Living in Aveiro: Must-Knows Before Moving Here

Known as the Venice of Portugal, Aveiro is quickly becoming a popular destinations for tourists visiting Portugal. But, because it’s small, well-maintained, relatively flat, and close to the coast, it’s also becoming a popular place to live.

Aveiro is nowhere near as big as Lisbon or Porto, but not everyone is looking to live in a big city. If you’re looking for somewhere pleasant, with easy access to the beach as well as nearby towns and cities like Coimbra and Porto and within daytrip distance of the Serra da Estrella, Aveiro could be right for you.

The coastal towns in Central Portugal (often called the Silver Coast) are particularly popular with expats from the US, UK, and Canada. Aveiro is quite a versatile location and is likely to suit expats of all ages, including families and retirees.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Location: Aveiro is in a good location for exploring the Central Portugal region, and it’s just a short drive to the coast.
• Transportation: Aveiro is on the trainline, so it’s easy to get around a lot of Portugal, including to Lisbon and Porto.

Cons

• Size: If you prefer big cities, you’re likely to outgrow Aveiro very soon.
• Airports: Some people may find Aveiro that little bit too far from the nearest airport, Porto Airport, for regular trips.
• Tourism: While nowhere near as popular as Lisbon or Porto, Aveiro can get busy during the summer months.

Cost of Living

Aveiro has quite an affordable cost of living, particularly when compared to other large cities in Portugal.

Rental Costs

According to Numbeo, renting a 1-bedroom apartment in Aveiro costs between €500 and €600 per month, excluding utilities. This is cheaper than Porto, where a city centre 1-bedroom apartment costs around €850 per month and around half the cost of Lisbon, where a 1-bedroom rental costs around €1,200 per month.

Purchase Costs

According to Idealista, as of March 2023, the price per metre squared when purchasing a property was €2,478. This is significantly cheaper than Lisbon, where the price per metre squared was €5,193.

Weather

Transportation

Because Aveiro is quite compact, you don’t really need to think too much about getting around: you can easily walk between the attractions in the city centre. There are only really two attractions that are a little further away: the salt marshes (possible to walk or cycle to) and the nearby town of Costa Nova (easy to get to by bus).

Aveiro has a train station, which makes it easy to get to nearby cities like Coimbra and Porto as well as further away destinations like Lisbon and Faro. There’s also a bus station. From here you can get local buses to nearby destinations like Costa Nova as well as to cities that are a little further away.

The fastest trains from Aveiro to Lisbon take a little over 2 hours. The fastest trains to Porto take around 47 minutes.

Porto Airport is around 79 km (49 miles) away from Aveiro, which takes roughly 1 hour by car. Lisbon Airport is around 248.0 km (154 miles), which takes roughly 2 hours and 20 minutes by car. This distance is fine for flying occasionally, but those that want to take regularly flights may want to choose a location that’s slightly closer to Lisbon or Porto Airport.

Schools

There are lots of school options in and around Aveiro, including public and private schools. There are no international schools in Aveiro. The nearest private schools are in Porto.

There are several well-rated schools in the Aveiro district, such as Colégio das Terras de Santa Maria and Colégio de Nossa Senhora da Assunção. These are located within 30-40 minutes drive of Aveiro City Centre.

Similar Locations

As well as Aveiro, there are a few other small-sized cities that are worth considering, like:

• Braga
• Coimbra
• Setúbal
• Leiria
• Faro