Should you move to Portugal? What it gives you, what to prepare for and who it suits

In brief

As of 7 November 2026, Portugal is a strong choice for people who value safety, a friendly welcome and good value, and who plan their paperwork and their health cover in advance. It ranked seventh in the 2026 Global Peace Index, and InterNations' Expat Insider 2026 put it eighth of 31 countries overall, with 78% of residents happy against a 70% global average. The D7 residence visa asks for about 920 euro a month of passive income for the main applicant (1,380 euro for a couple). Our October 2026 sums for one person are about 1,534 euro a month in Lisbon and about 1,232 euro in the Algarve at median rents. The things to prepare for are the residence-permit queue, the family-doctor waiting list and a narrow local job market.

What moving to Portugal gives you

• Safety. Portugal placed seventh in the 2026 Global Peace Index, a position it has held since 2023 according to Portugal Global.
• An easy welcome. Portugal ranked seventh worldwide for Ease of Settling In in InterNations' Expat Insider 2026, and 78% of residents said they were happy with life in the country, against a 70% global average. More than three quarters described Portuguese people as friendly and said they felt welcome.
• Quality of life. Portugal placed eleventh for Quality of Life, with particularly strong ratings for air quality, climate and personal safety, and fourth worldwide for Personal Finance.
• Sun and the sea. One secondary source gives Faro about 2,900 hours of sun a year (attributed to IPMA by the newspaper Postal), and another gives the Algarve region about 3,212 hours; we did not find official IPMA figures or a Lisbon figure.
• Value for money. Our October 2026 sums for one person, using INE median rents for new leases in the first quarter of 2026 (Lisbon 17.42 euro per square metre, Algarve 10.71, Portugal as a whole 9.46), are about 1,534 euro a month in Lisbon and about 1,232 euro in the Algarve for a 45 square metre flat; the lines behind the sums are in our cost-of-living guide for Portugal.
• A clear residence route for passive income. The D7 visa asks for about 920 euro a month of income for the main applicant and 1,380 for a couple, plus a savings buffer of about 11,040 euro, according to adviser pages; consular processing is about 60 days according to the VFS Global one-pager. Confirm the figures with the consulate.

What to prepare for

Each of these is a known part of a Portuguese move, with a practical answer.

• The residence-permit queue. After arrival, the permit stage with AIMA is described as 8 to 24 weeks in one source and 90 to 180 days in another, and one source mentions a backlog of about 450,000 cases. The answer: prepare a complete file, keep copies of every submission and plan your first months as a stay with a valid visa, not as a wait.
• The family-doctor list. Legal residents can get an SNS user number, but at the end of April 2026 about 1,646,279 users had no family doctor, according to press reports. The answer: use the SNS 24 line, walk-in consultations at the health centre and emergency services, and keep a private insurance plan alongside while you wait.
• A narrow local job market. In the same InterNations survey Portugal ranks 29th in the Working Abroad Index and last for career opportunities. The answer: move with remote income, a pension or your own business, not in the hope of a quick local job.
• Bureaucracy. Portugal ranks 31st of 31 for ease of dealing with public services. The answer: allow time, bring complete documents and use our first-30-days checklist for the order of the steps.
• Taxes. The old NHR regime is closed to new applicants, and its successor IFICI (from 1 January 2025) is aimed at qualifying activities, with a flat 20% rate on Portuguese-source income for ten years and no pensions, according to consultancy blogs. The answer: do not assume a special regime applies to you; read our guide to tax residency when relocating and ask an adviser.
• Rent. INE medians rose 9.1% on the year in the first quarter of 2026 and asking rents are higher. The answer: search for the Algarve and the Porto area as well as Lisbon, and budget at asking rents when you search from abroad.

Who Portugal suits

• Remote workers and freelancers with income from outside Portugal.
• Retirees with passive income; see our retiring in Portugal guide.
• Families who value safety and an international environment; our schools guide covers choices.
• People who want to start with the sea, the climate and a friendly welcome, and are ready to be patient with offices.

Who may prefer another country

Gently: if you need to find a local job quickly or you want the fastest dealings with public offices, another country may fit better, so look at how to choose a country. If your budget is very tight, our cost-of-living comparison of 12 countries shows markets that cost less. If you plan to rely on a special tax regime, check that you qualify before you decide.

Your first 90 days

• Days 1 to 30: follow the Portugal first-30-days checklist for the tax number, the address and the bank account.
• Days 31 to 60: submit or follow up your residence file, sign a longer rental and arrange private health cover.
• Days 61 to 90: decide whether to stay for the year, change city or plan a property purchase. Our guide on a trial year abroad explains how to test a move before you commit.

How a property purchase fits

Many people rent first and buy later. See what you can buy in Portugal for 150,000 to 600,000 euro, and if you want a home you use for a month and let for the rest of the year, our guide to buying where you holiday and renting 11 months explains the numbers.

Where to go next

Start with the overview of whether to move abroad, then use the guide on how to choose a country and the trial-year plan. For the details of the first month, use the Portugal first-30-days checklist.

For what expats say in the survey, see why expats love Portugal and our Portugal expat life guide.

This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.

FAQ

Is Portugal a good country to move to in 2026? For safety and welcome the data is very positive: seventh in the 2026 Global Peace Index and seventh for Ease of Settling In in InterNations. The things to plan for are the permit queue and the narrow job market.

How much income does the D7 visa need? Advisers put it at about 920 euro a month for the main applicant and about 1,380 euro for a couple in 2026, plus a savings buffer of about 11,040 euro. Confirm with the consulate, because figures differ between sources.

How long does the residence process take? Consular processing is about 60 days according to the VFS Global one-pager. The AIMA stage is reported as 8 to 24 weeks in one source and 90 to 180 days in another, so plan for several months.

Can I use the public health system in Portugal? Legal residents can get an SNS user number. Many people are still waiting for a family doctor: about 1,646,279 users had none at the end of April 2026, so a private plan alongside is common.

Does Portugal still have the NHR tax regime? The old regime closed to new applicants after the March 2025 transition. Its successor, IFICI, targets qualifying activities and does not cover most remote workers or pensions according to consultancy blogs, so ask an adviser before you rely on it.