Moving to Portugal from Italy
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Italy to Portugal — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Italy to Portugal, you would find that Portugal is 9.6% cheaper than Italy overall. A €65,700 salary in Italy would need to be roughly €61,932 in Portugal to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Portuguese.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Italy to Portugal.
What does your salary buy?
€65,700 → €61,932
To maintain the same standard of living in Portugal
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 19.9% less
Groceries
pay 20.9% less
Transportation
pay 12.5% less
Housing
pay 13.6% more
Childcare
pay 0.6% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 19.6% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Portugal cost about 6% less than cities in Italy.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Italy to Portugal, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Italy to Portugal · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to Portugal?
Top countries of origin for Portugal's foreign-born residents.
- 179,524
- 154,017
- 104,164
- 80,570
- 68,299
- 53,384
- · · ·
-
28.3,125
Italy
Key Indicator Comparison
How Italy and Portugal stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Italy performs better than Portugal across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Portugal generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Italy leads in adult obesity rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Portugal performs significantly better than Italy across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Portugal performs significantly better than Italy across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Italy generally does better on employment & economy, though Portugal leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Italy generally does better on family life, though Portugal leads in infant mortality.
Data: Italian Revenue Agency, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Rome | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 61°/48°F (16°/9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/53°F (22°/11°C) | 71°/56°F (22°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 62°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 65°/53°F (18°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Rome | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53°/38°F (11.9°/3.1°C) | 58°/47°F (14.5°/8.2°C) |
| Feb | 55°/38°F (13.0°/3.5°C) | 60°/48°F (15.6°/9.0°C) |
| Mar | 59°/41°F (15.2°/5.2°C) | 64°/50°F (17.6°/9.9°C) |
| Apr | 64°/46°F (17.7°/7.5°C) | 66°/52°F (19.1°/11.1°C) |
| May | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.6°C) | 71°/55°F (21.7°/13.0°C) |
| Jun | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.3°C) | 77°/60°F (24.8°/15.6°C) |
| Jul | 87°/64°F (30.3°/18.0°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) |
| Aug | 87°/65°F (30.6°/18.3°C) | 82°/64°F (27.9°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.2°C) | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.0°C) |
| Oct | 71°/52°F (21.4°/11.3°C) | 72°/58°F (22.4°/14.6°C) |
| Nov | 61°/44°F (15.9°/6.9°C) | 64°/52°F (17.8°/11.2°C) |
| Dec | 55°/40°F (12.6°/4.2°C) | 59°/48°F (14.8°/8.9°C) |
Data:
Italian Air Force- Department of Meteorology,
Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Italy and Portugal. To live, work, or study long-term in Portugal, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Portugal's immigration authority.
Italy passport holder visiting Portugal
Visa Free
Portugal passport holder visiting Italy
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Portugal than Italy?
Generally yes: Portugal runs about 6% cheaper than Italy on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Portugal?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a €65,700 comparable salary, that's around €15,483 in Portugal for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Portugal?
With 43.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Italy and Portugal.
Is Portugal safe for expats?
Italy performs better than Portugal across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Portugal is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 0.6 in Italy.
How is healthcare in Portugal compared to Italy?
Portugal generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Italy leads in adult obesity rate. There are 57.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Portugal, compared to 42.5 in Italy. Portugal scores 88 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Italy: 84).
What's the weather like in Portugal compared to Italy?
The average high temperature in Lisbon is 69°F, compared to 69°F in Rome. Lisbon receives around 29.6 in of rainfall per year, while Rome gets 31.7 in.
What language do they speak in Portugal?
The official language in Portugal is Portuguese. In Italy, the official languages are Catalan and Italian.
