In this episode we talk about our experiences as a foreigner in Portugal. Are we still welcome? With everything going on in Southern Europe, like digital nomads raising the rent prices and anti tourist issues in Barcelona, it’s an important but sensitive topic in Lisbon as well. We share the moments when we felt like an outsider, interactions with locals that made us smile and times we didn’t really feel welcome. Also we discuss if there’s a difference between the approach you get if you’re a tourist versus if you’re a foreigner living here. We discuss the things foreigners often misunderstand about Portugal and we share how we think foreigners can contribute positively to local communities.
Enjoy listening and don’t forget to rate the podcast and leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform, like Spotify – it will help more hearts find our little corner of the world.
With love, April Betts & Anna Jirina.
About From Lisbon With Love
A podcast about real stories of love, laughter, and life in Lisbon — from women who have left it all behind. We share real stories about moving abroad, starting over and figuring life out along the way. We talk love, dating, friendships, breakups, healing, growing, all of it. Basically, the stuff we usually talk about over coffee ☕️ or vinho 🍷. If you’re thinking about moving to Lisbon, already here or just love honest conversations with heart: you’re in the right place! Learn more about our story here.
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Our experiences as a foreigner in Portugal
So far we’ve mostly had really good experiences as a foreigner in Portugal. This experience can sadly be different depending on where you’re from and if you’re a male or a female, something we also discuss in the episode. Besides some small encounters we’ve always felt welcome in Portugal. Since we’re living in Lisbon, we can only speak about our experience here and we don’t know how we would feel in another city in Portugal or in smaller villages.
What we didn’t know before moving to Lisbon, is that there is racism here. This is something you might not notice when you visit Lisbon as a tourist, since Lisbon depends a lot on tourism. Also Lisbon is a very multicultural city and at first glance it might seem that everybody is one big happy family, since tourists are still very much welcomed in Lisbon and the Portuguese are really friendly. But when you live in Lisbon for a longer period and when you speak with Portuguese people and different groups of immigrants, you will get to know the depths of it.
In the episode we share our experiences as a foreigner in Portugal just to make you aware, not to discourage you to move to Lisbon. Lisbon is an amazing city where we immediately felt at home and we still very much do!
The cost of living crisis in Portugal
Currently there’s a lot going on here and as a foreigner in Portugal, you really need to know about this. Since 2021/2022 Portugal is facing a huge cost of living and housing crisis. Partly this has to do with post-pandemic inflation on a global level, as it goes for many countries, but the problems in Portugal are deeper rooted. Driven by increased foreign investment, tourism and a shortage of supply, house prices rose drastically with 92%(!) between 2019 and 2025, while average wages grew only 43% during the same period.
If you want to know more about it, you can watch our episode about the cost of living crisis in Portugal.
