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Pack your bags, America. Portugal just became the number 1 place we all want to escape to

Other top-requested countries include Spain, Canada, and Italy.

Americans are seeking a new life abroad.

Have you been doom-scrolling through an endless news cycle, filled with rising housing prices, impossible-to-pay healthcare bills, and polarizing political upheaval lately? Is all that doom and gloom making you want to seek greener pastures—perhaps overseas? Well, you're not alone. Over 116,000 Americans have been feeling the exact same way, quietly researching their escape routes, and they're all leading to the same place: Portugal.

According to a survey conducted by Expatsi, a company that helps U.S. citizens move abroad, Portugal is officially the number one destination where Americans want to relocate. And why not? Although it may lack the name recognition and star power of other European countries like Spain, Italy, or France, Portugal has plenty to offer Americans seeking a different way of life.


 woman, portugal, expat, moving, abroad Portugal has an incredible wealth of opportunities for American expats. Photo credit: Canva

“Portugal rose to prominence by offering friendly programs for taxes and visas for foreigners, including allowing them to gain residency through buying homes,” explains Expatsi co-founder Jen Barnett. Even though many of these benefits are no longer offered, the exposure Portugal received was enough to turn heads. “People are now more aware of what else it has to offer,” Barnett continues. “Lower cost of living, better quality of life, more safety, and warm and welcoming people.”

 

What else the survey tells us

 

The numbers revealed by the Expatsi survey unmask a story that's equal parts relatable, fascinating, and slightly bone-chilling. Why do Americans want to leave the country in the first place? The number one reason is predictable: to find adventure, enrichment, and growth overseas. Beyond that, 56% of survey respondents said that the U.S. had become too conservative, and 53% cited political divisions as their primary motivation for wanting to leave. Roughly half of all respondents also claimed that they wanted to move away to avoid the threat of gun violence.


 portugal, expat, moving, abroad, beautiful Some Americans want to move as soon as six months. Photo credit: Canva

Some survey respondents said they were actively looking to move soon, with 12% hoping to relocate within the next six months. Then there were the cost of living statistics: 41% of survey respondents said they hoped to save money by living abroad, while 30% said they hoped to retire. While the average price to rent a one-bedroom apartment in New York City or San Francisco can set you back somewhere between $2,800 to $3,500 per month, a similar-sized place in Lisbon falls in the ballpark of $1,300 to $1,700. Let's compare monthly utilities: in the U.S., that'll be around $186 per month. In Portugal, around $35. Even a nice dinner can put things into perspective—in most major American cities, that can cost around $80, while in Portugal, it'll be a mere $40. Overall, the cost of living in Portugal is a whopping 36%–48% lower than the U.S., encompassing rent, groceries, dining, healthcare, transportation, and more.

 

A different pace of life

 

Elizabeth Burke from Washington, D.C., has been visiting Portugal annually since 2016 and plans to retire there within five years. “No matter where you go in Portugal, there's a sense of calm,” she tells reporters. “You land in Faro, and you feel like you can breathe. There's a feeling in the air of happiness and peace.”

That sense of peace isn't just something you feel—it's measurable. Portugal ranks as the 7th safest country in the world, while the U.S. sits at a sobering 132nd place. The healthcare situation is equally eye-opening. While Americans spend an average of $10,586 per person on healthcare, Portuguese residents spend just $2,785, thanks to universal coverage. Private health insurance is also more affordable, costing $50–$100 monthly in Portugal, compared to $600–$900 in America.



But perhaps the most compelling draw for many Americans is the promise of something they've long given up on: a real work-life balance. Within the last decade, Portugal has passed groundbreaking legislation to protect workers' mental health. Employers are legally banned from contacting employees outside of work hours, and companies must fully compensate remote workers for home office expenses like Wi-Fi, electricity, and technology. Imagine that! It's the kind of worker protection that many Americans can't even fathom, as we're accustomed to constantly checking emails and paying out-of-pocket for work expenses.

 

Next stop… Portugal?

 

It's no surprise that the American expat population in Portugal is exploding: since 2017, it's grown by 200% with nearly 10,000 Americans now calling Portugal their European home. And they're not all retirees or billionaires with summer vacation homes, either. Thanks to the country's Digital Nomad Visa, non-EU citizens can live and work remotely in Portugal as long as they have proof of employment with a non-Portuguese company and a minimum monthly income of about $2,750. Visa holders can apply for temporary or long-term residency under this program, which can lead to permanent residency or even citizenship. Portugal also offers attractive tax incentives for remote workers, like the Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) program, which can provide impressive tax benefits for up to 10 years.



The numbers don't lie: Americans are tired of the way things work here, and they're actively seeking escape routes. Many are questioning why they should wait for conditions to improve at home when Portugal offers greater affordability, safety, and quality of life. Increasingly, these same people are realizing their answer may lie abroad.

