We Lived on Portuguese Minimum Wage and This Is What Happened

Minimum wage in Portugal is currently 820 euros a month. Josh and Kalie from ExpatsEverywhere take the challenge of living off of this for 30 days. Will they be able to do it? How does it feel? Could you do it?
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* ABOUT US *
Josh and Kalie left the US for a life abroad in 2009 and haven't looked back. They have lived in Spain, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and are currently in Portugal. Yes, they realize they only moved to countries starting with the letter "S" until they spoiled that streak with their move to Portugal. Follow ExpatsEverywhere as we aim to get information to you through expat interviews, city breakdowns, expat life, travel, vlogs, and more.
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#ExpatsEverywhere

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you for all the comments. We've read through a lot of them and for the sake of time, we'd like to put a few notes here to give more context for those that commented already. 1. We've been living in our current apartment for nearly 3 years so it's more like 2021 prices not current market. 2. Many Portuguese that we know have been living in their houses/apartments for way way longer than that. We actually don't know any people personally that have tried to move during this market price increase so we'd image the majority of minimum wage workers are living in an apartment way cheaper than ours or possibly living with family, which does cause other issues. 3. We learned that to really have a chance at making minimum wage for several years, one would need to look at the bonus months where there's an extra paycheck (remember Portuguese get paid 14 times not 12) that 1 of those extra checks should be for emergency funds and 1 of those should be put towards investments. The emergency fund could go to things that many of you brought up in the video. We hope you all have a great day. - Josh & Kalie

[@andrecamacho7660]

What a poor content of yours

[@DHLEXPRESSINTERNATIONALDTS]

From $7K to $45K that's the minimum range of profit return every week I thinks it's not a bad one for me, now I have enough to pay bills and take care of my family.

[@CapitecBank-nh8ve]

Wow that's awesome

[@CapitecBank-nh8ve]

All thanks to Mrs Sophia

[@JessicaFriy]

I'm celebrating a $52k stock portfolio today. I started this journey with 6k. I have invsted on time and also with the right terms now I have time for my family and the life ahead of me

[@JessicaFriy]

Sophia my mentor

[@bennyhinu]

Wow ❤❤❤

[@MariaSilva-ix1qc]

Most Portuguese community are very disciplined with money, they can make the most with what they have. They live better with little every month, with healthy home cooked meals, that proves that, at the end of the day less is more ...be happy😊

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for the comment. Blessings to you. - Josh & Kalie

[@dynamic4sky285]

I live in California, the richest US state, and the world's 5th economy, and people here living on minimum wage are either homeless or living in very serious and difficult conditions, and if they get seriously sick they go broke or die because of the disease, that doesn't happen in Portugal.

[@chamomilesmith2218]

biggest, not richest. DC, NY, MA, WA are ahead of CA in terms of per capita.

[@KikiAndJeffreyPearl]

And the rich are moving out of California at a rapid rate

[@KikiAndJeffreyPearl]

And the rich are moving out of California at a rapid rate

[@mixnmichael1]

You can always move to TJ! :)

[@extremeAdvil]

Most liberal state in the US too. There's much more to your story. California doesn't fix poverty. They enable it.

[@lindadorman2869]

This is what it is like living on a fixed income such as Social Security or a pension. If you get sick, need car or home repairs, or have other unexpected expenses, you have to cut something else like food. Or take money from your savings if you have any. Every day is a constant struggle just to pay bills, and it's exhausting to worry about money all the time. If you are alone, you have half of what you two had, plus the burden of managing everything yourself. It is not a good life.

[@riumudamc4686]

this is what happens when we vote to replace family and neighbors with government programs that slimy politicians have made people dependent on. Amish don't have this problem

[@shawn47240]

Lol I live in Indiana. The Amish definitely have this problem.

[@ricardoxavier827]

@@riumudamc4686 Family ideology are fascism. I am porto citizen. We are invicta liberal city. Romans never win Arabs never win you dont win.

[@ricardoxavier827]

@@riumudamc4686 you are lucky that youtube opress porto citizens.

[@voice.of.reason]

Unemployment benefit is not supposed to be a good life or struggle free, or many people would rather not work - like is becoming the case in the UK

[@alessandrosilva4441]

The first challenge is to get a good rent for 700 euros. If you survive that, everything else gets "easier"...

[@asiaticonaeuropa]

local portuguese who earn 800/month do not live in the more rural area. Go for Central Portugal, rent is half of what you are paying now....If a person earn 800 euros/month, he/she rents a room 200E to live. Not the whole apartment.

