The record price of real estate in Portugal, with significant increases both for purchase and for rent, has made Brazilian immigrants seek small towns or in the interior of the country, where there are still more affordable options.
The small size of the Portuguese territory —almost the size of Pernambuco—, combined with a good infrastructure of roads and fiber optics, which covers more than 87% of households, allows professionals to work far from the centers without major additional difficulties.
Moving to smaller cities is a trend in the latest wave of Brazilian immigration, according to Casa do Brasil in Lisbon, an NGO that provides community assistance in Portugal.
“There are many different profiles, from students to workers from all areas. People have been looking for smaller cities mainly motivated by the price of housing”, says Cyntia de Paula, president of the institution.
Data from the National Statistics Institute show an increase in property prices across the country. Buying a home now costs an average of 50% more than it did five years ago.
In search of a quieter life, combined with a lower cost than in big cities, the publicist from Rio de Janeiro Rafaela Salles moved with her family, in July 2021, to small Freamunde.
With about 7,500 inhabitants, the municipality is in the north of Portugal, about 45 kilometers from Porto, the second largest city in the country. Salles, who works remotely for a Brazilian company, says the experience so far has been positive.
“In Rio, I used to get two hours of traffic jams every day. I was terrified of being robbed. Now, we are in a safe place, we work from home and my son studies at a school nearby. We got the peace of mind we were looking for”, he says.
According to the publicist, the cultural and service offer in neighboring cities complements what is not found in Freamunde, and the affordable price of real estate is one of the great highlights of the region. “Although things are already getting more expensive here, it is still possible to find a good property to rent for less than 500 euros [R$ 2.570] a month. I live in a three-bedroom apartment, which is mine now, but when I rented it cost 350 euros [R$ 1.800]. In Lisbon, that’s the price of a room.”
The main complaint, for now, is the dependence on the car for some situations. Salles says there is not much public transport, which makes it difficult for those who need to go to Porto frequently, for example, since the nearest train station is not in the city.
In Portugal since 2017, chef and businesswoman Jessica Torres did not think about leaving Lisbon until the beginning of the Covid pandemic and the development of a burnout condition.
Inspired by a friend who also left the capital for a more distant city, she decided it was time to slow down and get some fresh air. In addition to the quality of life, the price of housing influenced the decision to move to Vialonga, 20 kilometers from Lisbon.
“I went from a one-bedroom apartment to a two-bedroom apartment. Now I have a terrace and a great kitchen, a backyard to sunbathe and I still pay less than before”, says she, who is already thinking about buying a rural property.
After years as a partner in restaurants in the Portuguese capital, the chef started working from home, producing cakes to order. “The people here are very friendly. I already know many neighbors. I have four supermarkets close to home, a manicurist and a trusted mechanic. These are things that, in four years, I have never had in Lisbon”, she says.
Relocation companies and immigration advisors also identified the movement and began to expand their portfolios, including many offers outside the traditional options concentrated in Lisbon and Porto.
Owner of the consultancy Vou Mudar para Portugal, businesswoman Patrícia Lemos says that she had to create a team specialized in serving those looking for small towns. “Brazilians with plans to move to Portugal began to face a very harsh reality, which was the brutal increase in real estate. So, due to the price, many people ended up considering smaller cities”, she says.
In the businesswoman’s assessment, many Brazilians still have some resistance to the idea, based mainly on the idea that smaller municipalities do not have good infrastructure for families.
After the success of Braga, a city neighboring Porto that has been the darling of Brazilians in recent years, Leiria, in central Portugal, has been standing out among the newcomers.
The district, whose capital has the same name, has a good offer of health and education services, as well as commercial options. The region also has an important industrial hub. “Leiria is 140 kilometers from Lisbon and has properties at excellent prices. It is a quiet area with a good job market due to the factories”, says Lemos.
Statistics from the SEF (Foreigners and Borders Service) show the growing interest of immigrants in the region. In 2020, the most recent data available, there were 24,788 foreign citizens residing in the district of Leiria, an increase of 14.5% compared to the previous year. Compared to 2015, there was a 69.2% increase in the immigrant population.
Small and medium-sized cities are also successful on social media, says Lemos, who shares tips and information about living in Portugal on his Instagram profile, where he has nearly 350,000 followers.
The Portuguese government and municipal authorities tend to welcome the interest of Brazilians in less explored regions of the country. With one of the lowest birth rates in Europe, the country is trying to contain the depopulation of the countryside and small towns. In some cases, it is even possible to count on specific funds to support change, through the Employment Interior Mais program (Supported Mobility for a Sustainable Interior).
As a way of encouraging a younger population to settle in, the government offers up to 4,827 euros (R$ 25,800) for those who move from the coast to the interior of the country to work. Foreigners can apply for the program, as long as they obtain the proper documentation to reside in the country.
In 2021, the number of Brazilians in Portugal reached the record of the historical series, with the mark of 209,072 people legally residing in the country.
Although already expressive —Brazilians represent almost 30% of all foreigners in Portugal—, the figure is higher. The number does not include those who have dual citizenship from Portugal or from another European Union country or those who are illegally staying in the country.
