You can swap the 1,500 hours of sunshine that England averages each year for the 3,000 hours that the Algarve basks in. It’s sunnier than California!
Portugal welcomes newcomers from other countries, at both the social and national level, with friendly visa schemes and tax incentives. Here are five great reasons to buy a property in, or move to, Portugal:
1. Old friends
The british and the portuguese people have been friends and allies since 1373; it’s the oldest alliance in the world! Not long after the arrangement was signed, Cliff Richard moved to Algarve.
Okay, we’re joking about the last point, but plenty of celebrities have moved to Portugal and been joined by the likes of Madonna and Scarlett Johansson. This is a friendship forged over the centuries, not just the decades, and to add to that, the majority of the portuguese people speak English.
2. Unspoilt
Portugal is unspoilt and unique. While Lisbon is a high-tech hub and Porto one of the most dynamic and exciting student cities in the world, this is still a country where farmers go to work on donkeys.
And why not, when the countryside is so beautiful and quiet? Portugal has just 113 people per square kilometre, compared to England’s 420!
3. Low taxes
Portugal’s non-habitual resident (NHR) scheme gives special tax benefits to new arrivals for up to ten years.
If you work in Portugal, you will pay a lower income tax rate, and if you receive an investment or a pension income coming from abroad, it will be tax free, which is a big plus in your finances.
4. Easy to afford
When Property Guides cross-referenced weather data with holiday home prices across Europe to find where the sunshine costs the least, Algarve had a far better value than any other Western European hotspot.
While 50m2 was at least a third less than in the Costa del Sol and half of the Cote d’Azur, it had more sunshine than either. But it’s not just property that’s cheaper. On the expat cost of living index from Numbeo, the first Portuguese city is only placed 116th in Europe (London, by contrast, is 18th).
In the Post Office travel cost barometer, the Algarve is the most affordable out of 22 popular tourist destinations around the world. Your pension will go a long way here.
5. Easy to reach
The three main airports at Porto, Lisbon and Faro offer easy access to Portugal all year. Some routes are seasonal but plenty run year-round (unlike many other destinations).
In Portugal it really is possible to nip down for a weekend off-season, even having acess to travel here from some of the UK’s more regional airports. Ferries via northern Spain or the gorgeous Sud Express train are other pleasant options.