Why We Moved to Portugal Over Italy, Spain, and France

 Disclaimer: Stats like cost of living, visa requirements, and exchange rates can change—this post reflects our experience and research at the time of writing. Always double-check the details for your own situation and do your own research before making big decisions.

Thinking about moving to Europe but not sure which country is right for you?

We narrowed our search to Portugal, Italy, Spain, and France—then chose Portugal.

Here’s how we compared lifestyle, cost, culture, and vibe to find the right country for us to call home. We hope this comparison might help guide your own decision. And if you think you’d pick Portugal too, don’t miss our FREE guide at the end of this article.

Prefer to watch? You can catch the full video right here before diving into the post.

 We broke the factors down into two categories: objective and subjective. 

Objective Factors

Which Country is the Easiest to Get a Visa?

There are many popular types of visas to consider, including the Golden Visa, a Digital Nomad Visa (a Long-Term Stay Visa in France), a Retirement Visa, an Entrepreneur Visa, and Student Visas.

We focused on retirement visas for future flexibility and a path to citizenship.

For the retirement visa, each country has different passive income requirements:

Retirement Visa Requirements (Annual Passive Income):

•  Portugal (D7 Visa): €9,840 (single) / €14,760 (couple)
•  Plus savings in a Portuguese bank: €19,680 (single) / €29,520 (couple)

•  France (VLS-TS): €21,264 (single) / €42,528 (couple)
•  Requires medical exam

•  Spain (Non-Working Visa): €28,000 (single) + €7,200 per family member
•  Requires medical exam

•  Italy (D Visa): €31,000 (single) / €38,000 (couple)

Citizenship Eligibility: 

•  Portugal & France: eligible after 5 years
•  Spain & Italy: eligible after 10 years

We knew we wanted dual citizenship and a faster path— so Portugal and France clearly stood out.

What Are the Safest Countries in Europe?

Safety was a big one for us. Once we looked into the stats, Portugal really stood out.

Global Peace Index rankings:

•  Portugal: #7
•  Spain: #23
•  Italy: #33
•  France: #86
•  (For context: U.K.: #34, U.S.: #132)

Violent crime: Portugal had the lowest risk; France was 4–5x higher than the others.

While all four are much safer than the U.S., Portugal gave us the most peace of mind. For more granular data, tools like Numbeo helped us compare specific cities.

What Country in Europe Has the Best Healthcare?

We looked at both quality and cost of healthcare.

World Population Review rankings for quality of care:

•  France: #14
•  Spain: #20
•  Italy: #22
•  Portugal & U.S.: tied at #23

For us, it came down to value: with Portugal, we were getting comparable care to the U.S., but at a fraction of the price. While each country ranked well here, Portugal struck the best balance between affordability, access, and overall peace of mind.

Which EU Country Has the Lowest Cost of Living?

One of our biggest motivations for moving abroad was lowering our overall cost of living.

According to Expatistan.com, the monthly cost of living for a single person in each country was as follows:

•  Portugal: €1,749
•  Spain: €1,755
•  Italy: €1,900
•  France: €2,449

For reference, each of these falls much below the average cost of living for the UK and the US:

•  U.S.: €3,024
•  U.K.: €3,779

While prices vary by lifestyle and location, all four were far cheaper than the U.S.—and Portugal remained the most affordable overall.

👉 Want a full breakdown of costs, including healthcare and taxes? [Read our full comparison post of the Cost of Living in Portugal vs. the U.S. here.]

Subjective Criteria 

Where in Europe has the best year-round weather?

We wanted coastal living—somewhere not too hot, not too cold. Portugal’s Silver Coast hit the sweet spot and gave us the beach lifestyle and climate we were looking for.

What is the Friendliest Place in Europe?

How welcoming locals are to expats really matters. Across our travels, Portugal stood out—especially in smaller towns. The people were warm, helpful, and open to outsiders in a way that made it feel like home. That sense of community made a lasting impression.

Where in Europe is Best for English Speakers?

While we’re committed to learning the local language, we also wanted to be able to communicate while we adjusted. Fortunately, English is widely spoken across Europe, and we felt confident we could get by in any of the countries, so this wasn’t a dealbreaker.

Vibe Check

This part can’t be researched—you have to feel it. After visiting each country, Portugal just felt like home. From our first trip to Nazaré to our later scouting visits, the Silver Coast kept pulling us back. It had the energy and ease we were looking for.

Key Takeaways: Why Move to Portugal vs. Other European Countries?

There’s no wrong choice—Italy, Spain, France, and Portugal are all amazing. But Portugal, especially the Silver Coast, checked the most boxes for us. It came down to affordability, safety, lifestyle, and that intangible feeling that this was our place. And we’d choose it again.

This choice is personal to everyone and their unique situation.

If you're researching your options and trying to figure out which country feels right, Download our free Moving to Portugal Mini-Guide—a 10-day email course answering your biggest questions about visas, healthcare, housing, taxes, and more.