[@gladysp2623]

Definitely an eye opener for how the Portuguese people try to survive on this minimum wage, explains why many don’t go out much and bring the party home. Thanks for this amazing video. 😊

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We definitely lived this experience differently. We actually see a lot of Portuguese people do their social life a little different like going to the cafe everyday, which we think would be around €60 per month to have a coffee and pastry. Going to a cafe where you know everyone is healthy social time for sure. We lived this in a way that we knew how. Thanks for watching. - Josh & Kalie

[@ricardoxavier827]

@@ExpatsEverywhere "Going to a cafe where you know everyone is healthy social time for sure." Correct. For a lot of us, Cafe are the second family.

[@gailkarrer6041]

This is how I live in Greece at age 75, with one small pension from Austria and on from the US. I am here helping my daughter care for her grandchildren. I can get by, but it is depressing after a while, especially if you are capable of working.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for sharing, Gail. Nice to hear from you and we appreciate you watching from Greece. Many blessings to you, your daughter and grandchildren. - Josh & Kalie

[@Fegga1955]

Too high for us in Greece

[@marianneeichler648]

Hi Josh and Kaylie, Marianne from the San Joaquin Valley in California. What a great experiment. To put your money where your mouth is! When you say "travel is transformative" you are serious. Emersive experience indeed. I worked out that money for a single person and it would require a rented bedroom to have any funds at all for food. I think the very best part is the engagements with other people on a limited budget. The games, and the children's events, as well as the social outings (and inings at home) were valuable to thrive anyway, budget or not. I was going to use the word endure, but this was about humans going beyond a drudge of endurance. Takes intelligence and some joy to work it out. Congratulations, good job.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Hi Marianne, it's nice to hear from you. Yes, we believe that living abroad transforms lives but so does travel. 🙂Thanks for the kind words. - Josh & Kalie

[@hankryan8164]

Minor hack..if you allow 100 euros to be withdrawn from your Millennium checking each month and put in your savings, the monthly fee drops to 5 euros per month. If you withdraw from savings back to your checking account in any given month, the fee goes up for that one time withdrawal.

[@teddydavis2339]

You guys are amazing. That was very thoughtful. I see Americans bragging about how cheap things are. Well, things are not so cheap when salaries are so low. Americans are very spoiled, salaries wise. I was watching a documentary about England. A couple was trying to save on energy. Their salary combined was £3500.00 a month. That's what I make alone, without a degree. This was really thoughtful of you guys. I really feel sorry for the Portuguese people who are being priced out. Obrigado pelo video.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you, Teddy. We appreciate reading this. Have a great weekend. - Josh & Kalie

[@voice.of.reason]

£3500 a month after taxes in dollars or £? For an unskilled job??

[@lisas44]

Having been with a credit union in the states forever, I was surprised, when trying to help my sister with her finances, that banks actually charge a fee for keeping YOUR money that they then loan out to others and collect interest on. More people need to find ways to avoid these fees and shop with your dollars!

[@2clarityin30]

It's reality that many live on this slim a budget. What you've done is also a lesson in empathy.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Yes, the last stat we saw was around 25% are on minimum wage although we don't know their living situation so it's hard to know how it could manifest itself. - Josh & Kalie

[@budadams412]

Super cool experiment. Shows how tough it is… great as a 30-day challenge to create awareness, but can’t imagine the reality of that as life. Great work putting this together. Cheers.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks, Bud! We appreciate that. It was an adjustment for sure. The edit was a beast. - Josh & Kalie

[@paulm9333]

Hi Josh and Kalie, I like your videos as they are very informative. My wife and I are Portuguese and retired back home just over a year ago, after 42 years in the US. During the past year, we have experienced how much groceries have increased in price. In this video you mention that you spend 400 euros/month in groceries. I had a really tough time understanding how a family of three accomplishes such a small food budget. On average the two of us spend between 150-200 euros/week, and there are many days, when what we eat for supper is soup and fruit. As an example, a trip to the local fish market this Saturday cost us 67,40 euros for 1 seabream (Dourada), 2 salmon steaks, 1kg of fresh squid. This is 3 meals worth. A trip to the butcher shop every week is between 30-50 euros, and then you still have to add produce, fruit, veggies, etc. I'm not even adding water, beer and wine. So I would really love to understand how you manage to keep your grocery budget at 400 euros/month, as it would help us tremendously. Cheers and keep the videos coming

