Portugal, topic by topic
Seven chapters that apply to everyone. Start at the beginning or jump to what you need.
Bureaucracy
The paperwork spine of a Portuguese move — tax number first, everything else follows from it.
Free NIF (tax number) Read bureaucracy 02Banking
Straightforward once you have a NIF, though foreigner-friendly options and fee structures vary a lot between legacy banks and app-first challengers.
NIF Required to open any account Read banking 03Visas & Immigration
D7 and D8 remain the two main non-EU routes in; the Golden Visa has moved decisively away from real estate, and the tax incentive landscape has been completely rebuilt.
€920/mo D7 min. income (single) Read visas & immigration 04Work
Wages are low by Western European standards even after 2026’s minimum wage bump, and most independent workers operate through the recibos verdes system.
€920/mo National minimum wage (2026) Read work 05Education
Free, Portuguese-language public schools are solid; international schools and creche costs are where an expat family’s budget gets tested.
Free Public school (ages 6–18) Read education 06Housing
Portugal’s marketed as affordable, but Lisbon and Porto now rank among Europe’s least affordable rental markets relative to local wages.
~€1,000+ Lisbon T1 rent (realistic avg.) Read housing 07Cost of Living
Still cheaper than the US, UK or Northern Europe overall — but the gap has narrowed sharply in Lisbon, and healthcare quality trade-offs matter more than the headline savings suggest.
~30–40% Cheaper than NYC/London (overall) Read cost of livingSources & how current this is
Portugal’s immigration and tax rules have moved unusually fast — the nationality law changed in May 2026 and the NHR replacement scheme is still being refined by AIMA and the Tax Authority. Confirm live figures with AIMA, Finanças or a licensed advisor before relying on them for a filing.