Living in Portugal - Page 2

Online Shopping in Portugal: Amazon, FNAC, Worten — What Expats Actually Use

A person is holding a Samsung smartphone, browsing an online shopping app displaying various black jackets. The person appears to be sitting indoors, looking at product images and details on the screen, with a wooden piece of furniture in the background.

Although Portugal has fantastic high-speed home internet, online shopping is not as popular in Portugal as it is in other countries. But it’s growing in popularity – both as a way of buying from Portuguese retailers and also as a way of buying (often cheaper) products from abroad. Read the guides Shopping at some sites – Amazon, for example – isn’t always straight-forward, but Portugalist’s guides help make things easy to understand. Amazon Amazon doesn’t officially have a presence in …

A display of beef jerky products labeled "Azores Beef Jerky," with one package of pork jerky in the center. Each packet is paired with a bowl of jerky pieces. The setup is decorated with a festive red and green plaid border on a burlap cloth.

In this interview, Tricia Alker explains how she moved from the US to the island of Pico in the Azores. She talks about how they had initially planned to start another business within the seafood industry, but life had other plans and they ended up starting Azores Jerky, a beef jerky company. What motivated you to move from California to Pico island in the Azores? In 1998 my husband was asked by a colleague/friend in California to help in a …

A white pickup truck loaded with boxes and miscellaneous items is parked in front of a rustic, stone-walled building with a red-tiled roof. The building has several small windows and a wooden door. Steps lead up to the door, and the sky above is clear and blue.

Portugal is still a very affordable country by Western European standards, but the cost of living has increased over the past few years — in particular, the cost of renting and buying a property. This is especially true in Lisbon, which has become one of the most desirable places to live in Portugal, but those increasing costs are also increasing all over the rest of the country, particularly in Porto and the Algarve. Looking at the cheapest places to rent …

Continente supermarket at Vasco da Gama shopping centre in Lisbon

If you’re moving to Portugal from the US, Canada, or the UK, grocery shopping is going to feel a little different — in mostly good ways. Portugal has a lot of supermarkets. Even small Portuguese towns typically have two or three supermarkets within easy walking distance. Larger towns often have four or five different chains, sometimes next to each other. The tradeoff, especially if you’re living in a city like Lisbon or Porto, is that you’re unlikely to find a …

A person is holding a tablet displaying an Amazon webpage. The webpage shows a search for Portuguese dictionaries, featuring listings for "Oceano Pocket Dictionary" and "Dicionário de Portugais 100% Visual." The handheld tablet has a black case.

Yes, you can shop at Amazon from Portugal. Amazon doesn’t have a warehouse in Portugal so you’ll have to shop at one of the Amazon stores in another country (for example Amazon UK, Spain, or Germany). Which Amazon should you shop at? Generally speaking, Amazon.es (Amazon Spain) is the best option for several reasons: The second best option is Amazon.de (Amazon Germany). The products are sometimes cheaper here, but you will typically need to pay for postage and, due to …

A family of four sits on a sandy beach in front of a white cottage with green shutters. The mother and father, both smiling, have their three children with them: a baby on the father's lap, a young boy sitting beside them, and an older girl leaning into the mother.

Portugal is a fantastic place for families. In fact, a recent study ranked Funchal in Madeira and Lisbon, the capital city, first and third as the top places to raise a family in the whole of Europe. Porto also made the list at 22. The study, which focused on factors like education, health and safety, and lifestyle and leisure, listed 30 cities around Europe and it’s just one of many studies that say Portugal is a great place to raise …

A large library in Portugal with shelves filled with books, a metal staircase leading to an upper level, and a white sculpture of a person riding a bicycle suspended in mid-air from the ceiling.

Buying books, especially foreign-language books, can be a challenge in Portugal. And, if you can find the book you want, it often costs a lot more than you’re used to paying for a book. Getting used to the higher prices for books is just a part of living in Portugal, but the bigger challenge is not being able to find the book you want at all. All of this wasn’t such a big issue prior to Brexit. However, now that …

A narrow, steep staircase in Alfama lined with colorful buildings on both sides in an urban setting. The left side features pastel yellow and pink walls, while the right side has earthy tones. A pigeon is walking near the bottom, and a person is visible in the distance.

As a prospective expat considering a move to Portugal, safety is likely one of your top concerns. This article explores various aspects of safety in Portugal to help you make an informed decision about relocating. Overall Safety The main takeaway is this: If you come from most countries in the world, Portugal will feel a lot safer. Coming from the UK? Much safer. From the US? Much, much safer. From South Africa? Much, much safer. Portugal is generally considered one …

A woman and a man wearing face masks are in a kitchen. The man, dressed in work attire and holding a spray canister, is inspecting the area under the cabinetry. The woman, wearing a purple top, is crouched beside him, observing the inspection process.

In short, not really. You will see cockroaches every now and then, usually on the street and sometimes inside an apartment, but it is quite rare. Live in Portugal for long enough and you should only see a cockroach one or twice a year. However, it does depend on where you’re living, including the property you live in. This is in contrast to Spain, particularly the south of Spain, where cockroaches are a much more common occurrence. Here, you will …

The exterior of a Costco Wholesale store, featuring a large red and blue company sign above the entrance. The building has brick accents and several red bollards and trash bins lined up in front. The sky is clear and blue.

Costco doesn’t have a store in Portugal, at least currently. There are, however, Costco stores in neighbouring Spain. Although Costco has stores in a handful of locations in Spain, the most popular store for people living in Portugal is the Seville store. If you live in Faro, the drive time to Costco in Seville is just a little over 2 hours. If you live in Lisbon, the drive time is around 4.5 hours, depending on traffic. For those living in …

Online Shopping in Portugal: Amazon, FNAC, Worten — What Expats Actually Use

Interview: How Tricia & Griff Alker Started a Beef Jerky Business in the Azores

Where Are the Cheapest Places to Live in Portugal?

Supermarkets in Portugal: Continente, Pingo Doce, Lidl — What to Expect

How To Shop At Amazon from Portugal

7 Great Places for Families Moving to Portugal

Buying English Books in Portugal: Bookshops, Amazon, and What Actually Works

Is Portugal Safe to Live In? An Honest Look Beyond the Glossy Crime Statistics

Are Cockroaches Common in Portugal?

Are there Costco Stores in Portugal?