Costs of living in Lisbon, Portugal?

[LeRainDrop]

An opportunity has come up for me to stay in a friend's place in Lisbon, Portugal for about one month, taking care of his pet and his home while he travels.  I've never been to Portugal, but I love travel, especially when I can stay somewhere awhile and soak up some of the culture. Other than learning some basic Portuguese phrases in the next few weeks, I would need to rely on speaking English or Spanish.  Since this possibility just popped up, and I'm trying to make a decision so quickly, I wonder if by considering committing to this, I'm just being impulsive in a bad way or if this is serendipity.  The questions that come to mind at the moment are:

(1) What are the costs of living in Lisbon?  My home would be covered, so I'm really wondering more about restaurants, groceries, public transport, etc.

(2) Is it okay to essentially rely on speaking English or Spanish there?  Or do you think that will cause me too much trouble?  If so, which language is more prevalent.  There's only so much Portuguese I'd be able to learn in the few weeks before I head over there.

(3) If you have lived or traveled there, can you please share your experience or impression of what the city was like?  Would this be somewhere you'd like to hang around for a month?

Thanks!

[Villanelle]

I was there in late 2015, and found it to be very inexpensive. While I speak some Spanish, I relied on English (and the few polite phrases I learned in Portugese), and it was just fine, although I didn't stray too far from touristy areas.  But we definitely shopped in regular grocery stores, as at some off-the-tourist-path hole in the wall restaurants, etc. 

DH and I lived in germany for 34 months, and traveled extensively (32 countries in that time).  Lisbon was one of a handful of cities that we said we could absolutley see ourselves choosing to live in someday.  In fact, that possibility might be on the table in the future and I'd be thrilled.  It's hard to articulate what it was that made us feel that way.  We visited to many great cities, but few of them were places we would want to live.  Lisbon had fewer big ticket tourist sites, but the vibe just resonated with us.  And the low COL was certainly a factor as well. 

[Capsu78]

One of the better bargains in the EU- at least those locations that are interesting and beautiful. 

[Brother Esau]

Wife and I were just there this past May.
1. Very affordable especially restaurants and the food and service was great.
2. We were totally fine just speaking English although we did start to pick up a bit of the language.
3. People were very nice and we are already planning our next trip back there.

[MrSal]

Im portuguese and lived in Lisbon so I can help.

Affordability is great...super cheap most things. For an American, youll find that having fun and going out is quite cheap. A full meal with soup, entree, dessert, coffee and juice/beer during lunch hours can be had for as cheap as 7 dollars and these are not fast food places.

At night prices go up but not by a lot... you can go to a restaurant and pay 10-15 dollars a person depending if you have wine or not and what place you go to.

Plenty of trendy nice places that are cheap.

Transportation is cheap. You can have a monthly pass for about 30-40 dollars that enables you to ride the bus/subway/train system.

Alcohol is cheap. Even in bars at night, Bairro Alto, you can have a pint for about 1 dollar ... on trendy night clubs, beer is usually 3 dollars and hard liquor (vodka, whiskey etc) sits around 6-7 dollars.

Gasoline on the other hand is expensive at around 6 dollars per gallon.

Lots of things to do for cheap or free... if housing is covered, if you spend 700 dollars in 1 month youll do A LOT!

Groceries are cheap - think sirloin for about 3 dollars a lb... seafood is cheap...

If you want, you can contact me directly and ill let you know all the good places that a local would go and trips around Lisbon or even outside lisbon that you can go...

If needed you can even rent a car as cheap as 2 dollars per day and travel a bit around Portugal, which is worthwhile in the little villages and towns to the south and north as well.

The vibe is great... most people, or at least the new generation up to 30ish years old... what is common is people getting together in the many gardens and lookout spots where people gather and have some snacks or wine/beer ...most bring their own wine/beer which is bought from the grocery store since is cheaper. Wine you can buy for 2 dollars a bottle good wines...

Actually, one of the Portuguese wines that made the top 5 of best wines in the world for Wine Enthusiast magazine or something, costs 3 dollars ... :D

A locals/tour guide with lots of info is this:

http://www.lisbonlux.com/

[Zamboni]

Lisbon is wonderful, this is a tremendous opportunity for you!

Having traveled there and driven through the countryside (from Lisbon to Spain and back, stopping in a few villages along the way), I can say that if you have both English and Spanish, you will be able to talk with many people without any problem.

Zamboni is jealous . . .

[Zikoris]

I just went there last month for vacation. Super nice place. I'd definitely be down to live there for awhile. English is widely spoken, it's affordable, and very, very beautiful. There are beaches a very short train ride away that are stunning. You'll end up with legs and ass of steel from the constant hill climbing.

