of the downsides to life in Portugal. A special thanks goes out to all of the Portugalist readers who submitted their grievances to this listing (many comments couldn't be approved and some of the ones published barely fabricated information technology through). While they probably paint a much more negative flick of Portugal than the reality, they too show that some people really struggle with sure aspects of Portugal, and that yous should practice your research and decide if it's right for y'all before moving.

And then, Then Much Paperwork!

Endeavour to get anything done in Portugal, whether it's starting a business organization or applying for planning permission, and you lot'll come across a piffling thing called "bureaucracy." There's a lot of it in Portugal.

The hardest part of bureaucracy isn't the bureaucracy itself. Most people know that bureaucracy exists in Portugal, and aren't surprised when they come against it. The hardest part is that yous never know which class you lot demand or which person you demand to speak to. And, it'due south quite rare that anyone ever tells y'all. You lot commonly have to figure these things out for yourself.

Thankfully, there are a lot of Facebook groups and forums where you tin can ask questions and hopefully speak to other people who've had a similar outcome.

This isn't unique to Portugal, but Portugal does take bureaucracy to a new level. I solution to fugitive Portuguese bureaucracy is simply to pay someone else to do it for y'all. Whether it's taxes, NIFs, visas, or anything else, at that place are companies out at that place than can help.

Cold, Greyness, Damp Winters (In Places)

Although well-nigh people associate Portugal with beaches and sunshine, a lot of Northern Portugal can exist very damp and moisture in the wintertime. Some even say that the North of Portugal has worse weather condition than Ireland in the wintertime, and that's saying a lot!

Portugal is a long country and regions like the Algarve and Alentejo take different climates. Even Lisbon can be quite balmy in the winter, and information technology'south not unusual for the Southward of Portugal to go temperatures in the high teens and occasionally even striking above the depression twenties.

That's outside, of course! In the house is another affair entirely.

This isn't unique to Portugal. Virtually of Europe is common cold in the winter – much, much colder than Portugal.

Simply Baby it's common cold Inside!

Portuguese houses tin exist extremely cold in the winter. Nearly properties don't accept primal heating, or sometimes heating of any kind, and so you may notice yourself wearing a jacket and gloves inside to keep warm. That's not an exaggeration.

You tin find warm backdrop. Some are lucky that they catch the winter sun and stay warm. Others accept a burn of maybe fifty-fifty have a heating system of some kind. But many are simply cold.

This is considering Portuguese houses are designed with summer in mind: they're designed to stay absurd rather than warm upwardly. Many backdrop are besides build quite cheaply, particularly apartments.

And just considering you've bought a cold house, that doesn't mean you're going to be cold forever. You can meliorate the insulation or install something similar gas central heating or an effective pellet heater. All of that costs coin, obviously, but it'south near definitely be worth it.

This isn't unique to Portugal, and it'southward quite common across Southern Europe. Houses here are more than designed for summertime rather than winter. Thankfully, there are ane or two things you tin do to stay warm inside.

Making Friends is Hard

In Portugal, the Portuguese and non-Portuguese frequently run in different circles. Even people who have lived in Portugal for years volition normally be able to count the number of close Portuguese friends they accept on one hand.

It takes 2 to tango, though. While the Portuguese tin can be quite closed, even to people from other parts of Portugal, very few expats bother to learn Portuguese which really is essential for integrating into Portugal. Information technology's quite likely that a lot of Portuguese assume that these expats don't want to integrate, and so it all becomes a chip of a vicious cycle.

But, even ignoring the linguistic communication aspect, many people who've lived in other countries prior to Portugal would say that integrating tin be difficult.

This isn't unique to Portugal. People who've moved to other Southern European countries like Spain and Italy, to Scandinavia, or to Eastern Europe often report the same experiences.

Some Things are Expensive

A lot of people think that just considering food and wine are cheap in Portugal, everything else is. Unfortunately, that'southward not truthful.

Electricity and petrol are two good examples of things that are really expensive in Portugal. Per kilowatt, Portugal is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. Information technology's also one of the most expensive countries for fuel, which leads to a lot of people who living near the Spanish border driving across to fill up up.

Other things that are expensive include anything second hand, cars, piece of furniture, electronic appliances, books, banking, branded international foods and household products (east.g. cereals), and cosmetics and toiletries.

Taxes

Portuguese taxes, particularly when combined with social security payments, are high — at least in their simplest class. Portugal doesn't have the highest taxes in Europe, but it definitely doesn't have the lowest taxes either.

That said, the Portuguese regime does have several taxation regimes and schemes which are designed to simplify tax payments and to brand Portugal more appealing to outsiders. The most famous is the NHR tax authorities, which is designed to reduce the amount of tax you pay in Portugal for the offset 10 years and, in many cases, allows you to pay your tax elsewhere.

