Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of California, you would:
Health
live 2.5 years longer
In California, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In Portugal, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 50.4% less money
California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $41,700 as of 2023.
be 27.3% more likely to be unemployed
In California, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.
be 40.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In California, 11.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Portugal, however, that number is 16.4% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 11.4% less likely to have internet access
In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Portugal, about 82.0% do as of 2021.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.