Moving to Portugal from Thailand
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Thailand to Portugal — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Thailand to Portugal, you would find that Portugal is 63.3% more expensive than Thailand overall. A THB2,500,000 salary in Thailand would need to be roughly €109,000 in Portugal to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in Portuguese. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Lisbon averages 69°F vs 91°F in Bangkok, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Thailand to Portugal.
What does your salary buy?
THB2,500,000 → €109,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Portugal
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.8 times more
Groceries
pay 11.1% more
Transportation
pay 28.5% more
Housing
pay 2.4 times more
Childcare
pay 7.3% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.6% more
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 35% more than cities in Thailand.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Thailand to Portugal, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Thailand 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
- · · ·
-
38.1,676
Thailand
Key Indicator Comparison
How Thailand 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
Portugal performs significantly better than Thailand 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 Thailand leads in healthcare spending per person.
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 Thailand 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 generally does better on infrastructure, though Thailand leads in internet access.
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
Thailand generally does better on employment & economy, though Portugal leads in gdp per capita.
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
Portugal performs significantly better than Thailand across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The Revenue Department, Government of Thailand (2016), Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Bangkok | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 91°/74°F (33°/23°C) | 61°/48°F (16°/9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 93°/78°F (34°/26°C) | 71°/56°F (22°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/77°F (32°/25°C) | 81°/63°F (27°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 89°/73°F (32°/23°C) | 65°/53°F (18°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Bangkok | Lisbon |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90°/70°F (32.0°/21.0°C) | 58°/47°F (14.5°/8.2°C) |
| Feb | 91°/74°F (32.7°/23.3°C) | 60°/48°F (15.6°/9.0°C) |
| Mar | 93°/77°F (33.7°/24.9°C) | 64°/50°F (17.6°/9.9°C) |
| Apr | 95°/79°F (34.9°/26.1°C) | 66°/52°F (19.1°/11.1°C) |
| May | 93°/78°F (34.0°/25.6°C) | 71°/55°F (21.7°/13.0°C) |
| Jun | 92°/78°F (33.1°/25.4°C) | 77°/60°F (24.8°/15.6°C) |
| Jul | 91°/77°F (32.7°/25.0°C) | 81°/63°F (27.4°/17.4°C) |
| Aug | 90°/77°F (32.5°/24.9°C) | 82°/64°F (27.9°/17.7°C) |
| Sep | 90°/76°F (32.3°/24.6°C) | 80°/63°F (26.4°/17.0°C) |
| Oct | 90°/76°F (32.0°/24.3°C) | 72°/58°F (22.4°/14.6°C) |
| Nov | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.1°C) | 64°/52°F (17.8°/11.2°C) |
| Dec | 88°/69°F (31.3°/20.8°C) | 59°/48°F (14.8°/8.9°C) |
Data:
Thai Meteorological Department,
Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Thailand 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.
Thailand passport holder visiting Portugal
Visa Required
Portugal passport holder visiting Thailand
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 Thailand?
Day-to-day costs in Portugal run about 63% higher than Thailand on average; specific cities can swing further.
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 THB2,500,000 comparable salary, that's around €27,250 in Portugal for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Portugal?
With 45.2 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 Thailand and Portugal.
Is Portugal safe for expats?
Portugal performs significantly better than Thailand across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Portugal is 0.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 4.8 in Thailand.
How is healthcare in Portugal compared to Thailand?
Portugal generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Thailand leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Portugal, compared to 5.4 in Thailand. Portugal scores 88 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Thailand: 82).
What's the weather like in Portugal compared to Thailand?
The average high temperature in Lisbon is 69°F, compared to 91°F in Bangkok. Lisbon receives around 29.6 in of rainfall per year, while Bangkok gets 59.0 in.
What language do they speak in Portugal?
The official language in Portugal is Portuguese. In Thailand, the official language is Thai.
