The 5 Top Similarities and Differences between Living in Portugal vs. the USA

This video is for you, Trish! 😍 In honor of us living here in the Algarve, Portugal for 5 years, my gorgeous friend Trish asked me to list 5 similarities and 5 differences between living here in Portugal vs. living in our former home in Southern California. So, here is my take!
For those who know our back story, we were only planning to take a 1-year European adventure abroad and now, 5 years later, we are still here in Portugal! HA! We clearly love it here. Nós amamos Portugal!! 🇵🇹❤️
It doesn't hurt that we've made so many great friends - Portuguese, French, British, Swedish, German, Brazilian, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Australian, Romanian.... on and on!
Live a youthful life like mine! 🤩❤️ Tips here in my book, "Whatever - How to Look Younger than Your Actual Age": www.amazon.com/dp/1982245174/...
I want to hear from you! And please like and subscribe! Beijinhos! 😘
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WHO AM I:
I’m Trish, a 52-year old Filipina-American now living in the Algarve, Portugal with my family. I make videos that show a glimpse of my life - how I try to stay youthful, remain positive, and fill my days with adventure-filled fun in Europe!
#livinginportugal #americanexpat #lifeafter50 #filipinainportugal #algarvetourism #algarveportugal #lifeinportugal #skincarereviews #youthfulskin #skincareover40 #skincareover50 #beautyover40 #beautyover50 #asianbeauty #beautyvlogger

[@tray7852]

Such a positive video! I am from Guam and my hubby also surfs! We absolutely love living in Portugal. The Portuguese are one of the most friendliest people we have ever met. We are so blessed to call Portugal our home. I made lumpia for our Portuguese friends and they absolutely loved it!!

[@nouglyduckling]

Thank you - that's so nice to hear!! 🥰 Lumpia is the best! You must be a good cook!! 🤩Where in Portugal do you live? 😍😍

[@rotate14]

And we love to have you here with us. You know we make quite an effort to make our foreign friends feel at home.

[@bawiin2]

Thanks for sharing!🥰

[@nouglyduckling]

Thanks for watching! 😍

[@PinkPonyDesign]

What a great video! So true about the differences! 😄

[@nouglyduckling]

Thanks, hon!! 😘😍🥰

[@seannavarro714]

Nice vid , I’m 27 and from Fullerton CA and moving to Lisbon on my own soon , so perfect time for this video to be in my feed 😅

[@nouglyduckling]

Neighbor (or former neighbor!) That's awesome! Yes - it is perfect timing! Good luck with your move - you'll have to let me know when you are here! Safe travels! 🤩

[@josierra77]

Uma diferença importante, em Portugal todos param para almoçar porque as refeições sãoiito importantes. Quando estão num restaurante podem estar a comer com calma porque ninguém os manda sair. Aliás existem muitas refeições variadas, sem ser Fast food.

[@nouglyduckling]

Isso é verdade e muito bom! 😍

[@manemong]

Em geral, os portugueses não apreciam o fast food, salvo os mais jovens. Apreciam sim, o "estar" à mesa em família ou com amigos que se conhecem bem. Dir-se-ia que, para nós, é um ritual, para beber um copo de vinho e apreciar comida tradicional, especialmente. Da mesma forma que nas datas festivas não abdicamos de fruir a família, seja na Páscoa, seja no Natal, seja nas datas dos aniversários. Este aspeto não é generalizável a todos os países europeus. Talvez os "latinos" sejam aqueles que mais incorporam estes costumes, ou porque a sua cultura gastronómica é rica e muito diversificada, ou porque as suas raízes religiosas já traziam estes traços. ... E não sei se por coincidência, quase todos são produtores de bons vinhos...! In general, the Portuguese do not like fast food, except for younger people. They do enjoy "being" at the table with family or with friends who know each other well. You could say that, for us, it is a ritual, to drink a glass of wine and enjoy traditional food, especially. In the same way that on festive dates we do not give up enjoying family, whether at Easter, Christmas or birthdays. This aspect cannot be generalized to all European countries. Perhaps the "Latinos" are those who most incorporate these customs, either because their gastronomic culture is rich and very diverse, or because their religious roots already contained these traits. ... And I don't know if by coincidence, almost all of them are producers of good wines...!

