Lisbon

Lisbon is a compact, hilly capital on the Tagus estuary, with mild winters, a large international community and beaches a short train ride away. People come for jobs in tech and services, remote work, schools or retirement. International families mostly choose between the central parishes, for walkable city life, and the coastal railway towards Oeiras and Cascais, for space, beaches and schools.

The catch is cost. On idealista, asking rents in the city reached €25.1 per m² a month in September 2026, up 8.8% in a year, and asking prices €6,256 per m², while the minimum wage is €920 a month. Many buildings are old, paperwork is slow and immigration appointments can take months.

Neighbourhoods

Ranges are typical asking prices per m². Signed rents are lower: INE's median for new leases in the city was €17.79 per m² in the second quarter of 2026.

Renting in Lisbon

Rents are rising fast, so have your documents ready before viewing. Landlords ask for ID, your NIF and proof of income such as payslips, an employment contract or a tax return. Without Portuguese income, expect requests for a guarantor (fiador) living in Portugal or rent in advance. Compare areas with [the AI search](search:2-bedroom flat to rent in Lisbon).

Leases must be in writing. A fixed-term lease for a permanent home runs at least a year and renews automatically unless the contract says otherwise; a landlord who blocks the first renewal must wait three years for it to take effect, unless they need the home for themselves or a child. You can leave once a third of the term has passed, with 120 days' notice on a lease of a year or more.

Since January 2023 the deposit (caução) and any advance rent are each capped at two months, so the most you can be asked for at signing is five months' rent, including the first. Agents are normally paid by the landlord. Unless your lease sets another formula, rent can rise once a year after the first year by the official coefficient (2.24% for 2026), with 30 days' written notice.

The landlord must register the lease with Finanças, the tax authority, by the end of the month after it starts; since August 2025 you can do it yourself if they do not. Residents can then claim part of their rent against income tax.

Furnished and unfurnished flats are both common, so agree an inventory with photos. Never sign a holiday-let (alojamento local) agreement for a long stay.

Buying in Lisbon

Foreigners can buy freely. Get a NIF, from a tax office or through a lawyer acting as your representative, and hire an independent lawyer (advogado); the agent is normally paid by the seller.

1. Get a NIF and a lawyer

   Your lawyer checks the land registry certificate, the tax record (caderneta predial), the habitation licence, the energy certificate and any building debts.

2. Sign the promissory contract (CPCV)

   You pay a negotiated deposit (sinal). If you pull out you lose it; if the seller does, they owe you double.

3. Arrange the mortgage

   Allow several weeks for valuation and approval.

4. Pay IMT and stamp duty

   Both are due before completion.

5. Complete

   Sign the deed (escritura) at a notary, or use the state's Casa Pronta service at a registry office, and register the purchase.

Since May 2026, non-residents buying a home pay IMT, the transfer tax, at a flat 7.5%. You can reclaim the difference to the normal scale if you become tax resident within two years, or if within six months you let the home as a residence at up to €2,300 a month for at least 36 months in the first five years. Former Portuguese tax residents keep the normal scale. On a €500,000 flat that is €37,500, against €27,300 on the normal second-home scale.

Buyers aged 35 or under purchasing a first permanent home pay no IMT up to €330,539. Run your numbers with the buying costs calculator.

Banco de Portugal caps mortgages at 90% of the value for your own permanent home and 80% for any other home, and many banks lend non-residents less. Since August 2026, repayments must normally stay within 45% of net income, with terms up to 40 years under age 35 and 35 years after. A broker can compare offers; try the mortgage calculator.

Each year you pay IMI, municipal property tax of 0.3–0.45% of the tax value (VPT), which is usually below market value, and AIMI on residential tax value above €600,000. Property no longer qualifies for a golden visa. If you hope to let to tourists, get the council's position on holiday-let registration in writing before you buy.

Schools

Most international schools are west of the city, so choose the school before the home. Popular year groups fill early, so contact admissions as soon as you know your dates. State schools are free and teach in Portuguese. Fees vary widely, so ask each school for its current schedule and one-off charges.

Supermarkets and everyday shopping

Lidl and Aldi are the budget options. Continente and Pingo Doce are the big national chains, alongside Auchan, which has taken over the former Minipreço stores. El Corte Inglés has a supermarket and gourmet food hall at its Lisbon department store.