[@lucchese20]

Great and fun video-for me that is. 😉 This reminds me a lot when I lived with my aunt in Italy as a teenager. My folks in the US didn’t have a lot of money so I was very strict (self-imposed) about how I spent money. That experience was life changing in so many ways-including how to spend and save money. 💶💵 Congrats on making it thru on a minimum wage. 👍🏻

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you, Maurice. We appreciate it. Thanks for sharing more about you and your upbringing. - Josh & Kalie

[@johndecastro6639]

Thanks guys for going through that. One of my favourite videos.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for watching, John. We're glad you enjoyed it. - Josh & Kalie

[@luisalves3723]

Hi. What i do since we receive our bills (rent, water, electricity, gas, internet)the month before is set that money aside. The food we cook at home and only go out in special occasions. The groceries is carefully planned for a week and i buy mostly the supermarket brands (that are the same or better). The transportation, either you have a car or use a monthly pass, don't charge the card when you need, it will cost you more. You'll see that at the end of the month you'll haved saved money and start the next one with more budget. After a while you'll be rich. 😀 Hugs.

[@ralex.2907]

Just to complement on the transportation: andante (metro do Porto) has an app for android - anda - that will choose what is the cheapest option for that month (the monthly fee or individual trip). It only has an additional monthly value of 0.10€ for the virtual card but it is convenient.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for sharing, Luis! Hugs back to ya. - Josh & Kalie

[@shinyshinythings]

Yeah I was kind of shocked that a savings strategy was to eat the meal out with their friends at Pingo Doce! It would have cost half as much to buy some groceries there and cook them at home.

[@Jvang102]

Who would have thought that watching someone’s spending budget could be so riveting 😀, Well done!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

HAHA, this is such a funny comment. We had hoped to compose it in a riveting way to watch. After all, if it's not watchable, "nobody" will see it. Thanks for the message and making us smile. - Josh & Kalie

[@Alfablue227]

Great vídeo guys. Cannot believe how much Valencia has grown!!😮Gorgeous little girl. You could hv saved a lot more if you hit the local weekly food markets, but it is so hard. Now imagine the households that only have puny pensions, or just 1 single earning person. 😮

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you. She's growing like a weed. - Josh & Kalie

[@Alfablue227]

@@ExpatsEverywhere She is bless her heart. Porto's scene is good for her and not just.

[@shannonhogan7873]

My husband and I really enjoyed this video. We met you guys at a meet up in Lisbon 2 years ago. You were both super friendly and down to earth. I would love to see more videos like this! Keep up the great work.

[@simonledoux8519]

Wow! That was interesting! It looked challenging and definitely stressful but I bet if you had to do it again, you would probably have a somewhat easier time. Having said that, you were still able to have a social life with that budget. We were rooting for you all the whole way through!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for rooting for us, Simon. We appreciate you watching. We spoke about it privately, we could do it again but fortunately we don't have to. - Josh & Kalie

[@jimmiewhite]

Thank you guys. This was great.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching, Jimmie. - Josh & Kalie

[@fmtntiger]

What an experience that you helped to recreate and remind the value of frugality. Thank you. Cia has grown so much and love for her. Take care.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you very much! She's growing ridiculously fast. Thanks for the love. - Josh & Kalie

[@on2thenextthing]

Great vid. Very interesting to see how it unfolded.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for watching and commenting. - Josh & Kalie

[@RICARDOABECH]

This was a great video. You are very limited on minimum wage, so things like: Vacation, pets, home cleaning, fun (movie theater), gym/sports, clothes (eventually), beauty (hair cuts, etc) are not possible, so you are basically just surviving. If you get sick or need to fix something that broke, that is also a struggle.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you, Ricardo. Yep, vacations are out the window unless a couple other factors lower your expenses like a rent from 5 years ago or longer or you live with your parents or in a house that's been passed down. We workout at home using KZbin videos. Kalie gets her haircut twice a year. In the video I got my cut once, which is normal. We could have done a movie had we not gone to FC Porto. - Josh & Kalie

[@joseestevao2037]

Not that it makes much of a difference, but in Portugal u get paid an extra 2 minimum wages a year or 1,640 euros. Plus most employers pay daily food subsidies as they don't pay ss or income taxes on it. A bit like health insurance in the US.

