Moving to Portugal from Sweden
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Sweden to Portugal — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Sweden to Portugal, you would find that Portugal is 10.4% more expensive than Sweden overall. A SEK728,567 salary in Sweden would need to be roughly €60,573 in Portugal to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Portuguese. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Lisbon averages 69°F vs 52°F in Stockholm, making it significantly warmer.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Sweden to Portugal.
What does your salary buy?
SEK728,567 → €60,573
To maintain the same standard of living in Portugal
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 21.4% less
Groceries
pay 26.8% less
Transportation
pay 22.0% less
Housing
pay 4.8% more
Childcare
pay 2.9 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 37.0% 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 Sweden.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Sweden to Portugal, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Sweden 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
- · · ·
-
47.920
Sweden
Key Indicator Comparison
How Sweden 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
Sweden generally does better on safety, though Portugal leads in homicide rate.
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 Sweden leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Sweden generally does better on environment, though Portugal leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
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
Sweden generally does better on infrastructure, though Portugal leads in broadband per 100 people.
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
Sweden 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
Sweden performs better than Portugal across all family life metrics.
Data: Skatteverket, 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 | Stockholm | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 36°/28°F (2°/-2°C) | 61°/48°F (16°/9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 61°/45°F (16°/7°C) | 71°/56°F (22°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 69°/56°F (21°/13°C) | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 43°/36°F (6°/2°C) | 65°/53°F (18°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Stockholm | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34°/27°F (1.0°/-2.9°C) | 58°/47°F (14.5°/8.2°C) |
| Feb | 34°/26°F (1.2°/-3.2°C) | 60°/48°F (15.6°/9.0°C) |
| Mar | 40°/30°F (4.7°/-1.1°C) | 64°/50°F (17.6°/9.9°C) |
| Apr | 51°/37°F (10.7°/2.6°C) | 66°/52°F (19.1°/11.1°C) |
| May | 62°/45°F (16.5°/7.1°C) | 71°/55°F (21.7°/13.0°C) |
| Jun | 69°/53°F (20.8°/11.6°C) | 77°/60°F (24.8°/15.6°C) |
| Jul | 74°/59°F (23.6°/14.8°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) |
| Aug | 72°/58°F (22.1°/14.2°C) | 82°/64°F (27.9°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 62°/50°F (16.6°/10.2°C) | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.0°C) |
| Oct | 50°/42°F (10.1°/5.5°C) | 72°/58°F (22.4°/14.6°C) |
| Nov | 42°/35°F (5.4°/1.9°C) | 64°/52°F (17.8°/11.2°C) |
| Dec | 36°/30°F (2.5°/-1.2°C) | 59°/48°F (14.8°/8.9°C) |
Data:
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI),
Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Sweden 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.
Sweden passport holder visiting Portugal
Visa Free
Portugal passport holder visiting Sweden
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 Sweden?
Generally yes: Portugal runs about 8% cheaper than Sweden 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 SEK728,567 comparable salary, that's around €15,143 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 Sweden and Portugal.
Is Portugal safe for expats?
Sweden generally does better on safety, though Portugal leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Portugal is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 1.1 in Sweden.
How is healthcare in Portugal compared to Sweden?
Portugal generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Sweden leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 57.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Portugal, compared to 71.5 in Sweden. Portugal scores 88 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Sweden: 85).
What's the weather like in Portugal compared to Sweden?
The average high temperature in Lisbon is 69°F, compared to 52°F in Stockholm. Lisbon receives around 29.6 in of rainfall per year, while Stockholm gets 21.5 in.
What language do they speak in Portugal?
The official language in Portugal is Portuguese. In Sweden, the official language is Swedish.
