# To move or not to move? Monthly revenue/expenses



## federer7

Hello,

My wife (Portugese, 28) and I (Swiss-British, 28) are seriously considering moving to Portugal. We have visited the country a few times and warm to the climate, people and laid-back way of life.
I am self-employed and work from home investing/selling domain names.

My question is this: taking into consideration tax, health insurance and general monthly expenses, is it possible to have a reasonably comfortable life/quality of living with monthly income gross revenue in the €6,000-€8,000 bracket? I have no idea if this is a good/average salary per/couple in Portugal...
We would probably look to rent a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment in the Torres Vedras region (about 20mins from Lisbon).
What kind of quality of life could we expect?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
Best regards,

Fed.


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## paramonte

With that kind of revenue you are much above the average, in fact you will be considered a rich couple, and you may get another spouse (kiding...), but yes that is an high end salary


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## federer7

Thanks for the reassurance....

You still think we'd do OK with about 40% going for tax? I think that is the right % for that salary bracket (?)....


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## paramonte

federer7 said:


> Thanks for the reassurance....
> 
> You still think we'd do OK with about 40% going for tax? I think that is the right % for that salary bracket (?)....


You would be ok unlless you live a life of luxury with a villa in Quinta do Lago, and a Porche, in which case I would be worried.


To give you an example a 3000 Euros (after tax) is the basis salary in PT of a lawyer or an engineer civil servants. However in PT most women have jobs outside the house, so add up their salaries


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## federer7

Thanks - I see there is no need for me to worry too much then - we should be ok - even on the lower end of the scale with €5K or €6K gross income.

How about monthly expenses, what can we expect, on average, to pay for 
- food
- health insurance
- other types of obligatory insurances
- social fees/taxes
- general income tax
- other typical obligatory expenses

with the income stated above?
Just trying to weigh up the likely NET Salary we'll be taking home to see how we'll probably do each month if we decide to move.... with each day that passes, it seems more and more likely that we'll be heading out that way  especially with 300 days of sunshine/year and being able to take my Swiss self-employed salary with me....
I think it would be a lovely, rewarding experience.


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## Sonho

federer7 said:


> Thanks - I see there is no need for me to worry too much then - we should be ok - even on the lower end of the scale with €5K or €6K gross income.
> 
> How about monthly expenses, what can we expect, on average, to pay for
> - food
> - health insurance
> - other types of obligatory insurances
> - social fees/taxes
> - general income tax
> - other typical obligatory expenses


As a 28 year old couple without children, you will do fine. As a 40 year old couple with children in the international school system, it would be a stretch. So, count me in the crowd that doesn't consider you rich.
Food - EUR500 plus wine
Insurances - can't help here
rental - EUR1500
Utilities - EUR300/month

With 7000, you will be roughly taking home 4,200. That leaves about 1900 for various living expenses not covered above plus savings/retirement/holiday.


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## federer7

Thanks for your opinion.

However, rental will no doubt be much cheaper than €1.5K per month. I have seen plenty of very nice 2-3 bedroom apartments in the €450 to €750 range in the region where we are planning on living (Torres Vedras). 
From what I gather, I should be taking home €3K+ after the major expenses...

GROSS SALARY: around €7,500 (sometimes a little higher, sometimes a little lower)
- RENT: €650
- FOOD: €500
- TAX: €2,500

That would leave around €3,850/month.


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