# Possibly relocating to lisbon from Miami, fl



## jenjen2712 (Jun 15, 2013)

Hello! Happy to join the forum! Hoping somebody can help us out.

My husband works in technology for a really good company. They have made us an offer to relocate to Lisbon, Portugal. We have never been to Portugal and know very little about the country. We have three children 16, 14 & 11. We are trying to get our arms around the concept to see if its something that we can realistically do. Even though the company culture is really great, the new salary they offered is a big drop, even for the adjusted cost of living in Lisbon. The numbers don't seem to make sense, based on the research we have done so far. My other concerns are schools, health care and the language. 

Any advice or guidance you can provide would be really great!


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## anapedrosa (Mar 21, 2011)

That is a big jump with a family.

Your income taxes would be higher, but as an employee, I assume your husband would pay into the social security system, which would provide the family with the benefits of the National Health Care system. I assume that your children would go to one of the international schools, so you would need to factor in the cost of the school. 
With instruction, the children would likely learn the language quickly, generally children under 12 pick up language easier. Portuguese is not an easy language to learn, though if you speak Spanish it would help. 

Is it possible to establish an agreement with the company for an option to renew or bring you back after a specific term (e.g. a year) - a back door if you will?

Regardless of the money, it will be a large cultural change, I can understand your caution.


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## jenjen2712 (Jun 15, 2013)

Thank you for your reply. Yes we will have the benefits of the National Health Care but from what I understand we will need to purchase private insurance for dental, vision and orthodontics. I have no idea of what that will cost and have not been able to find much information about this online. I understand the cultural differences and language will be a hurdle but those can be over come with the right attitude  and the company is providing us with language tutors. The pay cut is huge and we are having a hard time working the numbers and trying to figure out the cost differences between Miami, fl and Lisbon. Basically they offered 60,000eur and from the research we have done we feel it can be done on 72,000eur. So I guess what I need to know can a family of 5 live comfortably on 72,000eur per year? and if anyone has information on private insurance in Portugal please send it my way. Thank You!!!


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## anapedrosa (Mar 21, 2011)

Hopefully someone who has direct experience with health care will come on and answer. from my parents experience, health care costs are less than Canada, which is in turn less than the USA. My parents have never had health insurance in Portugal, they use the NHS and find it comparable to Canada and pay for dental and vision. I believe that buying glasses in Portugal is more expensive, so those with a simple prescription opt for online.
I completely agree with the 'right attitude' about moving. 
In terms of the €60k a year, it's more than many people I know make, but it very much depends on your expectations. This site offers a comparison tool: Cost Of Living Comparison


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## oronero (Aug 24, 2012)

Minimum wage rate in Portugal is less than 500 Euros a month!

I know of metal fabricators who bring up families and take home around 1200 Euros per month.

Whether you can survive on 5,000 Euros per month depends on what you do!


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## jenjen2712 (Jun 15, 2013)

I need to figure out the dental and vision insurance since I have 2 in braces and 3 in glasses/contacts. Other questions we have are motorcycle insurance and car insurance. We are not bringing our cars he is bringing his motorcycle though. We would actually like to find an area where owning a car is not necessary. Is this possible? My husbands job would be in Tagus Park, Oeiras. I know it would basically depend on where we live but are there certain areas that have better public transportation than others. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out...Thank You!!!


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## anapedrosa (Mar 21, 2011)

I have cousins live in Oeiras, it's a lovely area, I especially like walking in the Park dos Poetas. 
If you are walking distance to the train you can manage quite a bit without a car, but I don't know anyone with children who do (even my cousins who live on a small income seem to have a car). 
There is a fair bit of administration to importing a car, I'm not sure about a motorbike. Cars are very! expensive in Portugal, we have decided to take ours because of this. 
It may be worth checking if your company will offer assistance with the customs and import requirements (e.g. hire an agent). 

Hopefully someone will come on with dental - vision experience to help you. My intent is to order glasses from the UK. I can offer that my mother is having complex dental work done in Portugal and the cost is about 60-70% of what she was quoted here.


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