[@nouglyduckling]

@@manemong Observação interessante! Eu acho que você está certo! 😋🍷

[@BeYourselfMan]

Portugal is fabulous! Loved the video.

[@nouglyduckling]

Thank you! You've made my day! 🤩

[@BeYourselfMan]

Thank you! I just subscribed :) I hope you enjoy your new country. I absolutley love it there, visit yearly. The people are so friendly and such a safe country. I'll be tuning into to your channel. Keep up the good work.@@nouglyduckling

[@nouglyduckling]

@@BeYourselfMan Thank you!! 😍😍

[@jerryharanczyk]

Just trying to learn as much as possible about Portugal before checking it out, I also do surfing the only difference is that i surf in my bathtub , just like the constant water temperature of my choice and the waves are pleasant , Greetings from Lexington Kentucky!

[@nouglyduckling]

Haha! Thanks for the chuckle! That's my form of surfing, too! 😂 Hope you make it out here to Portugal!

[@asadurrohman9206]

Great video!

[@nouglyduckling]

Thanks so much! 😍

[@birdynumnum3473]

As for groceries what about Lidl, Aldi, Continente? These are large grocery chains that you can get almost all items you may need.

[@nouglyduckling]

Ahh! I shop there a lot but those chains are hit or miss. 😅 We did the bulk of our shopping at Auchan, which you would think would have everything, but still no cranberries! 😝

[@Chris-ip9qg]

great video :)

[@nouglyduckling]

Thank you! 😍

[@goldengirls0125]

Hello. I’m in La now and I was wondering is it more of a damp cold there In the Algarve ? I just checked and the humidity seems higher . Also is it harder to get products like from Amazon. Im taking about health things , electronics etc.

[@nouglyduckling]

Hi @goldengirls0125! I would agree that it is more of a damp cold here in the Algarve. Honestly, I have found that NOTHING beats LA and OC weather but Algarve's all-around mild temperatures are fairly comparable. We order from Amazon Germany or Amazon Spain and they are fine but it's not like the US. Don't expect your shipment to come in 2 days - it's more like a week.

[@ricardomacarico818]

You have Amazon You have ebay You have everything you have in US. Portugal is a litle country, but its still an west european country, and a true latin one too. Cheers.

[@nouglyduckling]

@@ricardomacarico818 Yes! 😍

[@MamaLlama007]

Nice video! What made you choose where to live in Portugal?

[@nouglyduckling]

Thank you! We ended up first moving to Albufeira and it was my husband who first selected the Algarve. We had no idea where to go - I think he liked the photos and it looked so similar to SoCal!

[@angelogouveia2487]

and the biggest one of all is no guns on the streets of Portugal.

[@nouglyduckling]

@@angelogouveia2487 This is very true! 🙏

[@Ferreira019760]

That type of graffiti I can only describe as having been made by punks. There are some excellent examples of graffiti that are actual street art, and they look beautiful, some even cover the entire side of buildings. That however takes real skill, and it’s not something that gets done without the building owners permission. They probably get hired to do that too, as the amount of paint that is required gets very expensive. We appreciate nice things, and those you showed are not it. Most owners probably feel like whacking those responsible for those doodles across the head with a shovel. I know I would. As for the restaurants, it’s more of a logistics thing. The staff need to eat too, so they prepare everything in the first morning hours, then they have a snack before opening to the public to serve lunches, and it’s usually after the last customer has left that they sit down for what you would consider a proper lunch. After that, they need to prepare everything to serve dinner, and that includes tidying up the place. With regards to the buildings, we don’t use solid bricks like in England. The cement isn’t supposed to fill the holes, it just acts like glue, and the outer walls are supposed to have 2 spaced brick layers to provide better insulation. Perhaps that gap should be filled with something else other than air. However I think that the more modern constructions are being made in a more energetic efficient way. I remember that back in the 80s when I was a kid, the rain season used to be incredibly regular. It would pour down almost every single day, and I don’t remember feeling as cold as now. Aside from that, the building could have been made by some unscrupulous constructor that used cheaper materials to increase the profit margin, and once it’s finished there is no going back. These days that is more difficult as all homes need an energy efficiency certificate to be sold. Hope you continue to enjoy your experience for however long you stay in Portugal. We have plenty of good things, some will be better than in other parts of the world, some not so much. It’s always a matter of seeing if the balance matches with your expectations. First and foremost, what we should always aspire to is to be happy. Sometimes the country doesn’t match us, sometimes we don’t match anywhere and it’s something to fix before giving it another shot. Sometimes you find that you were the happiest where you started from, and by fixing a few kinks, it’s just right for you. Life is a continuous discovery, and we should make it count for as much as we possibly can.

