The downside life tower creaks breaks full#

It’s messy and frustrating, and it’s also just something you’ll have to get used to if you live in Portugal – well, to varying degrees. And, it’s quite rare that anyone ever tells you: you will need to figure these things out for yourself and hope that when you speak to a different person they’re looking for the same form.

The hardest part is that you never know which form you need to fill in or which person you need to speak to. Most people know that bureaucracy exists in Portugal, and aren’t surprised when they come up against it. The hardest part of bureaucracy isn’t the bureaucracy itself. Try to get anything done in Portugal, whether it’s starting a business or applying for planning permission, and you’ll run into a little thing called bureaucracy. Instead, weigh up the pros against the cons and then, being honest with yourself, decide if Portugal is right for you. Portugal is Portugal, and you shouldn’t come here hoping for change or expecting change.

It’s also not a list of things that Portuguese should change, and it’s definitely not a list of things that Portugal will change – no matter how sensible that change might seem to you. It’s also important to point out that this is a list of the downsides of Portugal primarily from the point of view of an outsider (although Portuguese people often agree with some of the things on this list). As mentioned, there are lots of upsides to living in Portugal, but this website wouldn’t be doing its job if it didn’t give you appropriate expectations.

The downside life tower creaks breaks full#

But it’s important to get the full picture before you move somewhere new. Most articles, YouTube videos, and estate agents focus on the upsides rather than the downsides. There are lots of pros to living in Portugal – the weather is great, the cost of living is more affordable than in other countries, and the beaches are beautiful – but there are, unsurprisingly, one or two cons as well.