# Considering a job in Lisbon



## QZM (Nov 3, 2017)

Hello all,

I've received a job offer from a company that does celebrity newswriting based in Lisbon. The thing is, I'm not 100% sure I should take it. A couple qualms about the work itself aside, I'm not sure if the budgeting will work out. 

They're offering me something in the neighborhood of 24,500 Euros a year, but when I try to mock up a budget I'm running into some difficulties. I'm not sure what that will look like post-tax (I'm apparently in the 37% income tax bracket?) and some prices aren't clear. How my US taxes play into things is also kind of murky.

Going by the usual adage that you should spend roughly 1/3 of your take home on rent, I should have around 330 Euros a month, not counting utilities. But I'm not sure if that rule of thumb applies in Portugal.

So, I ask you: Should I, a 25 year old American white guy consider making this move for that salary? Or would I find myself living hand-to-mouth with low savings and little discretionary spending?

I'm looking into getting more info about certain aspects of the job, but I know that it likely won't be a source of great personal fulfillment but also not a major stressor. Ideally I'd like live somewhat bohemian and pursue some personal creative projects in my time off.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Minimum wage is about €550 per month & if nothing else it's a great life experience. 

Do it!


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

Only you can decide, only you will know what you expect and only you will know what you will accept.. Easy enough to find costs for food, water, electric and rent if you know where you are looking to be. Different parts of Lisbon and different. A shared house with 8 other people n a "student" area or a detached villa near the beach? For most young Europeans with a bit of freedom would just go there and have a " reserve" (maybe a parent) in case after 6 months it doesn't work and they need to go home/elsewhere. If you can't live on a before tax income of 24k a year when the average salary (May 2017) in Lisbon is around 860 euros then don't come here. All the impotent information is easily available so why not make your own decision based on it as no-one else can make the decision for you.


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