[@nouglyduckling]

Thank you so much for this informed reply! I appreciate it so much and learned why some things are the way they are. I agree with you on the art - some of the building art is incredibly gorgeous - like those from artists I see in Lisbon! 😍

[@akaltaf]

Hi from Connecticut Enjoyed your info vlog. I have been to Algarve and Lisbon a few times. Love the country. Haven't found much info regarding owning a car there. Could you shed some light about owning/ operating a personal car. Thanks

[@estoril4271]

The biggest difference you might find is that gasoline is currently around $7.56 per U.S. gallon. And yes, that's converted to U.S. dollars. It's anywhere from 1.79 to 1.82 Euros per litre. And cars are very expensive. There's a 23% value added tax on all of them. But once you have one, fuel economy is excellent (depending on the car, of course). Most new cars are now 1 litre (about 60 cubic inches) turbocharged. Don't worry, they move!

[@nouglyduckling]

Thank you @estoril4271 for the informed and great response to @akaltaf 's question! @akaltaf - we do own a used car - a Toyota Prius I found on sale on Facebook Marketplace. I had never owned a Prius before and we have found it to be incredibly gas efficient! We can drive to Lisbon and back to the Algarve on a full tank. We also don't drive standard cars so it was very important that we find a car that was an automatic so that's another plus for our Prius.

[@peddersoldchap]

Do you know how to drive with a stick?

[@nouglyduckling]

@@peddersoldchap Unfortunately no - I learned how to drive stick when I was young and learning but it has been decades since I've driven a manual car! 😅

[@joesousa8464]

Beautiful vedio I’m from there and live in California almost same weather

[@nouglyduckling]

Yes - very similar weather! Thank you! 😍

[@Gourdhedd]

Hi Tricia, thanks for the great subject matter of this video. Another item that I wonder about is about the language (or differences in language). Are there many English speakers there? Is communicating ever a problem (for an only English speaking person)?

[@josecaetano2388]

You not able to learn???

[@MegaEduardomelo]

In general, Portuguese people speak 2 or 3 languages, and almost everywhere you go, you will find someone who speaks English

[@peddersoldchap]

Portuguese is easy. Lots of common words. Listening is the hardest bit, but that's true for most languages.

[@nouglyduckling]

Hi! You can get away with speaking English only as most Portuguese know how to speak English and there is such a huge expat community in the Algarve so English is the language that is common for most nationalities. However, if you don't learn Portuguese, or even try and attempt to speak, you will never be able to "bond" as deeply with the Portuguese. I believe that language and sharing a common language with another helps provide that unspoken bond between people. ☺

[@wolframluchner5316]

no traffic? have you been in the Algarve during summertime when all the tourists are there???

[@nouglyduckling]

Ha! That's true - so many more people in the Algarve in the summer! Still... I don't think it compares to US traffic! 😅

[@ana7Aluap]

Hi there! i'm watching your interesting video, and I must say this: Algarve do not mirrors the rest of the country simply because is a place targeting the holidaymakers. As a portuguese woman I must say that we do have the habit to go shopping at the end of the week at giant supermarkets that do not exist there, but I know that you'll find some if you know where to. Enjoy and be happy!

[@nouglyduckling]

Interesting! You're right about the Algarve... I do know of some giant supermarkets but I think I'm now used to doing a daily food shop! 😅😂 Thank you! Bom fim de Semana! 💛

[@ana7Aluap]

Bom fim de semana para ti também! @@nouglyduckling ❤

[@Nnomadd]

I could only find only 4 similar things, such as that you still need to sleep, eat, poop, and breathe air.

