# Retiring in Portugal



## SAonmove (Apr 13, 2015)

We currently live in South Africa (both my husband I are British). Due to hectic crime etc in SA we've decided to plan our retirement (originally looking at UK but too expensive) and my hubby is very keen on Portugal. We will visit next year but would like some advice on different areas (my husband keen on Algarve as he loves the sunshine).
We both enjoy walking our dogs and spending time outdoors. Would appreciate any advice on:
- Healthcare (can we claim like NHS throughout the country?)
- Property
- Location
- Cost of Living
Any do's and don'ts would also be helpful.
Look forward to receiving any advice


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Georgie

Welcome to the forum. 

3 years ago, my wife and I were in exactly the same position as you are now and we came to the same conclusion and haven't regretted it at all........ We still miss Africa and especially miss our friends there but we wouldn't go back for all the tea in China. 

We considered the Algarve but decided it was too 'Little Britain' for our tastes and we ended up in the central zone where our winters are slightly chillier than we were used to in the Lowveld and summers are similar or possibly slightly hotter. 

Healthcare: Getting the more or less free Portuguese NHS care seems to vary a bit from area to area but we get it in our area. 

Property and location: I can't advise about the whole country but if you take a look at the site in my signature line and then click on the tab marked 'About Central Portugal' and then the fly offs that appear, you'll see what my area is like. 

As far as property prices are concerned, in my area, you can find somewhere habitable but could be improved for something in the region of €50k and possibly slightly less........... and of course, prices go up from there. 

Cost of living: That largely depends on how you choose to live of course and there's lots of price comparison sites on the net but truth be told, the best way to find out is to come for a visit if you're able to. 

Just a few prices that spring to mind are:

Diesel €1.15/litre
Meat from about €2.99/kg
Onions €0.50/kg from the local market
Gas €25/bottle and a bottle lasts 2 of us about 3 weeks. (We cook electric)
Water €15-20/month and we probably use more than most people need to.
Electricity €120/month but we do cook electric and I cook a LOT! LOL
Winter heating €4-5 per 16 hour burn. 

Costs for many things will largely depend on size of house and usage of energy etc....... we have a friend who has a smaller house than we do and apparently likes to live in a fridge and his running costs are just a fraction of mine........... all that time in Africa has meant I like to be WARM in winter LOL

Hope that helps.


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## SAonmove (Apr 13, 2015)

Thanks soooo much for your reedback - It really is appreciated. Lots of homework for us to do, but sounding positive. How do you feel about the crime in Portugal? Is there much?


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Crime obviously varies according to area but as a general rule of thumb, there's probably more crime in the areas of higher population. 

As an example, my cousin who lives in the Algarve has been burgled twice in the last two or three years but crime in my area is pretty much non existent and violent crime in this area IS non existent.

The locals here are very much more likely to give you things such as surplus home produced veggies and wine etc than take something you forgot to put away. 

I've gotta say that after so many years of living in SA and having to constantly be aware of the situation around you it's a refreshing change not to have to worry about such things.


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## SAonmove (Apr 13, 2015)

Sorry to use you as a sounding board - but can you give me ideas for Central Portugal - areas to live which are not too distant from shops, airports etc. Also would you HAVE to speak Portugese to live in these areas? Hoping you can assist


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Not a problem at all..... I'm glad to be of help. 

All of the central zone is really nice and as you'll see from the site in my signature line, we're about equidistant between Figueiro Dos Vinhos, Pedrogao Grande and Cantanhera Da Pera and can get to any of them within about 15 minutes driving and between those three towns there is pretty much everything you could possibly need from supermarkets to doctor's surgeries to filling stations etc etc etc.......... Gotta say the supermarkets in those 3 towns are adequate but not great........ but if you want better ones you can drive to Pombal which is about a 45 minute drive away...... Nearest A&E is in Figueiro Dos Vinhos (10 minutes away) and there's a larger hospital a bit like what used to be the old cottage hospitals in the UK in Avelar (20 minutes away) and two really big hospitals in Coimbra which is less than an hour away. 

Nearest international airports are Lisbon & Porto and each is about 2 hours away with good roads all the way. 

As for language....... I only speak what you might call coffee shop or supermarket Portuguese and I've never had a problem at all.......... you might need to be a bit inventive on occasion such as draw a pic of what you want or you might even need an Ipad with translator program but language really isn't as much of a problem as many people imagine it will be......... there's usually someone around who speaks English.


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## SAonmove (Apr 13, 2015)

Thanks again for feedback (so quickly as well). OK will start some 'googling' around those areas. Much appreciated. Will check our your link also now.


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