[@PeterMKooiman]

Subsídio de refeição tem impostos... é reduzido em cartão refeição.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Yes, it makes a difference in our opinion. We realized this as well at the end and we dropped a pinned comment on this video as to how people could approach these 2 extra pay periods. - Josh & Kalie

[@PeterMKooiman]

Not that it makes a big difference but most Portuguese have to drive or take public transport to go to their minimum 5 days/40h week job away from home. Most Portuguese aren't at home living off goldilocks investments or youtube revenue living the "expats" dream.

[@antoniodasilva1230]

It's around 170 extra euros on the food debit card

[@antoniodasilva1230]

It's around a extra 170 euros per month on the food debit card

[@emilywilson3752]

It was an interesting video because a lot of the conversation around where are good places for people in the US to retire or live cheaply use metrics like the minimum wage as the benchmark they refer to of just how cheap it can be! While people are correct in that it is different to live like this all the time and you would have a lot more expenses to really consider if this was a regular way of life rather than an experiment, i think it was perfect for the purpose of debunking the myth that you can move to Portugal and live on $800 per month if this glorious life of sitting on the beach and drinking wine every day. Which is the picture that is painted in sooo many of the relocate articles/posts.

[@JenShea]

Hi guys, I am realizing how good you both are at keeping socially active. It just hadn't occurred to before... so important for a healthy relationship. As for your personal money challenge, good for you. As someone who raised her daughter alone (and said daughter went to University, etc)... I've always lived a frugal life... but I get that if that's not what you are used to it can be much more challenging. I know that feeling of not being able to socialize because of lack of cashflow. What a great experiment for you to do.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks, Jen. Nice to hear from you. We're both very social people for sure! House parties are a must. - Josh & Kalie

[@JenShea]

@@ExpatsEverywhere they were for me when I was your age as well!! 🙌🏻

[@the_ikiru]

Great video. Very interesting experiment.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you! - Josh & Kalie

[@stefaniekumaran563]

Thanks so much for taking on this brave experiment. And most of all, for our honest opinions about it.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching and taking it all in for how it was intended. - Josh & Kalie

[@DjBrunoFiasco]

Really cool experiment.

[@sagmahi]

Thank you for creating this content...it is super helpful for understanding how affordable Portugal can be. This video isn't too far from my daily living experience in the SF bay area 😅 And the Cia highlights are the best! 🤩

[@ericsoderlund3236]

Another awesome video from Josh and Kalie! Thanks, guys. I especially like Josh's headphones at the 13-minute mark. And I even make a cameo appearance in this one, lol. Living for a month on minimum wage would be very challenging, and you illustrate it very well with this experiment. Maybe you should have done it in February so you wouldn't have been sweating the last day. ;-) Of course, it would be even harder to do it on a permanent basis or for a whole year. Think about all the non-regular, one-time, or "lumpy" expenses that come up in a year: holiday gifts, life insurance premiums, health insurance premiums, clothing, back-to-school spending, health-care expenses, new phones and computers when they become obsolete, and, of course, travel. So many sneaky expenses that crop up and can bust a budget when it's this limited and there is little room for error.

[@imeandmyself525]

You talk about non-regular or lumpy expenses that simply don't exist, in most cases, for people on minimum wage! Holiday gifts - In a large family, the "secret friend" is used, that is, each person only gives one gift to another person (drawn), so, if there is a family gathering with ten, fifteen people, each person only has to give one gift To the lucky one, you don't have to give ten/fifteen gifts, one to each one! Of course, in the case of parents and children, this is not the case. Life insurance premiums - unless you are paying a mortgage to the bank for the house life insurance is NOT an issue, even for higher earners. And this expense is included in the costs of paying the debt Health insurance premiums - in Portugal there is a public and universal healthcare system, everyone can use it. The costs are very small, around €5, I believe, for a consultation, there are many people exempt from this payment, such as those who earn a minimum wage. Clothes - yes, these costs exist Back-to-school spending - not as much as you might think, because the books are free. Of course you have to pay for notebooks, pencils, backpacks, etc. Health-care expenses - as I said, there are practically none if you use the public service, which is good, even better than some private ones. The problem is that it is overloaded and it can take a long time to get an appointment. If you need a hospital stay or operation, it's free! New phones and computers when they become obsolete - there's no need to change your iPhone every year when a new model comes out! And there are already many people who just have a phone, do everything with it, the expense of a computer is eliminated. And you can always hope for one of the extra salaries for these expenses. Travel - yes, it's not possible, although everyone goes away for a few days, to friends or family. It could be to the south, to the beach, or to the homeland, or the land of the parents, where part of the family still remains.