[@deangordon7783]

I love the video. Thinking of moving to Portugal or France. So all the info is appreciated. My only criticism and it's very minor is so many different sounds that just a little too much in my opinion. Otherwise awesome video and of course I had to subscribe

[@nouglyduckling]

Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it and thanks for subscribing! 😍 Let me know if you do move to Portugal and if you have any questions or need help!

[@americoantunes6139]

You forgot safety. Very safe and healthcare is is very very very affordable.

[@nouglyduckling]

I mentioned safety towards the end of the video... but you are absolutely right! 🤩

[@billwoods6759]

I thought the summer months were much hotter in the Algrave than in southern california.

[@nouglyduckling]

Ah it depends! Last year, the Algarve was incredibly hot! 😅 But generally, I think the weather is similar.

[@peddersoldchap]

Nope, we certainly do not think grafitti is art. It's vandalism! Nice video. Welcome to my country!

[@nouglyduckling]

Obrigada! 😍

[@sergiosilva7528]

It will depend on the type of grafitti and local. It can be street art.

[@peddersoldchap]

@@sergiosilva7528 If there is no authorisation from the owner of the wall it is not art, it is simple vandalism.

[@sergiosilva7528]

@@peddersoldchap I don't agree (in most cases I will, but is not a suficient condition)

[@peddersoldchap]

@@sergiosilva7528 It's not a matter of agreeing or not. In a state of law, rules are to be followed. This is not an anarchy. Yet...

[@fp9556]

Great video! Just one remark, this problem with graffiti in Portugal is a fairly recent phenomenon and has become somewhat of a plague due to lenient or lack of consequences for the perpetrators. It is definitely not considered art and people are increasingly calling for tougher measures to combat it.

[@nouglyduckling]

Thank you 😍 and thanks for enlightening me on the graffiti situation. I am happy to hear that they are considering tougher measures because Portugal's buildings and infrastructure are so beautiful and it is a shame that they are vandalized.

[@roundtwo3321]

Compare and contrast.

[@AbandonedHousePortugal-2023]

Hello from Mafra

[@nouglyduckling]

Ola!! 😍

[@berniekeene868]

I couldn’t deal with the sound effects

[@nouglyduckling]

Thanks for the feedback. 😀

[@JPVNG67]

Number 6 at the moment. We dropped 3 levels in the security rank

[@nouglyduckling]

Oh no! Bummer! Do you know why?

[@JPVNG67]

economic crisis due to the pandemic and wars, immigrants, a bit of everything. In my opinion ofc@@nouglyduckling

[@Atimatimukti]

Portugal used to be number one. Now is number 3...wow, that's realy bad. Some people are realy positive 😅

[@JPVNG67]

Dude, even 6 is good. I just gave a information.@@Atimatimukti

[@rotate14]

You didn't mention our beautiful Latin based language, so I imagine you speak Portuguese fluently?

[@nouglyduckling]

I wish! Portugues e lingua muito difícil mas bonita! Eu ainda estou aprender! 😍

[@mdrifatkhan749]

Hello mam

[@diogorodrigues747]

07:30 I mean, Southern California has millions of people while Southern Portugal has like 1,2 million people and it's a pretty big part of the country that has 10,5 million people (somewhat around 40% of the land area). In the winter time it's much more calm as there are much less tourists in the Algarve (the Algarve is a very popular tourist destination in Europe). If you go to the north of Portugal rush hour is not that calm though. It's not that you'll get lots of congestions like in American highways but roads in general in Central and Northern Portugal are quite busy.

[@nouglyduckling]

You are sooo right! I always say LA County alone has the about the same population as the entire country of Portugal. 😆

[@sergiosilva7528]

1,2 millions?? Are you talking during peak season? No, Algarve has 500000 unhabitants and 5000km2.

[@diogorodrigues747]

@@sergiosilva7528 O sul de Portugal inteiro (Alentejo e Algarve juntos) têm 1,2 milhões de habitantes, foi o que eu escrevi. Tenta ler melhor o que eu escrevo da próxima vez.

