Comments on: Moving to Lisbon: 10 Things You Should Realistically Know

By: John Brewton

John Brewton — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 02:45:52 +0000

Hello, my wife and I are in our early 70’s and are completely disillusioned with US. We are not constrained monetarily.
We have been to Portugal twice and are returning in 2021 to stay for five weeks. We would like to meet expats in Lisbon for drinks and talk.
Thank you for all replies.
John Brewton

By: Marek

Marek — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 18:30:10 +0000

In reply to Filippo. Here in Lisbon it was easy with English, but I've never lived in Coimbra :) Interesting you had a different experience and hope you can find a job in Lisbon!

By: Filippo

Filippo — Fri, 04 Sep 2020 14:53:37 +0000

I loved this article! I lived in Coimbra for 5 months as an exchange student. After some years, I’m still feeling a bit Portuguese inside.
I would love to move to Lisbon, and I’m tempted to start looking for open positions there!
I only disagree on “Portuguese are very good English speakers”. NO WAY. Of course Lisbon is a more international city, but in Coimbra no one knew even a single English word regardless of the age.
At least I learnt Portuguese! I was able to speak it very good, and I am still able to understand it now. (I’m Italian so it wasn’t that hard for me as the two languages are more similar than I thought).

By: Andrew Masset

Andrew Masset — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 01:26:12 +0000

I lived in Cascais from 1963 to 1966. You folks would not believe just what a Paradise Portugal was back then. Lived in Quinta Da Marinha, played golf at Estoril GC, tennis at Estoril TC, beach, during the day, restaurants at Cascais or Estoril, Nightclubs every night. It was a beautiful and incredible place back then,,Did I mention really cheep?

By: Rick Richter

Rick Richter — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 12:14:34 +0000

Just got to Lisbon December 30th. Any recommendations on my being able to meet up with someone to help me navigate and find an apartment in a good area?

By: Marek

Marek — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 15:37:57 +0000

In reply to Sam. If a place to live is already taken care of for you then yes, I think 1000 gross is enough to live well in Lisbon. But if you still need to pay rent from that, it's going to be tough.

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 14:46:14 +0000

Hi Marek, thanks for useful infos.
I have a question – is 1000 euros gross per month enought to have a good life in Lisbon?
I think that could be around 750 net?
I will not pay for accomodation. I like to go out for a beer, travel around and still would like to save something.
Thanks a lot for advice.

Sam

By: Marek

Marek — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 15:56:31 +0000

In reply to Maya. Hey Maya. As long as you have a residency permit nothing will stop you (practically speaking) from getting a job. I don't know a lot about salaries, but ask around and check if it's net or bruto, and keep in mind in Portugal they pay 14 months per year (xmas and summer bonus months) so your salary might be a bit higher than it seems at first.

By: Maya

Maya — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 12:59:54 +0000

Hi Marek,
Thank you for your post, it is very useful.
I am moving to Lisbon beginning of next year. I will be a student, but not too busy over the week. I was wandering is it hard to find a job in a coffee bar as a student with Student visa and Residence permit? I am 26. I was thinking that this would give me a decent salary plus some tips. Do you know what are average salaries for waiters?
Also, if you have any advice what I could do other than in a bar, I am happy to hear.

Cheers

By: Marek

Marek — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 16:50:09 +0000

In reply to Georgette. A 4-month long-stay Portuguese visa is only valid under certain circumstances (not just for tourism/holiday). It depends on where you're from but you're probably just stuck with the 90-day Schengen visa, unless you want to actually apply for permanent residency in Portugal.