For fresh food, use the municipal markets. The Mercado de Campo de Ourique combines market stalls with food counters, and the Mercado da Ribeira at Cais do Sodré houses the Time Out Market food hall, open daily from 10:00 to midnight. Shops may open on Sundays and most supermarkets do.

Continente offers same-day home delivery and free Click&Go collection, and Auchan delivers across mainland Portugal. Housing is the big cost: at the average asking rent, a 70 m² flat costs about €1,750 a month, nearly twice the minimum wage.

Getting around

The metro has four lines; the red line runs to the airport. A Carris and metro ticket costs €1.90 for 60 minutes and a 24-hour ticket €7.25, or tap a contactless bank card at metro gates. A monthly Navegante pass costs €30 within Lisbon or €40 across the metropolitan area, and young people aged 4 to 23 can get free travel. Carris runs buses and trams: tram 28 climbs from Martim Moniz through Graça and Estrela to Campo de Ourique, and tram 15 runs to Belém.

CP's Cascais line runs from Cais do Sodré along the coast through Belém, Oeiras, Carcavelos and Estoril, roughly every 20 minutes and more often at peak times. The Sintra line runs from Rossio through Benfica, Amadora and Queluz. Ferries cross to Cacilhas (Almada), Seixal, Barreiro, Montijo and Trafaria, and rents are lower on the south bank: INE's median for new leases there was €11.99 per m² in mid-2026, against €15.24 in Greater Lisbon.

You can live without a car in central Lisbon. EMEL runs on-street parking; a resident's badge is free for the first car and €54 for a second. The airport is 7 km from the centre, about 20 minutes by metro or 15 by taxi; a new airport at Alcochete is planned for around 2034.

Tax in brief

You become tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Portugal in any 12-month period, or keep a home here you intend to use as your habitual residence. Residents pay income tax on worldwide income at 12.5–48% in 2026, plus a solidarity surcharge on high incomes. Non-residents pay a flat 25% on Portuguese salaries and pensions.

The non-habitual resident (NHR) regime is closed to newcomers. Its replacement, IFICI, taxes qualifying income from research and innovation roles at 20% for people not resident in the previous five years, with most foreign income exempt. IRS Jovem gives residents up to 35 a partial exemption on earned income.

Owners pay IMI and, above €600,000 of tax value, AIMI; companies in blacklisted tax havens pay both at 7.5%. Non-residents pay 25% on residential rents (28% on other lettings); qualifying leases at up to €2,300 a month are taxed at 10% until the end of 2029. If you sell as a non-resident, half the gain is taxed at progressive rates set by your worldwide income. There is no general wealth tax.

Moving here

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can live and work here freely; after three months, register with the town hall (câmara municipal) for a registration certificate. Everyone else needs a national visa from a Portuguese consulate, for example for work, study, passive income (D7) or remote work (D8), then a residence permit from AIMA, the immigration agency. Visa income thresholds are linked to the minimum wage (€920 a month in 2026), so check the current figures with your consulate. AIMA has been working through a large backlog: start early and keep copies of everything.

In your first weeks:

• Tax number (NIF): from a tax office, or through a lawyer before you arrive.
• Bank account: banks will ask for your NIF and passport.
• Social security number (NISS): needed when you start work; your employer can help.
• Health: once resident, register at your local health centre (centro de saúde) for an SNS user number; keep private insurance until then.
• Phone: a prepaid SIM is the quickest start.

Questions people ask

Rents and prices are asking prices from public reports and portals, checked October 2026. Sources: idealista, asking prices for sale, September 2026 (Lisbon city €6,256/m²); idealista, asking rents, September 2026 (Lisbon city €25.1/m²); idealista, Lisbon parish asking prices, February 2026; idealista, municipal asking rents (Lisbon, Cascais, Oeiras), quarter to February 2026; INE, local housing prices, Q1 2026 (municipalities and Lisbon parishes); INE, rents of new leases, Q2 2026 and 12 months to June 2026 (via ECO); INE, Lisbon parish rents, 12 months to March 2026 (secondary summary); Doutor Finanças, Observatório Imobiliário, September 2026 (Lisbon, Cascais, Oeiras)