[fluffmuffin]

DO IT! Lisbon is absolutely wonderful. You should be able to get by with English and Spanish with no problems, as long as you know a few phrases in Portuguese to be polite. It's also really affordable--definitely the cheapest country in Western Europe. If you have access to a kitchen, you can eat SO cheaply. Restaurants also aren't outrageous (although pro tip: if the servers put cheese, bread, or any other snacks on the table before you order, and you eat them, you will be expected to pay for them), and there are lots of great bakeries where you can pick up sweet or savory pastries for a euro or two. There's a ton to do in the area that's cheap and easily accessible by public transportation. As others have mentioned, Lisbon just has this--vibe about it. It's beautiful, it's approachable, it's welcoming, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. Unlike some other Western European capitals, it's a really easy place to live and enjoy.

MrSal has some great recommendations; I'm not Portuguese, but I lived in Lisbon for five months and would be happy to talk you through some other specific recommendations, so please feel free to PM me!

[LeRainDrop]

Wow!  Thank you all so much for the incredibly helpful responses!  It sounds to me like this is serendipity after all, and I am planning to accept.  I also really appreciate the offer for additional help via PM, and I surely will reach out to a few of you in the next couple weeks as this trip gets closer.

[MrSal]

I am biased because Im Portuguese... but Lisbon is unique. I consider it the best place to live in the world or one of the best places in terms of ambiance, things to do... beauty etc.

And all my foreign friends say the same thing... even well traveled friends that have been to Rome, Paris, Barcelona and everywhere else say there is just something about it.

You'll love your stay... take advantage of food...go to local markets... have lots of sea food, fish... meats...

The only bad thing i can see happening to you is you won;t want to leave :D

[EconDiva]

Not much to add in terms of advice but I went last December and fell in love.

Planning another trip in September...can't wait to see the Algarve region and Porto.  May also revisit Lisbon and Sintra as well.  Love the food there and the people were so nice. 

[fluffmuffin]

Nothing like having a goal to work towards, terran!

[Irishtache]

Posting to follow. We're heading over to Lisbon end September, then down to Algarve to stay with a friend for a few
days.

LeRainDrop: if you get there in the meantime, would you consider updating this thread with your recommendations for restaurants, sightseeing tips etc? Thanks, IT

[SunshineAZ]

I had the good fortune to live in Cascais, Portugal (about 20 minutes from Lisbon) for 2 1/2 years, I picked up a little Portuguese, but did fine with mostly speaking English.  Please, don't pass up this opportunity, Portugal is a great country and has wonderful people.  The costs are lower than most parts of Europe and the wine is fantastic!  Also, Seville is only a 4 hour drive and makes a great weekend trip and make sure you visit Sintra and explore the coast of Portugal it is very beautiful. You will have a wonderful time. 

[Zikoris]

I had the good fortune to live in Cascais, Portugal (about 20 minutes from Lisbon) for 2 1/2 years, I picked up a little Portuguese, but did fine with mostly speaking English.  Please, don't pass up this opportunity, Portugal is a great country and has wonderful people.  The costs are lower than most parts of Europe and the wine is fantastic!  Also, Seville is only a 4 hour drive and makes a great weekend trip and make sure you visit Sintra and explore the coast of Portugal it is very beautiful. You will have a wonderful time.

How was the cost of living in Cascais? We visited there briefly in June and thought it would be a lovely place to hang out for a while post-fire.

[SunshineAZ]

I had the good fortune to live in Cascais, Portugal (about 20 minutes from Lisbon) for 2 1/2 years, I picked up a little Portuguese, but did fine with mostly speaking English.  Please, don't pass up this opportunity, Portugal is a great country and has wonderful people.  The costs are lower than most parts of Europe and the wine is fantastic!  Also, Seville is only a 4 hour drive and makes a great weekend trip and make sure you visit Sintra and explore the coast of Portugal it is very beautiful. You will have a wonderful time.

How was the cost of living in Cascais? We visited there briefly in June and thought it would be a lovely place to hang out for a while post-fire.

It has been over 15 years since I lived there and when I did it was for work, so they paid rent, gas, utilities, etc.  If I remember correctly, the apartment that I was in was $1250 a month, but it was a very nice 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment right on the ocean.  My phone was pre-paid and the rates were much less than in the US, especially for long distance.  And that was just when texting was just really becoming the big thing and it was free, so texting was the primary thing the locals used on their phones. I was amazed when I came back to the US and found out they were charging for each individual text. 

