Elizabeth Loves Her Retirement in Portugal
Category: International Retirement
With Elizabeth Varadan
May 8, 2023 — Special thanks to the expat writer Elizabeth Varadan for this fascinating interview about how she loves her retirement in Portugal. It sure makes it seem like Portugal is a great place to retire.
Q. Why and when did you decide to have your retirement in Portugal?
A. We vacationed for many years in Galicia, a region of Spain north of Portugal. On one visit, I decided to write a cozy mystery and set it in Portugal, since so many cozies abroad are set in France or Spain. A map showed that Braga was only about 2 to 3 hours away from Galicia, so I decided to set my story there. After an exploratory trip, we fell in love with Portugal, and after repeated trips and two books, we decided to retire there. In the midst of our research, I also stumbled upon casino zonder cruks beste uibetaling — a topic that caught my interest due to its connection to the growing gaming industry in Europe. We liked everything about Portugal: the art, museums, and events. People are welcoming and friendly. It’s very family-oriented. Parents take their kids everywhere, and you can see the mutual affection and closeness. The cost of living is reasonable, and it’s also a non-violent culture, which resonated with us, given the escalating gun violence in America.
Q: Did you consider other countries for a U.S. retirement?
A: We considered Galicia, Spain originally, but by the time we looked into it at retirement age we were too old to get health insurance, and Spain won’t let you migrate without health insurance. We liked Galicia. When we discovered Portugal, we were delighted to find out they have similar cultures. We also have friends in both places and can go back and forth.
Q: Was it easy for you to become a resident in Portugal – or are you on some type of visa?
We are on a D-7 visa, which gives us temporary residency for the next five years, (renewable at 2-yr intervals, and then 1 yr.) It was easy for us, because we went through an immigration attorney.
Q: How would you rate the expense of living in Portugal vs. where you were in the U.S?
A: It’s less expensive. We lived in California, which has always been one of the more expensive states in the U.S., but we went back for a visit last summer and were shocked at how much prices had risen for everything. (Note: Portugal has the 65th highest cost of living in the world, well below the U.S. in 12th place.)
Q: What type of home do you live in, and would you say it is a good deal, expensive, or somewhere in the middle?
A: We own a three-bedroom-2 bath-flat on the ground floor, about 1250 sq. feet, plus it has a small glassed-in balcony. By Portuguese economy, it would be expensive for some locals. Compared to California costs, it was incredibly reasonable for us.
Q:Do you speak Portuguese?
A: No, we don’t, but we are learning. We have a tutor we meet with once a week for 2 to 2&1/2 hours and are making progress. It’s a difficult language, though, and, after two years we are far from fluent, but we now are able to have mini conversations.
Q: Are you running into other expat American or other retirees?
A: We do know one other American couple we like very much. They are from our area of California, in fact. I’ve also joined a couple of expat societies, but truthfully I hardly ever post in them or read posts. What my husband and I want is to enjoy Portuguese culture and interact with locals. We have a nice circle of Portuguese friends, and we prefer not to become part of an “Americans abroad” circle. Otherwise, why come to another country?
Q: What town or city did you choose in Portugal? Is it a good place to retire?
A: Braga. It’s the third largest city in Portugal but still a small city as cities go. We love the art and cultural events here. It’s a “garden city”; there are many scenic gardens to enjoy, just walking around. An historic theater shows both movies and live events. There are museums, including an archeological museum. Beautiful architecture. (My husband’s second love after engineering is photography.) Open-air esplanades; café tables filled with families and friends in good weather. It’s also probably one of the safest cities in Europe. You can walk at midnight or even 2:00 a.m. without no worries. We do it all the time after a late night performance.
Q: How does the medical care in Portugal compare to the U.S.?
A: We have been impressed. We have national coverage automatically, and we’ve also taken out private insurance in a hospital system nearby. We added this private insurance because it’s easier to get appointments than with the national, although we have a very good family doctor through the national. We had Kaiser in California, and the hospital program reminds us of their program, offering both care and the insurance to cover it. The premiums for each of us are low, and what we pay for appointments is similar to our co-pay for Kaiser appointments. We also love it that we can walk to appointments.
Q: What would you say are the pluses/bonuses of living in Portugal?
A: The bonuses are many if you like art and music, impromptu street performances, friendly people, kids and dogs (they are everywhere), gardens, an unstressed view of life, physical safety, all on an affordable budget. Since we live within walking distance of the historical area, we walk to all of these things (a great health bonus), as well as the markets, the pharmacy, cafes and restaurants, the hospital, whatever and wherever. In California we had to drive everywhere for everything.
Q: Any drawbacks to living in Portugal, and were they unexpected?
A: Language is the main thing. A number of people in the historical area and shops and hospitals do speak English, so one could get by without learning Portuguese. But we do want to learn the language, and our attempts have unlocked a lot of doors, so to speak. People are so pleased by our interest that we have “helpers” everywhere, coaching us.
Q: Anything you miss about the US by living in Portugal?
A: What I miss (apart from friends and family) is writing-related: I belong to Sisters in Crime and the local Sacramento chapter, Capitol Crimes. I used to go to the monthly meetings; they have wonderful speakers and the members are delightful to know. From abroad, occasionally I can Zoom one of those meetings, but it does mean staying up for a 9-11 pm (Portugal time) meeting. Likewise, two poetry groups I belong to present the same challenge.
