Mind me asking what your housing costs? Sticking to a budget of $3k/month is impressive. That seems almost impossible in the States now unless you have roommates or live in the sticks.
Not at all. Happy to answer questions.
As to any housing costs/real estate, as always, location is key. In most of Europe, next are size and amenities. Portugal is roughly the size of Indiana and population very similar to NC, but its average wage is roughly $1200 a month, so a budget of $3000 is more than the typical family here earns in the same period. The southern most part of Portugal is known as the Algarve or Gold Coast and home to some of the prettiest beaches in the world. This is where most retirees go (mainly British, but also Americans and other expats). It is also somewhat rural and only small towns, which helps a bit in the cost. However, I could not afford to live there, as it and Lisbon (largest city and capital) are beyond my budget. Also, a little too hot for our tastes. Next largest city is Porto, with a population of about 1.3 million and a wonderful city, but too hilly and we would be right at the top of our budget in living expenses. So we chose a city named Braga, which is a city in the upper north about an hour from the Spanish border, with a population of about 300k, and only 40 minutes to the international airport in Porto.
in 2018, when we moved there, we rented a fairly modern (for Portugal) 3 bedroom apartment with a garage and heat (not always included in a home) but unfurnished except for the kitchen, about 3/4´s of mile from the city center. Our cost, €475 a month, or roughly $550 at the time. In 2019, our landlord decided that they wanted to move back into the apartment after living in France for 10 years, so we moved to another building about 150 feet away. Pretty much the same size and amenities, but also had a central vac and better outside balconies. And it was mostly furnished with furniture. €480 or still about $550 at the time (the exchange rate was worse then).
In 2022, we decided that we wanted to be in Centro (the historic center) where all the action is, and we were tired of walking up a fairly significant hill to reach the city (no car). We found a modern 2 bedroom with a furnished but small kitchen and heat, but no garage, in the dead center of downtown for €750 to start and €803 to finish (this was the height of inflation and the government has a rent-control clause where the landlord can raise the rent by a government set figure each year - that year was the highest percentage in 20+ years).
This past July, we decided that we needed more room and also wanted air conditioning (even more rare here than heat) as the current apartment faced east/west and the summers are getting hotter. We now are in a 4 bedroom apartment with heat and air, the most American sized and style kitchen that we have had (European kitchens are SMALL), no garage, and are still in Centro and pay €1250 or $1300 at today´s exchange rate. Which is about a 1/3 of our current total budget.
For anyone interested in learning more about costs and what a budget can buy you anywhere in the world, I am going to suggest that you investigate two websites:
1. Numbeo.com compares actual costs between any two cities in the world. The numbers come direct personal entries and for the most part are fairly accurate in my experience. Here is the comparison of Greensboro, NC, where I moved from, to Braga, Portugal, where I live now:
www.numbeo.com
2. Theearthawaits.com is a site that allows you to enter a budget of any amount, along with many other variables such as crime, air quality, walkability, health care, freedom, weather, and others into a matrix, and the site will them give you suggestions of possible places to live within your stated budget and other parameters. Here is the reading for Braga, Portugal:
Check out my cost of living in Braga, Portugal for a family of 2!
www.theearthawaits.com
The budget given of $3200 a month is for what they call an ample lifestyle, which is what I put as us as we like to travel. The lifestyle is another variable that you can chose. BTW, the 4th picture shown, the building with all the purple-bluish tile, is about 250 feet from my apartment and a stunning viewpoint from our balcony and all of the pictures are within a quarter-mile of our home.
I hope that answers your question, and if not, that I gave you sources to use to get your answer.
www.yahoo.com
