What is it like to move to and live in Porto?
Porto is a beautiful coastal city in northwest Portugal. It is becoming a popular city to move to, attracting people from all over the world.
In this interview, David, who moved to Porto several years ago, shares his experiences and practical tips for anyone thinking about moving to and living in Porto.
This interview is part of the Ask an Expat series. In this series, I interview people living all over the world but outside of their home country. I try to help paint an honest picture of the ups and downs of life abroad, share tips about moving to the place the expat now calls home, and information about what to see and do here.
Life in Porto, Portugal
Name: David McNeill
Age: 33
Hometown: Los Angeles, California, USA
His Story:
”I was born and raised in the United States.
My family moved around quite a bit during my childhood so it’s hard to say where I’m from, but I say California when pressed because I was born there. I went to high school in Los Angeles, and then worked in San Francisco right before leaving the US.
I became interested in Japanese animation and video games when I was 12 years old and started studying the Japanese language. Later on, I decided to study finance and Japanese at the University of Texas at Austin.
I wanted to study abroad in Japan but couldn’t manage it if I wanted to graduate on time, so I decided to spend a semester studying at the National University of Singapore instead.
The few months I spent in Singapore showed me that I could be successful in many international contexts, not just in Japan. It opened my mind about trying to live in other countries around the world in the future.
Upon graduation, I wasn’t able to find a job in Japan, so I started my career in investment banking in the US. I eventually moved to San Francisco and got a job as a software product manager at a technology company. It was at that job that I finally got my first chance to work abroad. A team of us were sent to the Beijing, China office for three months, and I loved it, so I asked them to send me back for longer.
Unfortunately, one month after arriving back in the United States, I was laid off from the company so my plans for going back to China with the company disappeared.
However, I was determined that the layoff would not keep me from finding a way to work abroad again. I set off on a two-month trip around Europe and took Skype interviews for jobs in China and Japan while hopping from city to city.
Long story short, I got an offer to work in Tokyo, and eventually moved to Japan in 2014.
Also Read: Things to Know About Life in Japan Before You Move Here
I spent two wonderful years in Japan, but I could see that my job there wasn’t headed in the right direction.
Because I couldn’t find the right job opportunity in Tokyo, I started looking at jobs in my next top city destination – Berlin. I got an offer for a job there and moved in 2016.
Life in Berlin was a lot of fun. I made many great friends and even met and married my wife there.
However, we knew that Berlin wasn’t the right spot for us to settle down in, so we started thinking about where we would go next. We thought that Portugal seemed like an amazing country to live in and then confirmed it when we visited Portugal in 2018.
It took a year to make it happen, but I eventually found a job and we moved to Porto in November 2019.”
Why Did You Move to Porto?
”Coming from Berlin, we were looking for places with warmer people and warmer weather.
Porto definitely checks both of those boxes. Porto gets a bad reputation regarding its weather, but I can tell you that it is significantly better than the weather in Berlin, so I believe it’s a matter of perspective.
I think Portugal as a whole is amazing, so you probably can’t go wrong with the city you choose to live in.
In our case, the decision to move to Porto was made for us due to the location of my job offer, but with the benefit of hindsight, I’m really glad it ended up being in Porto compared to Lisbon.
Lisbon has all the benefits of being the capital city but it has all the downsides as well. It is a bit too dirty and crowded for my taste at this point in my life. We like to travel there on the weekend every couple of months, but we are always happy to get back to our home in Matosinhos, a beach town on the outskirts of Porto.
It’s a comfortable life and we feel very lucky to be able to live here.”
What Do You Like About Living in Porto?
”In no particular order, here are some things I love about life in Porto. A few of them may be applied to life in Portugal in general rather than Porto specifically, and I’m sure I’m missing some, but hopefully, it gives you an idea of why we’re so thankful to be able to live here.
The people are very warm and friendly. There is a general sense of being welcomed here by the locals that I haven’t felt in many places I’ve lived so far.
The food is amazing! Portuguese food is cheap and delicious.
It may be my California background, but I really appreciate living near the beach.
The city is extremely beautiful – I still pinch myself that I actually live in the midst of such beauty.
I think the weather is pretty good even here in Porto (with the exception of the rains and colder weather in the winter). The weather is even better in the south of Portugal if you are set on having sunshine and warm weather year-round.
It is easy to get away to other Portuguese cities or even up to the Spanish border towns on the weekend to get a change of scenery.”
What Do You Dislike About Life in Porto?
