Have you moved to Portugal?

Your best source of this kind of information would be an expat forum, for example :
https://www.expatforum.com/forums/portugal-expat-forum-for-expats-living-in-portugal.28/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic

at least compared to what they earn and live off of)

There are plenty of wealthy Portuguese.

First step is seeing if you can get a visa.

Have you been to Portugal?

I have not been to Portugal, but many of my friends have said it is beautiful and the locals were friendly (in tourist areas at least). I've looked at a lot of websites and YouTube videos and Portugal is constantly rated as the #1 European country for Americans to retire too. This is based on ease of permanent residency for retirees (so long as you have the needed funds for living on their economy), cost of living, access to good healthcare and transportation, and the general slow pace of life that makes life more enjoyable. These are the things I think most people want when they get older in life. After working since I was ten years old, I want to slow down and enjoy whatever time I might have on this planet.

Trelawney,
I meant no disrespect to the Portuguese (rich or poor). I just meant, what the "average local" person makes and lives off of, versus the retiree, who usually has a higher level of income from their home county, can afford things that the locals may not. This then drives up costs due to supply and demand. Suddenly, the locals can no longer afford to live in the town they were born and raised in. Right now, the average yearly income in Portugal is 1,741 euros a month, or $2029 dollars a month. So, Portuguese locals make 20,892 euros, on average, per year. In America, the average yearly salary is $65,000-70,000, or 55,784 euros a year. So, you can see there is a big discrepancy on wages between the two countries. Which means, the foreign retirees are seen as the "Haves" and the locals are the "Have Nots". I know this difference has been an increasing issue in Albania and other former Soviet Bloc countries. So, it's reasonable to assume this might be an issue in Portugal and other European countries as well.

You might want to visit the country first. I thought it was ok to visit but it reminded me too much of where I grew up in California, hot, dry, scrub oaks and brown grass. Not some place I would want to live again.

I'm sorry but why would you ask a travel site how you can move to another country?
I was just on a tour of Portugal and was told about expats and digital nomads raising the costs of the locals.
Most Portuguese make an average of €1100 a month. Rents have gone up almost 500% because expats will pay more because they can afford it.
You are also not covered by health care system.
You may want to look into more.
But good luck it's a beautiful country.

mbosteder,
I used websites because they are usually the most up to date information sources. I'm sure you used a website to plan out your trip, did you not? But, you stated the same point I was trying to make about the cost of living for the locals, verses the retirees. Locals usually have less money available, compared to foreigners who might have higher income levels in their original country of origin. So, after there is an influx of foreigners that drive up the costs, because they can afford the prices and the locals cannot, the locals are left with less and less. Which brings me back to part of my original question, are the locals starting to feel resentful towards foreigners, because they are driving up prices?

Travis, I have thought about moving to Portugal for several years now. The only thing stopping me is that it would be real difficult for me to be away from family. I’m still hopeful though. The suggestion to look on expat websites is spot on. You’ll find much more information on those sites than a travel forum. Have you come across a Facebook group called: Americans & Friends PT? There is a lot of valuable information there, from how to navigate the visa process, moving your worldly goods, pet transport, education opportunities, health care, insurance suggestions and what the locals are like. Good luck in your search. I love Portugal.

Sorry about the comment . But yes I think locals have an issue. They won't say it out in the Open bit I think they can have issues. Portugal had some sort of nomad worker program during covid. As long as you didn't take a Portuguese job or work for a Portuguese company you could live in Portugal. This may not be the exact way it worked but what I .was told by a woman who had a young family.
She said this messed up the living conditions throughout Portugal. With these nomads making five or ten times more then the typical Portuguese citizen.
So these nomads have no issues paying double what an average Portuguese family can afford. So as I said before her rent (most people rent their homes in Portugal.) Has increased 500% in the past five years. If that happened in the US there would be outrage.
I also found out something else about home ownership in Portugal. Most Portuguese buy one house in their life. They don't turn houses to make a profit like we do here in the United States. That is another reason you see a bunch of decapitated houses in Portugal. It is because the children don't inherit their parents home because they have their own home and they don't want to be responsible for upgrades that may have to be done. It was confusing when she explained it to me so I may have missed some of the specifics
I am not saying you shouldn't follow your dreams but you should be aware of the impact you will have.

You asked input from someone who knew the ins and outs. Well, I moved to Cascais almost 11 years ago and have loved living here! Yes, some of the comments from the other posters have validity. The American immigrants have more money than the Portuguese. But, especially in the retiree category, the Portuguese people I talk with, are not un happy with us being here. We bring money but don’t compete for jobs, etc. The housing problems are significantly from the Airbnb type places. Immigrants are not the whole story. There are a lot of complicating things that happened during Covid but most of those - obtaining residency renewals, etc. - have smoothed out.

The best place for information on obtaining residency is the Facebook page Americans & Friends in Portugal. It contains files on virtually everything you would need to make the move and obtain residency. There are other expat pages, but this is the best and most accurate. Many people hire attorneys and these attorneys obtain their information from AFIP.

And, yes, don’t go too far into the process before visiting. I recommend visiting a number of areas to see what looked best to you. Good luck with your adventure!

My sister in law and her husband retired in Lisbon almost 3 years ago (from California).

At the time the Portuguese government still had the Non-Habitual-Resident tax regime (tax free for 10 years), so it was a deal too great to pass up (that tax regime ended in 2024).

They are fluent in Portuguese (my BiL is from Brazil originally and my sister in law has been fluent for decades living with him), so that is a big advantage that you should not underestimate. Dealing with the Portuguese bureaucracy will make you appreciate how important being fluent in the language is.

Other than the bureaucracy hurdles, and the fact that even in Lisbon they are unable to find certain American products which my wife and I have to bring to them (like Cheetos, to which my sister in law is addicted), they love the place. The rent in Lisbon is higher than elsewhere in Portugal, but nothing compared to the SF Bay Area and now, with their Social Security pensions they can afford a lifestyle unimaginable in SF (like a brand new penthouse with 360 degree view of the city). Everything else costs 1/2 or 1/3 of what it costs in SF. Your first step is to inquire at the Portuguese consulate closest to you.

The process of obtaining a visa entailed getting a signed lease before applying at the consulate, and getting proof of health insurance (they have a private insurance plan with Allianz). I think they had to provide proof of income, but by US standards those limits were low.

If you live outside the Lisbon metro area, in a small town, you'd need a car. In Lisbon you don't. But I don't know if I'd want to live in a small town. You want to make sure you have proper health care and hospitals accessible nearby. We had an emergency in Evora last May, and the hospital there was not at the same standards as in Lisbon, nowhere close. I presume that you plan to be a retiree in Portugal. Well, when you are getting old, you must have healthcare that is adequate and accessible. Lisbon metro area, and I presume Porto, would have the healthcare facilities you would need, and probably the healthcare staff in those cities speak some English. Don't count on being the same in small towns. That is true in Portugal as it is in Italy where I come from. Small towns are another animal and if you are not fluent in the language, being in need of healthcare is a frightening experience. I know that Lisbon or Porto metro areas are more expensive than rural Portugal, but I wouldn't move to a small town, not until I feel comfortable with the language.

There's a wonderful Youtube channel called Ethan Eh . He covers the pros and cons of moving to Portugal ( and other countries.)