Workplace Culture

Sexism, micromanaging, not being allowed to show whatever initiative — talk to a Portuguese person about the downsides of living in Portugal and one of the main things they'll mention is workplace culture. It's not every company, plain, but it is something that gets mentioned frequently.

It's a downside that many foreigners moving to Portugal go to avoid as many bring their own jobs here, piece of work for a foreign company, or move to Portugal for retirement.

Learning Portuguese Linguistic communication is Challenging

For some people having to larn Portuguese to live in Portugal is a fact of life. To others, it's a big downside.

It isn't so much that people don't want to learn Portuguese (although some don't), but rather that it's a big stumbling block that prevents you from integrating into Portugal. Information technology doesn't take as well long to acquire enough Portuguese to get by in daily life, and even in more difficult bureaucratic situations, just it does accept a long fourth dimension to learn enough Portuguese to really integrate.

Portuguese is nowhere near as difficult every bit Chinese or Arabic, or maybe even German, but it's one of the most difficult romance languages.

This is obviously unique to Portugal in that Portuguese is seen as harder than another European languages, particularly Spanish. That said, it'southward probably not any more than difficult than German.

Dogs

Depending on where you're living in Portugal, dogs tin can cause problems.

Poop is the most mutual problem, followed by noise. In the countryside, dogs barking through the night tin exist an issue and, even in residential areas, it's not unusual for people to leave their dogs on their flat balconies during the day.

This isn't unique to Portugal, and it mutual in some neighbouring countries like Spain.

Corruption is (Unfortunately) a Fact of Life

Ask a Portuguese person what the biggest downside to life in Portugal is and near all will say corruption.

Backhanders can permeate every area of life, from your local council right upward to the higher echelons of government. It'due south simply seen every bit a part of life or a tax for getting around bureaucracy.

According to Transparency International's 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, Portugal was ranked 30th out of 198 countries for corruption.

This isn't unique to Portugal.

The Slow Step of Life

The slow pace of life is i of the chief reasons that people motion to Portugal, merely that slow pace of life can also be a downside. When you have something that needs doing, suddenly yous find yourself wishing that tedious pace of life wasn't a thing in Portugal.

Even in simple tasks like going to the supermarket, you lot'll discover yourself queuing for a lot longer than you would in countries that don't take a irksome pace of life. It all depends which you lot value more than: the slow pace of life (for when you lot do want it) or constant efficiency.

This isn't unique to Portugal, just common across most Southern European or Mediterranean countries.

The "Glass Half Empty" Mentality

The Portuguese mentality can be frustrating for a lot of people, particularly for entrepreneurs and become-getters. If America has a "can do" attitude, Portugal ofttimes sits at the other side of the spectrum with a "tin can't practice" attitude.

There are a lot of reasons for this divergence, specially historical and cultural reasons, but regardless of them, some people volition still find it hard to bargain with.

This isn't completely unique to Portugal, but it does seem to be more than mutual in Portugal than in neighbouring European countries.

The Lack of Customer Service

Client service, the art of solving customers' problems and keeping them happy, is an artform only it's not an artform that'south particularly popular in Portugal.

You may not like the American model of customer service where everyone is overly prissy, smiley, and helpful. Yous might retrieve it's false and, beingness honest, it is. But, when you're trying to get a problem solved, you'll wish that Portugal had adopted this arroyo.

This isn't unique to Portugal. Many readers living in countries similar France, Germany, and Kingdom of spain have said the same thing.

The Job Market

Portugal traditionally attracts much older expats, peculiarly retirees. There's a reason for that, and that's that people don't usually come to Portugal to work: salaries are low by European standards, and there are a limited number of jobs here.

The adept news is that, even though salaries are even so a long fashion from catching up with other Western European countries, in that location are an increasing number of task opportunities in Portugal. Many people likewise bring their work with them — either starting a business organization here or working remotely for clients outside of Portugal.

This isn't totally unique to Portugal: Across Southern Europe, job opportunities are fewer and salaries are lower when compared to Northern Europe. That said, Portugal does have some of the lowest salaries in Western Europe.

The "Who You Know" Attitude to Business

To get ahead in a lot of industries in Portugal, it's all about who you know. This maxim is true in a lot of countries, of course, only it's peculiarly true in Portugal.

In a lot of English language-speaking countries, like the U.k. and US, who y'all know opens doors just it doesn't make information technology impossible to interruption into certain industries. In Portugal, not knowing the right people can make it incommunicable to practise business organisation in a lot of industries that yous could break into in other countries.

This isn't unique to Portugal, and is quite mutual across nigh of Europe.

