We already fell in love with Lisbon the first time we visited, but it took us years to eventually move here. Not only is moving abroad a big step, it also comes with a lot of preparations. After living in Lisbon for almost two years we discovered some things we wish we knew sooner… In this blog we share everything you need to know before you move to Lisbon!
What you need to know before you move to Lisbon
As you probably know, Lisbon is very attractive. It’s difficult to not fall in love instantly with it’s beauty, the rich history, the amazing architecture, the sun, the beaches, the delicious pastel de Nata’s and the warmth of the Portuguese people. Despite this, there’s also some things you need to be aware of if you decide to move to Lisbon:
1. Finding an apartment in Lisbon
Since Lisbon has gotten extremely popular over the last 10 years, this definitely has it’s effect on the housing market as well. Especially since the government has been really royal with providing visas, such as the Golden Visa, to attract foreign investment.
Over the last +- 5 years, rent prices have surged by over 40% to 70% and finding an affordable place to stay has become a lot more difficult – especially with a Portuguese salary (which is sadly one of the lowest in the European Union). This is obviously causing a lot of dissatisfaction and division in the country.
Also for foreigners it has become more difficult to find an apartment. It’s important to be extra careful when something looks too good to be true or when a landlord is asking for an extremely unrealistic amount of money for a deposit. Make sure to always view the place before signing anything (if you can’t do the viewing in person you can maybe do it via facetime), since pictures of an apartment might not match the reality.
Unfortunately this happens a lot and it’s also something we spoke about on our episode about how to find an apartment in Lisbon, where we share how we found our apartments here.
2. Be aware of mold in apartments
If you decide to move to Lisbon and you’re going to start viewing apartments, it’s important to check if an apartment has signs of mold. Mold is a huge problem in Portugal, since the winters are quite humid, due to periods of heavy rain and the city being surrounded by a lot of water (the Atlantic Ocean). Especially older (unrenovated) buildings are sensitive to develop mold and it is really hard to get rid of!
April has unfortunately had some really bad experience with mold in her previous apartment, which caused a lot of health issues as well.. The mold was literally growing on every item in her house and it was so bad she had to leave the place.
If you want to know more about the mold issue in Portugal, we wrote a detailed blog on how to recognize if an apartment has mold and how to battle mold.
3. Learning Portuguese
However a lot of Portuguese people in Lisbon speak English really well, learning Portuguese is a smart move. Not only out of respect for the country you live in, but it will help you a lot with the daily things and getting around. Sometimes speaking Portuguese can be necessary (for example, Anna had an electrician coming over to fix something and she had to handle everything in Portuguese).
In regards to learning Portuguese, there are several options. You can take classes at a language school, or learn with a private teacher. What we struggled with in the beginning is knowing whether a school or teacher is really trustworthy, especially when you don’t know anyone who has used them before.
That’s where Locallista comes in: It’s a platform that connects expats with trusted local professionals, all reviewed by other foreigners living in Lisbon. Anna found a Portuguese teacher she immediately connected with, within minutes of using the platform!
What is Locallista and how can it help expats in Lisbon?
Locallista is a platform that connects foreigners living abroad with trusted, local professionals across 150+ categories, from language teachers and accountants to hairdressers, plumbers, and party planners. Every provider is reviewed by fellow expats, and businesses must maintain a minimum score of 9/10 to stay listed โ those that fall below are delisted. This means the quality bar is genuinely high, unlike most generic review platforms.
What makes Locallista unique:
- Free to use for expats
- Invite-only (quality-controlled)
- Available in Lisbon, Barcelona, and Madrid
- All providers reviewed by fellow expats
- Businesses must maintain a minimum score of 9/10 or they are delisted
- 150+ categories, including language teachers, accountants, cleaners, hairdressers, plumbers, and more
What we love about Locallista is that it also helps the best local businesses get the recognition they deserve, creating a win for both expats and the local community. If you’re moving to Lisbon, signing up to Locallista is one of the first things we’d recommend doing!
4. Making friends in Lisbon
Lastly you really need to know that making friends in Lisbon is a lot easier than you might think. What is really amazing about Lisbon is that there’s many cool events to meet new people. Whether you love going on hikes, going to the beach, crafting, boardgames, reading, discovering new restaurants, yoga or padel – there are events for basically anything. This way it’s super easy to find likeminded people!
We also met through an event: we went to a girls dinner in a Georgian restaurant and we talked all night long! Our favorite platform to find events in Lisbon is Meetup. We also made an episode about the importance of building community and how to find “your” people when you move to Lisbon.
Making the move to Lisbon: the conclusion
Lisbon is an amazing city with a lot of opportunities, creative people and cool events. There’s always something happening, but because of the laidback Portuguese lifestyle, the sun that’s almost always shining and the beaches nearby, Lisbon still has a very chill and relaxed vibe. We can’t think of a reason not to move to Lisbon – seriously. This is your call to go for it!
โฌ
What else do people really need to know before they move to Lisbon?