”Much of what I don’t like about life in Porto comes from the comparisons I can make to the cities I have lived in before.
San Francisco, Tokyo, and Berlin are all large metropolises, so it’s reasonable to think that living in a beach town in southern Europe would be a different experience. With that said, here are some of my main gripes about life in Porto:
Portugal in general has a lot of bureaucracy. Every legal or tax topic takes ages to get sorted out and that often gets frustrating.
Being used to things moving more quickly and in a more structured way in the other countries I’ve lived in has made it difficult to adjust to this aspect of life in Portugal.
Public transportation is not very good. We have a metro line in Porto that is pretty reliable so I usually take that, but it takes a long time to get anywhere. There are many bus lines but they aren’t reliable at all, so I usually avoid them if I can.
As someone who really enjoys concerts and events, sometimes I miss the sheer number of events that I could pick between while living in Tokyo and Berlin.”
Is Porto Safe as a Place to Live?
”Portugal in general is extremely safe and has been ranked as one of the safest countries in the world.
I have never felt unsafe living in Porto.”
What Is Your Favorite Thing to Do in Porto?
”As we live relatively close to the beach, we love to walk on the beachside promenade in the evenings.
On the weekends, you can find us at some of our favorite restaurants, coffee shops, and beer gardens.”
What Is Your Favorite Place to Hang Out in Porto?
”The Letra brewery has a taproom called Letraria here that has an amazing backyard where you can spend an afternoon or evening talking with friends and enjoying great craft beer.
I went here for the first time during our trip in 2018 and immediately fell in love with the place.”
What Is the Expat / International Community Like in Porto?
”I think the number of expats in Porto is relatively small but growing.
Generally speaking, Portugal has many foreigners coming here to retire abroad. But the larger cities like Lisbon and Porto also have young people moving here to work, and digital nomads working remotely.
I’m hopeful that this trend of moving to and living in Porto will continue as more international companies open offices in the city and people start looking into cheaper destinations to live in compared to Lisbon.”
Also Read: Portugal as a Digital Nomad Destination – Everything You Need to Know
Any Tips for Moving To / Living in Porto?
”Make sure you find an apartment that will keep you comfortable during all of the seasons.
Summers can get quite hot in the south and winters can be cold in the north. Most older buildings in Portugal aren’t well insulated, so be sure you know what you’re getting into before signing on the dotted line.”
Any Resources You Found Useful During the Process of Moving to And Building a New Life in Porto?
”Idealista is probably the best website to find properties to purchase or rent in Porto.
OLX is good for finding used things to buy or selling stuff you don’t need.
I also use Meetup every time I move countries to find events to go to where I can make friends.
And there are several Facebook groups for expats in Porto. These are a great place to ask questions about life here and to meet people.”
Is There Something You Just Have to See or Do When You Are in Porto?
”The main thing you have to do in Porto is to go down to the Ribeira area near the river to see the stunning iconic views of Porto.
Make sure to stop for a port wine tasting at one of the shops along the river and take in the sights and sounds.”
About David
As the founder of Expat Empire, David McNeill is focused on inspiring people to move abroad and helping them do it.
In addition to producing online courses, books, podcasts, blog posts, meetup events, and more, Expat Empire offers consulting services to give everyone the opportunity to achieve their international dreams.
David started Expat Empire because he has a genuine passion for living abroad.
About Porto, Portugal
Porto is the second-largest city in Portugal. The city itself isn’t very populous (about 230,000 inhabitants), but the Porto metropolitan area (Greater Porto) has over 1.7 million inhabitants in an area of 2,395 km2 (925 sq mi), with cities like Gaia, Matosinhos, Maia, and Gondomar.
Porto was built along the hills overlooking the Douro river estuary, and in 1996 its historical center was awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO.
Porto has a semi-Mediterranean climate, although it is strongly affected by the Atlantic Ocean. That makes Porto cooler than other cities with this climate. But, temperatures can rise as high as 40ºC (104F) in August during occasional heat waves. Winters are mild and humid, with occasional cold nights where temperatures drop below 0ºC (32F).
The city is quite varied architecturally, with medieval and modern structures side by side.
It’s a very hilly city with many buildings built into a cliff face that overlooks the river.
Also Read:
- What to Consider Before Moving Abroad
- Living in Lisbon, Portugal – Interview With an Expat
- Living in Lagos, Portugal (Algarve)
- Why Moving Abroad is Such a Valuable Experience
- The Best Places to Visit in Portugal
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