The Driving

Whether information technology'southward people flashing their lights because they're desperate to overtake, drink driving, or only leaving a gap of nigh an inch betwixt your car and their's, driving in Portugal is bad.

Indicators are rarely used, bear on parking is common in the cities, and in rural parts of Portugal people ofttimes park diagonally beyond 2 or iii spaces.

Unfortunately, information technology's just one of those things nigh Portuguese life that you have to get used to.

The Rising Toll of Living

The cost of living in Portugal is on the rise, particularly when it comes to property prices. This is obviously more than of a downside for the Portuguese living in Portugal who typically accept less ownership power on average, but it's still a downside for expats as well.

House prices are ascension throughout Portugal, but particularly in Lisbon and Porto and the Algarve.

The Cold Ocean

A lot of people move to Portugal for the beaches and are surprised by just how common cold the water is. Yes, information technology can be very common cold because it'south not the Mediterranean Sea, information technology's the Atlantic Ocean.

It isn't a big deal for a lot of people, as nigh only go to the embankment in summer, but information technology can make a difference if you were expecting to spend a lot of time in the h2o.

This is unique to Portugal. Other Southern European countries similar Spain, Greece, Italy, and Republic of cyprus are all on the Mediterranean Sea so usually accept warmer waters. France

The Overtourism

queues at pasteis de belem — Queues for Pastéis de Belém regularly extend into the hundreds

In the past few years, tourism has boomed in Portugal. Lisbon, in particular, has become one of the hottest destinations to visit and information technology has attracted millions of tourists from all over the world. Porto, and the Algarve, too, have seen a huge increase in tourism besides.

Unfortunately, Lisbon and Porto are much besides small to handle the sheer volume of tourists that are visiting. The streets are narrow, and the cities themselves are quite compact and minor. Historical attractions like the Torre de Belém in Lisbon or the Clérigos Tower just weren't designed to cope with queues of hundreds of tourists.

It'due south also led to other problems in the local housing market place, and put a strain on public transport and other services. Unfortunately, it doesn't expect like over tourism is going to decrease someday presently and, with no real solutions to the problem, it may only become something that people take to accept. There's that Portuguese "tin't do" attitude creeping in!

This isn't completely unique to Portugal. Lots of other cities like Barcelona and Amsterdam are struggling with overtourism.

Getting things delivered

Many people who motility to Portugal come from countries where online shopping is extremely developed, to the point where they tin can get their orders the same day. That's not the case in Portugal, especially every bit nigh online shopping is done with international companies.

As an instance, if you desire to shop at Amazon from Portugal, yous normally shop at Amazon Kingdom of spain or perhaps Amazon Federal republic of germany.

The claiming of getting things delivered, whether an online shopping society or a letter from overseas, is a constant complaint corporeality expats. It is something y'all go used to, though, and, similar many of the other things in this list, is a small-scale price to pay for what you get in return.

Customs

While we're on the discipline of shopping, information technology's worth mentioning Portuguese community. Simply nearly every country has a customs arrangement which accuse import fees on products purchased away. That's annoying, only reasonable. In Portugal, however, the fees charged for anything imported from exterior the European union are so high that it's not unusual for import charges to equal the value of the product purchased (and sometimes they're fifty-fifty more). Even gifts that are clearly handmade past family members are stopped, valued at much more than they could ever be worth, and slapped with big import charges.

And, even if you concur to pay these charges or they take been prepaid, it can take days, weeks, and even months to get your deliveries released from Portuguese community.

Dissonance levels

If you live in an apartment in Portugal, information technology's not unusual to hear your neighbours watching TV, talking or arguing, listening to music, or just about everything else. And, if they live above you, you'll probably hear them walking around likewise.

Noise levels in Portugal are nowhere near every bit loftier as in neighbouring Spain where anybody seems to walk around their apartments in clogs, only it will take some getting used to if yous're from a country where things are a little flake quieter.

Not all apartments have noise issues, specially the more modern ones, and you tin insulate an apartment to reduce noise levels, only it is something to exist aware of.

The Smoking

While smoking is on the way out in many countries, smoking is even so quite common in Portugal. It's something that you volition go used to with time.

But, even though yous'll become used to walking into a deject of smoke every now and and so, in that location are definitely times when information technology can be a downside.

Portugal definitely isn't the only European state where smoking is common. It's like in French republic, Spain, and Germany.

Comments Policy: This article attracts a mixture of comments: some people who believe the pros of living in Portugal outweigh the cons and others who are frustrated with life in Portugal and want to vent their anger. While comments pointing out the negative sides of Portugal are allowed, in that location's a diplomatic and a constructive way of doing this and there's a fashion that'south unhelpful and simply negative. Comments that are negative and without any substance will be removed.