“Safe, cheap and with outstanding healthcare”, Portugal is once again being enthusiastically promoted in countries where retirees (and possibly others) are considering their options.
And according to International Living – the online magazine rating ‘retirement havens’ – Portugal is the “top spot for the best destination”.
In a Top 10 ranking, this tiny country has been singled out for wealthy Americans ahead of Panama (in 2nd place), Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Malaysia, Spain, France and Vietnam.
Promotional articles extolling on the “really extraordinary” quality of life here, stress that retiring to a foreign country “is growing in popularity” among Americans.
According to ‘government data’ from across the Pond, the number of retirees collecting Social Security cheques outside the US “surpassed 400,000 in 2017”, says International Livinfg.
Those looking to spend their ‘golden years overseas will enjoy (Portugal’s) mediterranean climate, sandy beaches and seafood cuisine’.
“The quality of life in Portugal is really extraordinary”, says editor Jennifer Stevens. “I think people have this perception that it costs a lot to live in Europe because maybe they go on vacation there and they think that it’s going to be really expensive to live there. But it’s surprisingly affordable when you live like a local.”
Compared to life in the U.S., International Living’s Portugal correspondent Tricia Pimental spends roughly one-third less on expenses in Portugal. She says “you can live a comfortable, although not extravagant, lifestyle for about $2,500 a month (a little over €2,200).”
Yahoo finance online picks up on the story, calling Portugal a “safe, friendly European haven with cosmopolitan cities and many beach towns, internationally acclaimed and affordable healthcare and the lowest cost of living in Western Europe”.
The only slightly moot point is in the ranking’s “Visa & Residency” category – “meaning it’s not easy to get a permanent residence”.
But when it comes to climate, healthcare, housing and the overall friendliness of the Portuguese people, this country wins ‘hands down’, helped considerably by the fact that it is considered the “second most affordable country in Europe and the third safest country in the world”, gushes Inside Hook.
It has to be said the ‘statistics’ are not totally borne out online.
According to updated information, Portugal is in fact the 8th most affordable country in Europe – in a ranking led by Romania, followed by Hungary, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Latvia and Slovakia. But according to ‘farandwide.com’, it is indeed the country with the friendliest people in which “94 percent of expats say the country has a friendly attitude towards out-of-towners”.