[@alexgray1905]

Very intersting, thanks.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you, Alex. Good to see you. - Josh & Kalie

[@tenese8]

Loved this local/reality perspective and the comfortable-budget number. Great baseline to work from.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for watching and subscribing. :-) - Josh & Kalie

[@johnwang2910]

This is awesome! Thank you guys, Kaylie and Josh, a greeting from China. I need these information.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Great! You're welcome. Thank you, John. - Josh & Kalie

[@FantasySoldier]

Loved this video. I really enjoy your annual monthly cost videos earlier in the year. So this is a great comparison to those if you are on a tighter, or fixed income. Based off of everything I've learned from your videos and from people living in the village I'm retiring to, my wife and I will be living very comfortably on our income. Excited for the future!

[@skkskskskskskskfjfbd]

Great video guys! As a Portuguese currently living in the USA, I commend you for this video. The amount of videos about how Portugal is great while living on an American income is ridiculous, we all know how amazing it, it's not rocket science. This is the first time I see an expat actually showing how things are using the local resources/conditions. Parabéns!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you. We appreciate that. That was the point really. It certainly wasn't to mean any harm to those on minimum wage . Thanks for watching. - Josh & Kalie

[@robertbravo8032]

Really enjoyed this challenge. My wife and I plan on moving to Portugal when we retire and I've struggled to come up with a number that we need to live in. This was very eye opening.

[@seamusp5991]

Great challenge! :)

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you 🤗 - Josh & Kalie

[@ledeemarie10]

So many things I could suggest, like cooking vs eating out, until you're more financially stabilized. Buying super cheap, fresh produce and fruits on the side of the road. Buying cheapest or substituting cheapest brands at grocery stores. Not limiting yourselves to Pingo Doce, try Aldi, Continente and whatever other grocery stores they sometimes have in shopping centers. Save up for a decent size chest freezer to store meats and such, take grocery shopping trips outside of the city and stack up in that freezer; heck, move outside of the city and let your friends come to you until you're on steadier grounds. Probably not very helpful but just a few suggestions.

[@capt.miguelresendez5238]

It would be so interesting to watch you continue the challenge for a few months. We would start to see you visiting parks, free outings, cheap museums, etc. We would be able to see you get creative with cooking as well. Great video!

[@southernfriedkiwi7726]

This was a weird one for me. An interesting experiment, but the fact that you know it finishes in 30 days, absolutely clouded your approach. I'm not saying that to be mean, it was a given that it would. The biggest problem with this experiment, was that there was no intention to save money. None. As someone who was making minimum wage(with my wife) for 9 months, 30 years ago in London, there IS NO MONEY for eating out and drinking alcohol multiple times in the month. We had to eat at home every night. There was no money for watching live sports. There was no money for buying coffee "out". The reason that there was no money for these things is that we HAD TO save money for our future. If you had set aside a reasonable amount to put into an imaginary savings account, it would have been more realistic. You would have been forced to approach it more seriously. Honestly, you lived more in one month, than we did in 9 months, because of the lack of needing savings planning.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We did address that at the end. We also addressed the money saving strategy we would use in a pinned comment. - Josh & Kalie

[@edesouza2279]

Also, if they had a 9 to 5 job they wouldn’t be out and about every day, spending money or telling their friends that they are living on a limited income.

[@danidonadan]

This experience is so important.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We've learned how to reduce our budget considerably. - Josh & Kalie

[@bernardopiano7153]

Hi Josh and Kalie, your financial adviser can explain better than me, but with that income you will receive from the state a pension for your child, don't know the exact amount but I think it's around 200 eur. For the rental you will get another pension, maybe 65% if not more... transportation I'm not sure but I have a feeling it could be free. On top of your income, certainly you get more 600 eur if not more in pensions. Sometimes people that earn minimum weige take home more money than the ones getting an average salary, they know all those benefits/pensions... not saying they live well, just saying they live with mora than you did. I'm sure there are much more "help" from the state and city hall, this is one of the reasons why Portuguese pay so much in taxes... it's called social state ;)

[@marisapollock4703]

I cant help but wonder how this would have gone if your flat rent were closer to what market rate seems to be. I'm watching from the US, so could be way off but I think newly rented flats are much more expensive. Also, this is how my family lives our lives. Except without access to affordable transportation to get everywhere. And, we make far above our state's minimum wage. Kind of blows my mind that it was such an adjustment. Count your blessings, I guess.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

One would have to find a flat they can afford with their salary. So if we can only afford €700, we find something that's €700. A lot of people forget that we live in a T1+1. It's a small apartment. - Josh & Kalie

[@teresabenitez8201]

Wow 🤯 I want to thank you guys for doing this 30 day challenge ❤ It is a lot of sacrifice and exhausting mentally and emotionally to live on a tight budget. 😢

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you for watching. - Josh & Kalie

[@capt.miguelresendez5238]

Could you use the Wise card? We use it and we have very minimal fees.