We ate out a lot, but I remember food being relatively cheap, however we usually had a bottle of wine, which obviously increased the bill. I know that it is easy to find places where the locals go where the food is cheaper.  The town I lived in (Cascais) probably cost more because of the tourists.  I remember that at the coffee shops an espresso was around .50 euros.  I do remember it being MUCH cheaper than anywhere else we went in Europe, I about had a heart attack when we went to dinner in Paris.  LOL

Off topic, but interesting side note:  The coolest thing that I loved in Portugal was how you paid your bills.  You would get a bill in the mail with a special code on it and you could go to an ATM, and directly pay your bill using the code and the money would be directly deducted from your bank account. It was super easy.  Also, you would put credit on your phone the same way, you just went to a special menu on the ATM and put in your phone number and how much money you wanted to put on the account.  A few minutes later you would get a text confirming the transaction. 

[LeRainDrop]

Please, don't pass up this opportunity, Portugal is a great country and has wonderful people.

Oh, I'm not passing it up!  I committed to my friend and bought my plane ticket on Wednesday night :-)  I'll be able to take some day trips, but still need to get back to Lisbon each night since I'm taking care of his dog.

LeRainDrop: if you get there in the meantime, would you consider updating this thread with your recommendations for restaurants, sightseeing tips etc?

Sure, I can do that!  I'll arrive there in late August.

[Rubic]

Justin at Root of Good has just posted an article about his 5 days in Lisbon:

http://rootofgood.com/castles-lisbon-portugal/

[MountainTown]

My wife has cousins there who would put us up. We were thinking about going there for a "let's go on vacation before kids" trip....


Starting to sway me...

[Drole]

Definitely go.

English is fine is lisbon and the algarve is full of British expats, all the little villages are too.

Prices are amazingly cheap.

Go-go-go!

[Irishtache]

Justin at Root of Good has just posted an article about his 5 days in Lisbon:

http://rootofgood.com/castles-lisbon-portugal/

Invaluable link. Many thanks.

[Brother Esau]

Posting to follow. We're heading over to Lisbon end September, then down to Algarve to stay with a friend for a few
days.

LeRainDrop: if you get there in the meantime, would you consider updating this thread with your recommendations for restaurants, sightseeing tips etc? Thanks, IT

The food, service, etc at Beach Bar Burgau near Lagos in the Algarve was great. The beach at Marinha was beautiful.

[MrSal]

Cascais is a great town.

I grew up there. It's a richy area, very OC like. A lot of the big families and good families live there.

It's cheap. 1250 dollars for rent there for a 2 bedroom was expensive. Probably they overcharged the user above knowing he was foreigner.

15 years ago, my apartment was in a richy part of cascais near Costa da Guia, right on the ocean and rents were around 800 dollars for a 1600 sq ft apartment 3 bedroom with private garage box.

Cascais is/was cheaper. If you go to the centre of Cascais by Largo Camoes, since it targets more the tourists then its pricier but thos erestaurants are just ok for our standards (although most foreigners that go there still love them).

You can buy a full meal along with wine for 15-20 dollars at most.

Of course if you go to luxurious restaurants such as Porto Sta Maria then you can easily drop a 50-70 dollars per person ... but then you will be eating in a Michelin restaurant and having lobster above the ocean.

Cascais is great I love it... its the perfect town to grow up as a kid. Its big with lots to do, but still have the village/town quaint feeling where everyone knows everyone. And is still close to Lisbon like a 20 minute train ride and you have all the nice beaches around.

Prices however the past 3-4 years in termos of RE have been on the rise and so are rents...

[Irishtache]

The food, service, etc at Beach Bar Burgau near Lagos in the Algarve was great. The beach at Marinha was beautiful.[/quote]

We ate there 3 years ago!! Lovely food. Idyllic location!!

[SunshineAZ]

MrSal:  How lucky for you to grow up in Cascais.  For reference regarding the apartment, it was furnished and located on Ave. Manuel Julio Carvalho E Costa a short walk to the bull ring.  And yes there probably was an "American" tax for us, being it was a large well known company. 

We loved going to the swap meet at the bull ring every month and eating the bread with the sausages.  Also, our favorite restaurants were Casa Velha and Prazeres da Carne which was less than a block from the apartment.  We also hung out a Checkers a lot.  :) 

[LeRainDrop]

Now that I've been in Lisbon a bit over two weeks, I'm just dropping back in quickly to say that I am LOVING my time here! The city and the surrounding areas are so beautiful, the people have been so kind, transport is easy, and the weather is pretty much perfect. Thank you very much to everyone who weighed in on this thread. I can very easily see why you have such positive things to say about this area!