Lisbon Continues Its Downwards Trend
- Continued Working Woes in Portugal’s Capital
- Expats Find Low Costs Aren’t Everything
- Few Barriers to Settling In
- A Good Quality of Life (That Used to be Better)
- Further Reading
After dropping from 4th place in 2022 to 12th in 2023, Lisbon continues this downward trend, falling another 17 spots to rank 29th in the 2024 Expat City Ranking. In fact, out of 53 cities, Portugal’s capital is among the biggest losers in the overall ranking. Results have worsened across all areas of the survey, including expats’ general satisfaction levels. In 2024, around three in four expats (74%) say they’re happy with their life in Lisbon (vs. 68% globally) — a noticeable drop from 82% in 2023.
Continued Working Woes in Portugal’s Capital
The Working Abroad Index has never been one of Lisbon’s star topics. The city was already in the bottom 10 in 2023 (42nd), and its result has worsened further to 49th in 2024.
It’s the worst-performing city for expats’ Career Prospects (53rd), with close to three in five respondents (58%) rating the local job market negatively (vs. 31% globally). And less than a third (32%) are satisfied with their personal career opportunities (vs. 53%). Luckily, only about half the global average moved to Lisbon primarily for job-related reasons (17% vs. 35%).
Expats are not only worried about their prospects, though. They also give Lisbon a bad grade for job security (46th), the state of the economy (48th), and their working hours (45th). Three in ten (30%) are dissatisfied with their job (vs. 19% globally), and over a third (36%) find they’re not paid fairly for their work (vs. 22%).
“There are no career opportunities and only underpaid jobs.” – Italian expat in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area
Expats Find Low Costs Aren’t Everything
Speaking of money: Lisbon receives one of its best results in the Personal Finance Index, where it places 17th. More than half of expats (55%) rate the general cost of living positively (vs. 40% globally). However, the city has lost some ground when it comes to how far disposable household incomes can take expats, falling from 15th place to rank 29th in 2024.
“Local salaries are really not compatible with life costs.” – Brazilian expat
One possible reason for this is housing: while in 2023, around half (47%) rated the affordability of accommodation negatively, this share has grown to 61% in 2024 (vs. a global 42% and 47%, respectively). Interestingly, despite this worsened result, Lisbon still ranks midfield for Housing (27th), which is actually its best subcategory in the Expat Essentials Index.
Expats are unhappier when it comes to Admin Topics (41st) and Digital Life (41st) in Lisbon, landing the city in 40th place in the index. In particular, dealing with local authorities (48th) and the lack of online administrative services (47th) is a challenge.
“It’s too difficult bureaucracy-wise to get an account, get all the papers, buy a car, rent a place, etc. It’s all too hard and full of a million conditions.” – Brazilian expat
Few Barriers to Settling In
Finding your feet is easier when it comes to the social side of things. Expats feel at home in Lisbon (13th) and consider it easy to get used to the local culture (15th). The friendliness of the local population towards foreign residents is pretty average, though (62% positive ratings vs. 61% globally).
A 26th place for making local friends is Lisbon’s worst result in the Ease of Settling In Index, and two in five respondents (40%) end up with mostly other expats as friends (vs. 37% globally).
“I wish I could have more Portuguese friends. But that’s more on me. They have their lives, and it’s no one else’s responsibility to ‘integrate’ me.” – US American expat
All in all, the majority (62%) is happy with their social life in the city (vs. 52% globally), and Lisbon ranks 20th overall in the Ease of Settling In Index.
A Good Quality of Life (That Used to be Better)
Lisbon offers a good Quality of Life, ranking 17th in this index. While this is great news for the 22% of respondents who moved to Lisbon in search of a better quality of life (vs. 9% globally), it’s a step down from the city’s top 10 placements in previous years (10th in 2023; 5th in 2022). Lisbon has especially lost ground in the Safety & Security (from 10th to 21st), Leisure Options (13th to 22nd), and Healthcare (25th to 33rd) Subcategories.
In 2023, over seven in ten expats (71%) rated the availability of healthcare favorably (vs. 71% globally). In 2024, this is down by nearly 10 percentage points (62% vs. 68% globally), and close to a quarter (23%) are dissatisfied with the quality of medical care (vs. 17%).
An above-average share of 74% agree that they can openly express themselves and their opinions (vs. 62% globally). Again, this is 12 percentage points less than it still was in 2023 at 86% (vs. 65%).
To end on a more positive note: expats continue to love the climate (5th) and the natural environment (14th) in Lisbon.
“Obviously, the weather is a big plus. The countryside is very accessible, so it’s easy to get out of the city. And the beaches are amazing and clean.” – Australian expat