[@jjbetofonseca]

I think you really did a great job. This is indeed an interesting video where you actually put the shoes of people and feel it how it actually looks like to lice in such conditions. I think thats also important to point that those people dont have a way to get kids to some school or, that at least they have to pay something on any school, right? And also that people living on min wage most provably also needs to pay for that transport in a daily basis (not the case for you guys). Again, congrats for the great video, i really like it!

[@mariannea.2140]

Hi Josh & Kalie, thank you for spending the time and effort to show us approximately what a day to day spending would cost on an 820 euro budget (base on 2 1/2 :P ). I am American of Portuguese ancestry and have been planning a retirement there before it became "popular". I have been increasingly nervous as prices rise as I would be retiring as a single person and my budget would be in the ball park of both of yours combined. This gives me a 'general" idea of what it would cost me taking into consideration my circumstances as I know I would also need to budget in private healthcare, etc. and other factors that pertain to my life. This has been the best video in helping me to better understand how I would need to budget or even if it is still an option for me. Thank you for doing this it really has been helpful!

[@shinyshinythings]

Keep the Numbeo website bookmarked so you can track prices in different cities. Porto is one of the more expensive places to live in Portugal.

[@mariannea.2140]

⁠@@shinyshinythingsThanks for the tip! 😊 I was definitely not thinking Porto (for financial reasons) I am still in the research phase. Maybe a smaller town/ village a little inland not far from a larger city is what I am focusing on. Researching is half the fun though Numbeo will help, thanks again! 🌺🪸

[@matchbox3eb]

Hey guys, great channel. I wish I'd found you sooner. I'm an expat living abroad since 2020. Very curious how you have found the process of obtaining work, permits, and residence in different countries. Any recommendations? I'm in Poland now, and lived in Italy for a few years. Looking at moving to Norway or Spain next. Depends on job offers. All the best to you and your little one. Cheers!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Welcome aboard! The majority of the time we've had work contracts in the various countries we've lived. We used to be teachers. - Josh & Kalie

[@ricardoxavier827]

Thank you for this. And you did a luxury lifestyle for our living standards. You could "cortar á boca" more. And with a kid even more precious "Eye Opening. Obrigado

[@paulcatarino2209]

@28:23 I think you found the secret sauce there. Even in the silver coast you can buy a house with some land for a veggie garden and chicken/duck pen and still have the mtg pymt be less than rent in Porto or Lisbon. I understand the global appeal of living in the city, but I think that a 20-30 min drive out is where you can find the perfect balance city life and country life.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for sharing, Paul. - Josh & Kalie

[@alvaropachecosilva]

Interesting test. Other things to weigh in: Cia would probably be entitled to a small government allowance and both of you should either deduct the expenses of one of the main meals on weekdays or add anything from 6,00 € to 9,00 € per weekday tax-free as mandatory food allowance.

[@papiyonmov]

Great experiment! I'm thinking there would be additional expenses for toiletries, dental care, clothing/shoes. Looks like no money available for pets, school, travel, repairs (if you own something like a house, car, computers, phones) or giving to charities. Thank you for doing this!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Toiletries were in the grocery runs. Other things have been referenced in our pinned comment. Thanks for watching. - Josh & Kalie

[@victorialira]

That is correct. My house needs a lot of repairs and I can't afford that.

[@dcterra]

Someone making $15/hour in the US couldn't make it through half the month here unless they are sharing an apartment. I don't even mean like a "roommates" situation, I mean like more people living in the house or apartment than there are rooms. It says a lot for Portugal.

