not2old

I understand everything is relative, that folks who have left the UK to live permanently to Portugal do so for a reason.

My question is about 'why Portugal' - not to compare it back to the UK, but more about what keeps you there and what if anything are the annoyances of living in Portugal?

- People, places & things

- Culture shock, communicating with locals, pet peeves

- Local government and/or bureaucracy

- Tax of any kind, including council tax

- Poor services, or lack of ... what are they?

- Safety, crime, yobs

- Healthcare quality. Do you need to pay anything towards it

- Filth & dirt, garbage, noise

- Cost of things that you never expected were so much

- Renting or buying - if you had the choice to do it again, which one?

mfesharne

I've been here in central Portugal for 3 years and can't think of anything serious I don't like or anything I have a problem with..... what you can't buy locally you can usually buy online and the longer you live her, the less the language becomes a problem.

All in all, I love it here and frankly, I'd rather slit my own wrists than go back to the UK to live.

not2old

right then post #2

if you wouldn't mind sharing the following

- How much council rates as well as other municipal service charges are you paying annually?

- For the past 24 months, on average each month per-person, what have you paid in medical care, dental & prescriptions?

- Do you pay medical insurance, if so - how much & what does it cover?

- Across 12 months how much (average per month) are you paying in utilities?

- Are you in a gated facility and/or do you keep bars across your windows or doors - is this something one should consider living in Portugal?

- Is it normal to have ones property equipped with burglar alarms?

mfesharne

We don't pay any municipal rates at all at the moment because when we bought out first house in Portugal as new immigrants we were given a 4 year holiday from rates.

We have UK passports so were able to register with the Portuguese NHS so we get more or less free medical treatment. It costs €5 to see a doc and there is a small prescription charge but not a helluva lot. - Dentists have to be paid for but it's not expensive.... my last trip cost me about €25 for a filling and a clean.

Nope.... we don't pay medical insurance because we get free Portuguese NHS.

Gas for hot water costs us about €25 per month, water costs about €25 per month and electricity (lights and cooking) costs about €110 per month and those costs are for my wife & I in a 2 bedroom house.

For winter heating we use a wood pellet burner linked to a central heating system and that costs us €3 per day for a 16 hour burn.

We're in central Portugal not the Algarve and crime here is pretty much non existent and we rarely even close the doors in summer, let alone lock them (even at night) ...... we do however have a dog that would bark if anyone came onto the premises so we'd know if anyone was around.

In this area at least, burglar alarms are not the norm.

From the little I know about the Algarve, the crime situation isn't anywhere near as good there as it is here.

You probably want to know about other costs as well.

Diesel is about €1.25 per litre

Petrol/Gasoline about (I think) €1.50 per litre

Meat anything from about €3/kg to €15/kg

Wine for me is free but local wines can be bought for about €1/litre

Veggies from the local markets are ridiculously cheap. - I recently paid €0.50 for a kg of runner beans and a similar price for a cabbage.

Oh and we live on a vivenda which is a smallholding and on the edge of the village....... forest on 3 sides and a view of the village on the other....... click the link in my sig and you'll see our location etc. - We live in the renovated barn that is on the side of the main house and the 1st floor of the main house is the guest apartment.

not2old

post #4 thank you

Has anyone had any difficulty with the locals not communicating or speaking English (you know the smile, nod, we don't understand) situation?

not2old

found a link to 'taxes' & it seems the 'municipal' taxes are higher than they are in the UK (council tax) for comparable property values?

Taxes in Portugal

mfesharne

I guess it varies from area to area but in mine, even if they don't speak English, they'll very often find someone who can to make your life easier....... and many will say that English is an international language and Portuguese is not so they understand our problem....... and in theory at least, places like doctor's surgeries are required by law to have an English speaker on the premises. (or so I'm told at my local GPs)

However, all that said, if you do try to speak even a little Portuguese, they really do appreciate it and will welcome your effort.

The only time I've come across a Portuguese person who resented my not speaking Portuguese was a PSP officer in Leiria who was a horrible little specimen that I'm currently trying to take to court for his refusal to allow me to use an official PSP translator who was there to translate an exam paper for me.

mfesharne

I doubt that very much. Rates here are usually considerably lower than the UK in my opinion but will be interested to hear what others think....... but that might be because property prices are considerably lower than the UK.

As an example of both issues. A friend of mine has just bought a small holiday home close to me with 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 lounge and 1 kitchen plus 400 square metres of garden for €36k and his rates are next to nothing.

not2old

post#7 thanks again & appreciate folks answering the 'why Portugal' questions.

I would like to request information on 'water' quality. Is the municipal or well water quality good, bad or indifferent, or do you need to depend on or to have bottled water at hand all the time?

mfesharne

From my experience the water is very good and in this area at least, it's very common to find very good quality spring water available from free taps either in or near the villages.

It tastes even better if 'diluted' with a large dose of good malt whisky! LOL

not2old

post#10 ... that works for me especially a single malt.

to continue ..

Healthcare quality in general. From anyone, what is your personal experience with healthcare services that you received in Portugal ?

How would you rate the doctors, the diagnosis of your condition, treatment, medical facilities, medical staff, hospital care, compared to places you have lived in the UK, or are an expat from living in SA, Canada, OZ, NZ, USA?

Rating: the same, below, better than what I received in the other country?

mfesharne

Both my wife & I have had stays in Coimbra hospital and neither of us could find fault with the care except perhaps for the food. - and my wife used to be theatre/OR sister in the cardio thoracic unit at Guy's hospital in London.

Our own GP here is a fluent English speaker and very good and the Bombeiros/ambulance service were tip top and arrived at the house (on both occasions) in just a few minutes after being called.

There's also other hospitals in the area that might be best described as rather like the old UK cottage hospitals and you pay a set fee of €20 to go there...... I've been to that one twice in 3 years and on both occasions saw the Doctor within about 15 minutes of arriving.

IMO, the service we've had is better than the private hospitals we've seen the inside if in RSA and certainly miles better than the UK NHS hospitals.

not2old

post#12 thanks again.

Moving to Portugal: no its not the typical 'what about this, that & the other place or location suggestions'. Its a question of 'first entry point', without family or friends ready to accommodate you. Just like emigrating. Its also not about location location either.

On landing in Portugal with little to zero pre-planning - would the right thing to do (as simple as) 'do the short term 30-60 days self catering hotel/apartment stay' - then find a local agent, web searches, folks you meet on land, to find a long term (6 month) rental?

a YES or NO response to that part

After finding the lay of the land - to then rent a fully furnished apartment for six months before considering renting somewhere else, or buying (location not important for this question) - then if buying is always by personal choice & resources.

On the basis finances are not an issue & given the state of the world & Portugal in general - is it best to Rent for the next one, two, three years or Buy? If its 'Buy', why is that?

Ukkram

I live in the far North where foreigners are a ---- novelty of sorts as there are not many English speakers here. So far, we have not had a problem. If the staff cannot understand English, some customers might and will jump at the chance to help translate and practice their English on you.
As to water quality. We have very strict quality control and our water quality surpasses most European countries. Not that I drink the stuff as beer and wine is cheap here.
I was rather shocked at the utilities costs though. For the 2 of us, we pay around €60 pm compared to €15 in South Africa.

not2old

is that an average monthly cost across 12 months for all three - electricity, water & gas?