Hi. I am an American living and working in Germany as an IT contractor with the US government. I plan to retire in about 3 years. I would like to do that now, but I need to be debt-free before I quit my job. My wife and I have visited Portugal a couple of times already, seeing parts of the Algarve, spent a day and a half in Porto, then a week in Lisbon. We were planning on visiting at least once this year if not twice, but Corona seems to have had other plans. We are still trying to decide where to live. We both golf, and would like to be near the coast. I speak a little Portuguese from when I was stationed in the Azores with the US Air Force many (many) years ago. Anyway...my name is Jim, and I am happy to be here.
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Apr 21, 2020 10:55 am
9 Replies
Apr 21, 2020 11:53 am
Hi Jim
Welcome from me a little inland but just as happy as you will be when it's your turn to retire.
Good luck with your search.
Peter
Apr 21, 2020 1:19 pm
Hello Jim and welcome.
If I were you I consider East Algarve, maybe around Tavira. Much less touristy than the main Algarve resorts but still plenty of good golf courses and great beaches. Property prices in East Algarve tend to be cheaper than West Algarve and close enough to visit Spain occasionally.
@gerry Hi Gerry, thank you. I have considered the East Algarve for that very reason. I am also considering the far western Algarve, near Sagres, as well as up near Sesimbra. One of the things we will definitely be considering is the actual cost of golf. From what I have seen, golf in the Algarve is quite expensive. I have joined the Golf in Portugal Group. Have a great day.
@bdgfn Hi Jim. I now live near Tomar but I used to live near Tavira so if I can help regarding that area, please ask.
As you have possibly noticed, we are recent new owners of expatsportugal.com and the Groups are a new addition for members to share their dedicated interests. So we are still building the groups. I confess I am not a golfer and once we have a few more members in this group, I will step out and leave you experts to it. Best wishes
@gerry Hi Gerry. My wife and I visited Tavira a couple of years ago on our first visit to the Algarve, and we liked the area. I'm sure as time goes on I will have many questions. Thanks much!
@gerry Hi Gerry! We may be moving up our timeline for moving to Portugal, depending on how some things work out with my current employment. We would be interested in your thoughts on living in or near Tavira, specifically the cost of living. It would be just the two of us, no pets for now. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Oct 12, 2020 10:22 am
Hi Jim and congratulations on moving up your timeline.
I used to live in Cabanas de Tavira, a nice little seaside town just 8 km east of Tavira. Cabanas has an amazing beach, plenty of good restaurants and everything in walking distance. Tavira itself is a lovely old town with lots of Roman history, all the major supermarkets are represented, good medical centres and again, plenty of good restaurants. There is a regional railway that runs all along the coastline and very easy to hop from one town to the other if you don't fancy driving. Also, lots of good walking along the mainly flat coastline. I am not a golfer but there is an excellent course (I'm told) just outside Cabanas and several other courses within 30 minutes drive. A few years ago I had 3 British golfing friends to stay. They played 3 of the local courses, rated them all excellent and said that the prices (even as guest members) was much less than they pay in UK.
In terms of cost of living, I recommend you watch the recording of this recent webinar, USA vs Portugal: Let’s compare the cost of living which you can find from this link:
https://expatsportugal.com/portugal-calling-webinars/
We also have an upcoming webinar, Cost of Living in Portugal: Supermarket Shopping on 12 November and you can 'reserve a seat' from the same link.
In my opinion, house prices in East Algarve are generally cheaper than West Algarve. Prices in Sesimbra are likely to be similar to East Algarve. But a lot will depend on the house condition (obviously) and how close you are to the sea.
I hope this gives you a good starting point Jim. If you can do it, nothing beats renting for a few months in each area before making the final decision.
Best wishes
Gerry
Oct 12, 2020 6:16 pm
@Gerry Thank you! My wife and I will most definitely watch that webinar you linked to, and I just RSVPed for the Cost of Living in Portugal: Supermarket Shopping on 12 November. And thank you for the info for Tavira!
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