What I Wish I’d Known Before Moving to Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal. Photo by Farnaz Kohankhaki / Unsplash.

Before we moved to Portugal in 2022, I spent a lot of time researching. My husband and I were moving from the United States with two young children. There were schools to consider, healthcare questions to answer, and the small matter of building a life in another country.

Since then, we’ve navigated residency permits, banking, mortgages, buying a home, and plenty of Portuguese bureaucracy.

Four years later, I’m glad we made the move. But if I could sit down with the version of myself who was still researching from the US, there are a few things I’d want her to know.

1. Someone else’s Portugal budget won’t tell you what your life will cost

It’s easy to find articles telling you how cheaply you can live in Portugal. It’s harder to know whether the life they’re describing bears much resemblance to the one you’re planning.

A couple renting in a smaller town will have different expenses from a family looking for a home near an international school. Housing, transportation, healthcare and education can change the calculation considerably.

The question I’d focus on is: What would the life we actually want cost?

Build a budget around your household and your priorities. Include the move itself, the initial setup costs, and a cushion for things you haven’t thought of yet.

You don’t need to predict every expense. You do need more than an appealing monthly total from someone else’s blog.

2. Choosing where to live deserves as much attention as choosing the country

“Moving to Portugal” sounds like one decision. Choosing where in Portugal to build your life is another substantial project.

A place can be lovely to visit and still be inconvenient for your everyday routine.

If you have children, look at the school commute. If you plan to live without a car, try doing ordinary errands that way. Think about access to healthcare, supermarkets, activities, and the people you hope to spend time with.

On a scouting trip, leave room for the unglamorous research. Walk around residential neighborhoods. Visit a grocery store. Look at the area when you aren’t on your way to lunch with a view.

Pretty tiles are a bonus. They won’t shorten a school run.

For more on this part of our move, read about our scouting trip to Portugal and Spain and renting and living in Lisbon.

3. The paperwork needs a system

Before moving, it’s tempting to think of paperwork as a collection of tasks you’ll complete and cross off.

In practice, it helps to have a way to manage documents, questions, submissions and follow-ups over time.

My advice: create a secure digital folder for each family member. Keep your records organized, back them up, and track what you’ve submitted and what you’re still waiting for.

Before ordering official documents, check the requirements for your particular process, including any authentication, translation or validity requirements.

And give yourself some breathing room. A moving plan gets stressful quickly when every step depends on the previous one happening on exactly the date you hoped.

I’ve written about the documents we prepared before leaving the US. Use our experience as a starting point, then verify the current requirements for your own application.

4. Healthcare and schooling deserve their own research projects

These are big enough topics that I wouldn’t leave either as a single line on a general moving list.

For healthcare, think about what your family actually needs: ongoing prescriptions, specialists, routine appointments, insurance coverage, and arrangements during the transition.

If you’re moving with children, investigate the school options in the places you’re considering. Ask about language support, enrollment, fees where applicable, and the daily commute.

There isn’t one answer that suits every family. The useful questions are the ones that reflect your circumstances.

These decisions also connect to your housing search and budget, so researching them early can save you from having to rethink other plans later.

You can also read our family’s experience with Portuguese healthcare, including insurance and the costs we paid through 2025.

5. You need a plan for accessing your old life, too

There’s a lot to set up in Portugal. But before leaving, take a careful look at the services you already depend on.

Can you access your bank accounts from abroad? How will you receive security codes? Which accounts are tied to your existing phone number?

Before canceling a phone plan or transferring a number to Google Voice or another provider, check whether the arrangement will support the verification codes you rely on.

The same principle applies to medical records, insurance, important mail, and account recovery details.

These things are easy to overlook while you’re making bigger decisions. They deserve a place on the list before departure. My Google Voice review covers what worked for us and what needed troubleshooting.

6. Getting settled will take longer than getting there

Arrival is a milestone. Feeling at home is a longer process.

You’ll need to find your regular shops, understand unfamiliar routines, build relationships, and work out how your household functions in a new place.

Some days that will feel exciting. Other days you may be tired of needing to figure out something that used to be automatic.

I’d tell my pre-move self to leave room for that adjustment. Learn some European Portuguese. Find activities you enjoy. Meet people. Give the ordinary parts of life time to become familiar.

You can be happy you moved and still find parts of the experience difficult.

7. Be honest about what you need from the move

One question I think deserves more attention is: What am I hoping this move will change?

Then ask what you need to keep.

That might be financial breathing room, access to particular healthcare, a certain kind of school, proximity to family, or a community where you feel connected.

Being clear about those priorities makes the research more useful. It helps you evaluate a location, a budget or a housing option against your own needs.

Portugal doesn’t have to meet someone else’s definition of a good life. The move needs to make sense for yours.

This post and the checklist share personal experience and general information. They aren’t professional immigration, legal, tax or financial advice. Check current requirements with the relevant authorities and qualified professionals.