Alternatives to Living in Portugal - 6 Countries You Should Consider
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00:00 Intro - Alternatives to living in Portugal

00:37 Albania

Albania has a similar climate as most of the continental Portugal, similar landscapes, and even the shape of the two countries is also quite similar. Both countries are also very safe, but that is probably when the similarities end and the differences start.

Albania is neither in the EU, nor it has a defined date to join the bloc. So if you want to live somewhere aiming to get an EU passport in the future, Portugal is definitely a better choice.

So in short, Albania is a great alternative to Portugal, especially if you want to lead a similar lifestyle as you would in the Iberian, but for about half of the costs you would have to live in Portugal and keep renewing your residence permit there.

01:55 Brazil

Brazil is another country that can be a good fit if you are looking for an alternative to Portugal, especially if cost of living is the most critical aspect of your choice.

It goes without saying that Portugal and Brazil have a lot in common, since Brazil used to be a Portuguese colony, and for a brief time, even the Portuguese court was actually based out of Rio de Janeiro. Both countries speak the same language, and share a number of essential cultural elements.

Portugal is, however, much more popular than Brazil for a number of reasons. Since Portugal is in the European Union, a significant amount of expats will certainly prefer it over Brazil, but that doesn’t mean that Brazil does not have important advantages over Portugal.

Brazil also has a pretty good overall choice of residence permits and visas, including options for retirees, and it also has recently launched a digital nomad visa.

03:36 Spain

Spain is the next country in our list today, and probably one of the most obvious choices for anyone who is considering moving to Portugal, but also willing to check other options. The proximity of the two countries, the similar climate and the similar cost of living are some of the reasons that may make you consider whether Portugal is the best choice in your individual case versus Spain.

Advantages of Spain vs Portugal: The main advantage of Spain compared to Portugal is that in Spain, considering that the country is much larger, you will have much more options in terms of cities and regions to settle down than in Portugal.

Disadvantages of Spain vs Portugal: the main disadvantage of Spain versus Portugal are taxes.

04:52 Turkey

Turkey is one of my favorite countries, and it is easy to understand why.

Advantages of Turkey vs Portugal: I think the main advantage of Turkey vs Portugal is how inexpensive life is in Turkey compared to Portugal. If we take similarly sized cities, the cost of living in Turkey is probably about half of what it is in Portugal.

Disadvantages of Turkey vs Portugal: one of the main disadvantages of Turkey is that it is not in the Schengen area. So, by having a residence permit in Turkey you will only be able to travel to the Schengen area, if your passport already allows you to do so.

06:17 Andorra

Andorra is another good alternative if you are considering options beyond Portugal, especially if you are extremely wealthy and if you enjoy beautiful mountainous landscapes. This tiny European country is surrounded by Spain and France, which are both EU members. But Andorra is not part of the European Union and it is unlikely to join it anytime soon.

Advantages of Andorra vs Portugal: The main advantage of living in Andorra is that it is an extremely low tax country in Western Europe. Unlike Portugal, where taxes are only attractive if you are in the non-habitual residence program, an advantage which you can use for only 10 years, in Andorra, income taxes are always low. The income tax for wealthy individuals in Andorra is 10%.

Disadvantages of Andorra: There are basically two disadvantages when we compare Andorra and Portugal. The first is that Andorra is very small, both in area and population.So if you like the cosmopolitan life of Lisbon, you will definitely not find it in Andorra.

07:32 Slovenia

Slovenia is the last country in our list, and just like all the other options in this video, it is a good alternative to Portugal.

Advantages: Slovenia has two important advantages that may make you prefer it over Portugal. The first one is its location. Slovenia is right at the very center of Europe, and you will be just a few hours drive from cities like Vienna, MIlan, Zurich and many others.


Disadvantages: The main disadvantage of Slovenia is that it is relatively difficult to get a residence permit in the country if you are a non-Eu citizen.