More

Cristiano Ronaldo reminds us why we shouldn't be so quick to judge others.

An athlete with a reputation for 'selfish' play just made a very unselfish move.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest soccer players in the game's storied history. And that's not really up for dispute.

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.


The prolific Real Madrid and Portugal scorer has racked up more than 500 goals throughout his career and holds more records than would comfortably fit in any article about him.

The man is a true talent, known for his powerful leg and outstanding footwork that makes defenders look absolutely silly.

For example:

GIF via JavierNathaniel/YouTube.

The guy's got moves, that's for sure, but he's also got a (sometimes not-so-great) reputation for being pretty "selfish."

"Selfish," "petulant," and "self-absorbed" are all words that have been used to describe the striker's play and attitude.

Who needs passing when you can do this? He's the one taking the shot. GIF via JavierNathaniel/YouTube.

Given his knack for scoring, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that he hit the winning goal in the 2016 Champions League final.

Facing off against rival Atlético Madrid, Ronaldo clinched victory for Real Madrid when his turn came up during the decisive shootout. It's the type of goal you could watch over and over, just admiring its beauty.

GOOOAAL!

And as a Champions League winner, Ronaldo was entitled to a 600,000-euro bonus. What he did with that money might come as a shock, though: He gave it away.

It's not immediately clear where the roughly $675,000 donation went, but he reportedly instructed his agent prior to the game to donate the money on his behalf should they win.

How can someone with a reputation as being "selfish" and "self-absorbed" also be so unbelievably charitable? People are complex! Sometimes it's good not to judge a book by its meticulously coiffed cover.

Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images.

Ronaldo has actually been one of the sports world's top philanthropists during his career, having supported charities such as UNICEF, Save the Children, and World Vision. But people don't talk about that side of him much.

The whole thing might have you as faked out as this defender. GIF via JavierNathaniel/YouTube.

Life is full of so much more than clear-cut, black-and-white situations. Realistically, most of us live in the gray between.

Maybe this is can be a lesson for all of us in not being so quick to make snap judgments.

So congratulations on your win, Ronaldo, and good on you for making such an impressive donation!

He's the one taking the shot. GIF via JavierNathaniel/YouTube.


Can you remember where you were from 6:45 a.m. May 7 to 5:45 p.m. May 11?

A lot happened during those 107 hours. The bison became our new national mammal. President Barack Obama announced that he would be the first sitting president to visit Hiroshima. Attorney General Loretta Lynch delivered a soul-stirring condemnation of North Carolina's discriminatory HB2 bill.


U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.

Something pretty wild happened in Portugal during that time too. For those 107 hours, Portugal was a completely renewable country.

Photo from Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images.

For just under five days, Portugal generated all of the electricity it needed from completely renewable sources. Fossil fuels still burned for other stuff — cars, for instance — but for those magical 107 hours, 100% of their electricity demand was covered by renewables.

The news comes from a report by the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association and Zero, a renewable energy association. In 2011, the country performed a similar feat but only for a few hours.

Part of what's really cool is that Portugal isn't tied to just one clean energy technology. It's trying a lot of different ones.

A wave power machine in near the Portuguese town of Povoa de Varzim. Photo from Joao Abreu Miranda/AFP/Getty Images.

As of 2015, about 22% of the country's electricity is coming from wind power alone, but Portugal also uses hydroelectric, wave, geothermal, and solar power as well as biofuels (which are the renewable cousins to fossil fuels).

What might be more impressive is how quickly Portugal's renewable energy sector has grown.

In 2013, Portugal got about 26% of its energy from renewables. By 2015, that had grown to more than 50%.

A solar power plant in Serpa, Portugal. Photo from Ceinturion/Wikimedia Commons.

How did they do it so fast? Portugal's government has invested in renewable energy like crazy. Portugal has been giving renewable energy producers guaranteed prices and payments as well as picking up a lot of the new infrastructure check.

Yes, this has left a considerable deficit for the government to deal with, but it says it has plans to eliminate it.

Portugal's not the only country with an impressive record in renewable energy lately. Take Denmark, for example.

Denmark's amazing at wind power. In fact, one particularly windy day last year generated 140% of the country's electricity needs.

Danish Queen Margrethe visits a offshore wind farm in 2013. Photo from Henning Bagger/AFP/Getty Images.

In fact, tons of countries are getting in on this. Germany recently generated so much renewable energy consumers were actually paid to use their electricity. In 2014, Latvia, Austria, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland also generated the majority of their electricity need from renewables.

Renewable energy is happening. Fast. And America can do this too.

The United States still gets the vast majority of its electricity from nonrenewable resources, particularly coal and natural gas, but with the right programs, it's estimated we could provide as much as 80% of our energy needs through renewables by 2050.

Portugal didn't use magic to make its record 107-hour run happen. That success was based on political will, investment, and readily available technologies — stuff we can, and should, start doing today.