[@veronicadcf]

Shout out to Cia, who makes this type of video prettier! I love the part of entertaining at home.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you :-) We love having people over even though our place is tiny. - Josh & Kalie

[@tamaramadelin4831]

GREAT vlog! Lol...Dessert🍷

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Drink your dessert. LOL - Josh & Kalie

[@horatiu70]

The “comfortable budget” you mentioned of 2000 is that per person or as a couple?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Per couple, but it's very dependent on where you're renting. IF you're just broadly talking about living in Portugal, €2,000 should actually be okay. - Josh & Kalie

[@shinyshinythings]

Some money-saving tips from someone who for real has lived on a budget: if you go to your fresh market, the veggies and fruit are cheaper than delivery, bread from bakeries is cheaper and much nicer than from grocery stores, don’t buy pre made burgers, meat is MUCH cheaper by the kilo if you just buy it in bulk, avoid alcohol - it’s expensive! - and finally, don’t spend your last 33€ on going to see football (you would definitely not have gone to the game if this were your real life and not “for the experience”).

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for the comment. Literally thousands of people on minimum wage will go to at least one match a season at €11 per person per match. Some are so crazy about football that they'll manage to have a season ticket. Remember for some football isn't an experience, "football is life". - Josh

[@Hdio99]

Great Video, seen almost all, this probably favorite. Yes its possible, confortable begins I guess 50% higher than minimum wage witch is more or less the AVERAGE WAGE here in Portugal... But I would say that maybe people that is on minimum wage does not have so higuer ELECTRICAL BILL ( I am a 52 year guy living with my wife and dauther just like u guys and by bills are electric around 45€ each moth and water around 23€ I live in SINTRA area, so I guess something is costing in the electric bill of yours... another thing is I dont think people with minimum wage would go so much on social events, not without social behavior but maybe not going for gatherings where you spend. Another is sport events , I mean there it goes a lot, for example I dont go. For example I only have INTERNET 500GB and Phone in my house for 35€, with internet I see all the TV I want , and my phone has 20GB per month and 5000m of calls and sms. I dont pay any rent because I own my house, my wife makes the minimum wage, I make a little more but spend much less than the minimum wage so every moth I save a little.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks, mate! We're glad you've found an almost favorite. We hope to create a new favorite soon. :-) - Josh & Kalie

[@wendiezzes2281]

which suburb do you live in?

[@extremeAdvil]

Maybe I missed it but where in Portugal are you?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Porto. - Josh & Kalie

[@oussama_bedoui]

Hi guys! I'm moving to Portugal in three months and this video and chanel in general is really helpful to know what's waiting for me and summarize it . Thank you !

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you very much for the message. All the best! We're glad to help. - Josh & Kalie

[@zoem891]

Great experiment. I guess if you don’t have to pay rent it would help. I’m still debating if we should move to Portugal. My husband is Portuguese but we live in USA for so long that we are little hesitant about moving there and not be able to adapt with low income.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you. Yep, rent took half. - Josh & Kalie

[@anniesshenanigans3815]

365 days a year for ppl in the USA, especially someone that is single!! I live alone and the thought of living on SS is scary.

[@MamaLlama007]

This is a really great video. So many people live on a tight budget: Social Security & minimum wages. Thank you for showing this experience.

[@jeanineh6006]

I'm impressed that you guys were able to do this. Not an easy thing to accomplish. Not all Americans who move here are "Golden Visa" people. We are not Golden Visa people and have a budget that we have to adhere to but it is a bit higher than PT minimum wage. The thought that it is "super cheap" to live here may be from a wealthier person coming from the US or wherever. Maybe someone having sold a home for a lot of money or gotten an inheritance would feel that way. Not everyone is in this situation. This is very enlightening to those who have a smaller income or maybe their income is based on social security from the US (or a "pension" from another country). As long as Social Security is in existence. No large expenses or catastrophic expenses were incurred, ie. a partner loses a job or maybe the car breaks down or you need new tires. Other considerations would be clothing, shoes, internet, tv, streaming platforms which all add to your monthly expenses. Travel was not an option either. Not looking to cause any issues with your challenge because this was great but these are considerations for those who are thinking of moving here. Congrats to you for meeting the challenge!!! Aren't you happy that you can go back to your normal budget?

[@nichols1969]

Maybe this explains why so many live with their parents and maybe even grandparents. This happens on both side of the Atlantic. Rent would be the killer.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Rent is the X factor for many and we suspect many have really, really low rents or mortgages. - Josh & Kalie

[@victorialira]

Exactly! Most of the families live with their parents or grandparents because of this.

[@chamomilesmith2218]

I grew up in a poor immigrant family where I could not see any sunshine in my domicile. Monthly budget outside of housing was probably under $400 for family of 3 in NYC in 2000s. I make that money in 2 hours now. My frugal nature kicks in often but definitely I don't worry about micro scale of the money and be miserable over just couple dollars any more. Money can definitely buy convenience and can help buying "some" happiness.

