[DonAlberto]

Hello fellow expats,

I am brand new to this forum, a retired EU citizen from Scandinavia who has been an expat in Chile for a couple a years, then an expat in a provincial town in Argentina for four years, thus I speak Spanish - but not português. I am a cosmopolitan type of person having lived in 8 countries and worked in more than 20. I am used to temperatures in the range -20 to +45 C.

I am very close to a decision to relocate to somewhere else, almost certainly to Europe (closer to my family) and possibly to beautiful Portugal.

What is initially on my mind is to find a nice Smalltown (size of Aveiro, Coimbra, Leiria or Setúbal) somewhere midway between Porto and Lisboa or a little further south, check it out for a couple of weeks and, if satisfactory, rent a furnished one-bedroom + living/diningroom for some months - then something similar on a long term rental if I still feel comfortable. I don't want to buy a property, which my children will have problems selling after my death.

I have just started my research and have read about Portugal in general in e.g. the CIA Factbook and also a good number of threads in this and another Portugal expats forum and have found answers to some of my questions, but as conditions differ for each individual, I still have questions left - some of which I don't even know myself :-D

My moving date should be around January ... March/April 2013.

I usually dine out once or twice a week in some small family owned restaurant and for the rest I am a pretty good cook.

I have a pension of around 17,000 Euro a year after taxes.
1. Is this enough to live comfortably in Smalltown Portugal?

2. Is it easy to rent a furnished apartment short term? ... long term?
2.1. Deposit - is it one (or more) months of rent?
2.2. Real estate agents fee when renting?

3. Pitfalls related to renting?

4. Recommended towns?

I have an idea of the price level from a 'cost of living' site, but I have no idea of how reliable it is.

5. Do these figures look realistic:

1 bedroom apartment rental in city centre: 360 €
1 bedroom apartment rental outside of centre: 290 €
Basic utilities (electricity + gas + water + garbage removal) for 85 sq.m apartment: 80 €

Any relevant input you can supply is extremely welcome.

Cheers,
Don Alberto

 

[anapedrosa]

To check apartment prices you might try a real estate site, this one has a selection of rentals.
Casa Sapo - Portugal's Real Estate Portal

 

[canoeman]

1. I would say would give you a comfortable living without any hardships
2. I would say unfurnished is the norm for Portugal
2.1 Generally one month but can be 3. Been recent changes to landlords/Tenants Laws, I don't keep up to date so you need to do some research
2.2 Believe fees are to landlord rather than renter
3. Paying rent rather than owning, service charges
4. I'd pick Coimbra, central, cosmopolitan, variety, lots to do
5. 1 bedroom apartments think you'll find harder to locate, especially at those prices
Think utilities might be a bit low especially if you add TV/phone/internet

 

[DonAlberto]

Thanks canoeman and anapedrosa for your quick answers.

Should I expect around 450 € for a 2 bedroom + living/comedor in Coimbra?

Plus, say, 120 € for electricity + gas + water + garbage + internet and cell phone? - (no TV, I watched it in 1972, the program hasn't changed since).

Any advice you can add will be appreciated.

Cheers,
Don Alberto

 

[canoeman]

Utilities think that's more like it, electricity will depend on apartment heating/air conditioning, no TV like it but if you have electricity your licence is included in bill anyway, no you can't opt out currently 2,25€ pm.

Apartment price looks better, but I can only go on examples on Casa Sapo, there are lots more out there and district will of course reflect price, like any city there are good and bad areas, Lousa is a major satellite town for Coimbra and only 30 mins by public transport and when rebuild will have a metro link as well, just a consideration

 

[DonAlberto]

Lousa is a major satellite town for Coimbra and only 30 mins by public transport and when rebuild will have a metro link as well, just a consideration

Thanks - love your 'when the metro has been rebuilt'

AFAIK Portugal resembles Argentina. Our local metro was supposed to open in July 2010 . They have recently started test runs and we hope it may - may - be ready in December, hopefully this year

 

[canoeman]

There used to be a very good local train service, that run Coimbra to Serpins, then rather grandiose ideas to up grade, but to also supply a tram service through Coimbra to link with National rail network, it turned into an ultra modern metro tram type service, due to finances work started , then stopped then started, as yet work ongoing but no completion date yet

Home

 

[DonAlberto]

4. I'd pick Coimbra, central, cosmopolitan, variety, lots to do

I am in Coimbra right now - you didn't mention that the town is under water 3 months a year

Going to Danmark to celebrate christmas, will be back early January 2013 to see if Coimbra has come out of the water by then.

 

[canoeman]

I am in Coimbra right now - you didn't mention that the town is under water 3 months a year

Going to Danmark to celebrate christmas, will be back early January 2013 to see if Coimbra has come out of the water by then.

Well we've been here 10 years and never seen or heard of that, apart from rice paddies which are deliberately flooded. Mondego levels generally controlled by the Barregems, maybe just too much rain at the moment, but plenty of hills

 

[DonAlberto]

Well we've been here 10 years and never seen or heard of that, apart from rice paddies which are deliberately flooded. Mondego levels generally controlled by the Barregems, maybe just too much rain at the moment, but plenty of hills

Ah, but you are British, used to rain from sunrise to sunset.

I arrived from sunny days and +33 degrees in Mendoza, Argentina and was met with 4 days of rain. I did notice the hills, have been "mountainering" every day with my new umbrella

 

[canoeman]

So Coimbra isn't flooded then just rain?

 

[DonAlberto]

Just rain?

All my clothes got soaked - am now recovering in Denmark