The other thing I miss is bookstores in English. I’m a bookstore junkie. Some of the stores here have English sections, and some are bigger than others, but normally I’m the kind of browser who can spend half a day in a bookstore! Happily, I do have writing friends I still exchange manuscripts with. In all other areas, I am happy to be here.
Q: Would you recommend Portugal to others, and if so, what advice would you give them?
A: Yes we both would heartily recommend Portugal. But we also recommend going through an immigration attorney who can handle all the paperwork.
Q: Anything else we should know about how much you love your retirement in Portugal?
A: I can’t think of anything you haven’t covered.
About Elizabeth Varadan
Elizabeth Varadan writes children’s books, poetry, and adult fiction. For many years she and her husband traveled to Braga, Portugal, initially for research on two cozy mysteries, Deadly Vintage and Deadly Verse (later published by Belanger Books). Captivated by Portugal, in February of 2021 they moved to Braga.
Her children’s fiction and poetry have appeared in Ladybug, Friends, and Skipping Stones Magazine. Her children’s books have been published by Belanger Books and MX Publishing. Her poetry chapbook, Saudade, Thirty Poems of Longing, was published by Finishing Line Press. For a full listing of her books, please visit her Amazon Author Page below.
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Comments on "Elizabeth Loves Her Retirement in Portugal"
Laraine Carver says:
Mitty and Rejan have become fast friends to Bob and I. We love Braga just as they do and immigrated 3 1/2 years sgo.
Natalie says:
Thanks for sharing about why you chose to retire in Portugal. I'm glad the process was easy for you. And it's good tip to consider health insurance coverage, especially as we get older.
Tony says:
Pleasant read, but, as usual, no mention of income taxes. The good news is Portugal has an income tax treaty with the USA to help avoid double taxation, but it’s not a guarantee you won’t be double taxed. Unless you renounce your US citizenship, you still have to file taxes with both countries every year, and the IRS will decide how to apply the tax treaty-for or against you. People with deep pockets may not care, but for average people the devil is in the details.
Admin says:
That is interesting Tony. We checked and you are correct, Portugal does have an International tax treaty on dual taxation. According to https://www.greenbacktaxservices.com/country-guide/portugal-taxes-for-expats/ that means you shouldn't have to pay taxes in both countries. But that might hinge on whether you are a resident, non-resident, or "habitual" resident. Like you say, the devil is in the details. If your income is relatively low, it shouldn't be too painful either way.
Tony says:
Thanks Admin:
I appreciate hearing from Elizabeth. Her and her husband have spent many years visiting Portugal before moving there. It was not an impulsive decision and that will likely increase their chances of it becoming a permanent move. However, I would like to hear from some people who took the plunge and then threw in the towel and returned to the USA, what some experts call Boomerang expats, or as I simply call Repats. You almost never hear from this bunch, I suppose, because who wants to talk about their losses? I read that most people who leave come back to the US within 5 years. I’ve done a lot of research on this, and it amazes me how most articles are overloaded with cockeyed optimism. I know as Americans, we suffer from optimism bias, but hopefully readers keep in mind that most of what you read at websites like International Living and Live and Invest Overseas is written by salespeople.(Can you say conflict of interest?). It also becomes clear from their anecdotes that most of these salespeople and other expats relocated abroad when they were under age 40, usually in their 20s or 30s for a job or to start a business, and then never went home. The chances of moving overseas permanently after age 50 seems pretty low. Why would you go to a lot of trouble and red tape for a temporary move in old age? Probably better to just play tourist. Unless you become quite financially desperate later in life, it seems like a lot of work for a nickel. The State Department does not keep records on most expats and can only make guesstimates to who comes and goes. But i get it- life in the States seems more money grubbing dog eat dog every day, and i don’t blame those who want something better or different in their twilight years. Still, there is something sad about leaving one’s country of birth, but if one has no better choice, it may become inevitable for more and more retirees, regardless of their dreams and schemes.
Elizabeth Varadan says:
I found your reply so interesting Tony. It would be interesting to learn how many "repats" there are. In our case, we went back for three months because we were feeling homesick for what we left behind. But it only took us a month to realize we were actually more homesick for Braga than we had been for Sacramento! So we said our goodbyes and came back to Braga. We are still connected with our family and friends, but find that in our "home stretch", we really appreciate the quieter lifestyle and the less violent culture. Among other things, it's wonderful to walk home after a late night theater performance and feel safe. And there's a certain relaxation that seems typical of the culture here. No matter how short or long the road ahead, this is a nice place to spend it.
LS says:
We just returned from a visit to Spain and Portugal yesterday. It appears that in the big cities, almost everyone lives in an apartment or condo. Detached residences are rare and are for the wealthy or are in the exurbs. That would be an adjustment for most Americans who love their cars. Traffic in the cities is crazy so most people walk, bike, use scooters or take public transportation. Again, very different from most of the US.
Roberta says:
I just think that moving in retirement is highly over rated and pushed at retirees ad nauseam. I fell for it (not out of the country, but far away from friends and family) and have regretted it ever since. I can no longer afford to go back home.
Patricia says:
I love my move from Midwest to Tucson area, but still considering Ecuador or Panama or even Thailand or Vietnam. I love all 4 places. Wish I could do about 12 to 18 months in each. I love the different cultures, so travel a lot now, but feel the pull to move again. I'm truly a nomad at heart and so glad I don't have family to make me feel guilty about the life I love