[@sergiosilva7528]

@@diogorodrigues747 Sim, tem razão. No entanto, o vídeo é sobre o Algarve e não sobre o sul (que já agora é uma definição vaga e variável. Pois se falas em norte, centro e sul onde colocas Setúbal, Lisboa, Lezíria ou Oeste). De qualquer modo ficou a informação sobre o Algarve. A faixa litoral do Algarve tem 125km de extensão e cerca de 400 mil habitantes e 1500km2 de área no máximo. Já se o Sul incluir o Algarve e Alentejo (tradicional e não a atual NUT II) representa 35% da área e não 40% e 900-950 mil habitantes e não 1,2 milhões. E claro que o sul da Califórnia n é comparável com o sul de Portugal, nem quase nada na Europa. Pois estamos a falar de uma região com mais de 22 milhões de habitantes e só o condado de Los Angeles tem 10 milhões de habitantes. E bastante concentrada numa faixa estreita de litoral de 500km (uma área inferior a 20 mil km2) e ainda do lado mexicano conta com uma cidade com 2 milhões de habitantes (Tijuana).

[@nouglyduckling]

@@sergiosilva7528 You are correct about the Algarve's population - but maybe Diogo was also including other southern regions?

[@briany7658]

I think the obvious biggest difference is the language. Lol. Also, since you are from the States, your American dollar goes further in Portugal. Unfortunately, being from Canada, our dollar doesn't. 😕

[@nouglyduckling]

Ha! That's true about language! 😅🤣 Thanks for the chuckle! 😍

[@SlackHoffman]

Better Surf 🏄‍♂️ in Southern Portugal 🇵🇹 than SoCal and not the crowds and meth heads !!

[@nouglyduckling]

Win win! 😅😍

[@sjw4life546]

"They think its art". In the same way people think surfing is a sport. 😂 Anyway, great video minus the pretentiousness

[@nouglyduckling]

😅😂 Haha! Thanks so much! 😍

[@lusolad]

Why dont you go back home? Portugal for the Portuguese!!!!!

[@josedealmeida4256]

my god you beautifull

[@nouglyduckling]

You are the sweetest! Much thanks! 😍

[@mdrifatkhan749]

Dear Mam, Your KZbin channel video is not Seo, if you do video Seo, your channel will increase subscribers and views, and the video will become viral.

[@ryezengd8617]

God Bless All. Jesus Christ loves you all. With everything happening in this world, please spare some time and pray for your respective countries, states and cities.

[@ghassanjneinaty4421]

I guess America have better job opportunities with higher wages meanwhile Portugal can be better for vacationing and affordability. Portugal is also safer

[@nouglyduckling]

Yes true for the most part. ☺

[@MrKlipstar]

We're not different,are the opposite....😂

[@nouglyduckling]

🤣😂😍

[@SERGIO-cr6uy]

Wait, u're 52? 😳🤤

[@nouglyduckling]

Haha! Yes! 😍🤩

[@antblea96]

Has anybody ever told you to shut up

[@nouglyduckling]

Hi Anthony - not to my face but maybe they're thinking it! 😅🤫

[@briany7658]

Has anybody ever told you? Lol

[@theflightsimulationexperie6894]

I bet the locals don’t like you. They do t like me where I live in Boise and I moved from SoCal because you and I have jacked up their cost of living. And after you said your first sentence, I knew you were from California. I know California people when I see them. Let me guess, you voted for Joe Biden and Gavin Newsom, contributed to the absolute failure state of California and now you left for Portugal and are doing the same thing there? If I’m wrong then sorry but that’s why the portages severely hate Californias Moving to the country. I have a lot of portages friends and this is the general consensus.

[@alanmartins6349]

A little cheaper? Lol... Real Estate taxes $1300 a month, Cable $225 a month, cell phones just phones $220 a month, car insurance $1300 a year so on so on and imagine if you had to pay for health care. A little 😊

[@nouglyduckling]

Ha! Yes - the expenses in the US do add up! 😅