[@jong6477]

Eye opening for sure!! My Portugese friends talk about how minimum wage is and paying rent... 🤯🤑 My game plan would be to eat in, buy beans and rice (live bellow your means) put some money for savings/emergency fund and you should be good... 👍🏻 In theory. I learned alot with David Ramsey. Paid off debt. I am a American living I Portugal 🇵🇹

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We paid off all our debt in Saudi. Wayta have a plan. Good job. Thanks for watching. - Josh & Kalie

[@Sergey_Mironenko]

try to do the same experiment with 729,80 euro in USA

[@angel794]

Haha, as if that could work!

[@laura3619]

❤

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for the love, Laura. - Josh & Kalie

[@916medic]

Would $5200 USD a month be ok to live and pay rent. Thats my pension but in California thats not much at all. Could i live ok with that much.

[@AshleyOliviaDaCosta]

I find that this is so much easier in Portugal vs twice the money in the US. Getting sick took half our income and was a constant worry. No more!🎉

[@veronicadcf]

Amen!

[@JasonBrownafewmomentsl8er]

Usefull video it would suck to live that way as a local but i know for us our income at retirement wont be a lot more than that which would be under minimum wage here. So living in Portugal at just over minimum wage would be a luxury

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for sharing, Jason. - Josh & Kalie

[@MrTiagoM]

Which neighbourhood do you guys live? Rent sounds cheap

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

I've placed more context in a pinned comment. - Josh & Kalie

[@ritamattos4237]

Olá pessoal,não esqueçam que todo trabalhador tem direito a 22 dias de subsidio alimentação,e também são 14 ordenados por ano😉. Mas sim é muito difícil estar sempre a fazer cálculos mentais. Abraços da Alemanha😉💪💪

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Hi Rita, thanks for the message. We weren't going to try to explain the 22 days of food subsidies. We actually asked several business owners to explain it and it got explained differently each time. Some said it was an entitled benefit, others said it was optional as a way to provide a tax free benefit, others said it's not a tax free benefit. We addressed the way to view the 14 payments in a pinned comment. Hugs! - Josh & Kalie

[@ritamattos4237]

@@ExpatsEverywhere bom dia, sempre que trabalhei recebi subsidio alimentação só não pago aquando das férias, e sim é livre de taxa,em algumas empresas,há cantina logo não necessita subsidio.😉abraços

[@dovoso5685]

Very nice but bottom line = If you are single retiree and your social security equals to 800 euro , you can not make it.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Definitely not as a foreigner just moving to Portugal and trying to live in a city. - Josh & Kalie

[@Kalecimus]

Great experiment, however it doens't even come close to what most people in Portugal are going through as it ignores the fact that you didnt have to go to work and therefore had plenty of time for your social life, without taking abuse from your bosses and not being paid for your extra duties etc, only to earn a salary you could barely make ends meet. If i had to live like that... I WOULD RATHER BE HOMELESS!

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We're not retired. We work from home. - Josh & Kalie

[@bluedouchemark4685]

No, I couldn't do it, because I'm not a 16 year old with my first job, living with my parents

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Fair enough. - Josh & Kalie

[@mariacorreia8362]

Save $$$, don’t refill ur card , in Lisbon u can get a card and pay monthly for $40 euros and u can ride anything around . That’s one way to save $$

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Hi Maria, thanks for the comment. This isn't completely accurate for Porto. The all zones pass is €40. Kalie had 3 top ups which this given month should could have done a monthly pass and it would have saved her money for the 3Z monthly card which is €30, however, Josh only did two top ups, which was €28 and cheaper than either monthly pass for adults. Typically, we just do two top ups per month but this 30 days was an anomaly for Kalie. - Josh & Kalie

[@fernandomagalhaes6820]

Don t forget that it is 820 euros x 14 month / 12 month = 957 euros. So where do you live with a minimum wage?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We addressed this in the pinned comment. Thanks for watching. - Josh & Kalie

[@PeterMKooiman]

In conclusion you can't have kids, gas, internet or a social life on minimum wage. Your car breaks down or an appliance goes out you don't eat to get it repaired.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

All of Cia's costs were accounted expect here school fees. In theory, she could be going to a public option. - Josh & Kalie

[@mauricebergevin8337]

How about living on Welfare for 2 adults and a child? Would it be easier?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

What welfare? - Josh & Kalie

[@bac907]

I'm curious how much you spent on alcohol during this month total?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We'd have to actually count it to know but just guessing because we drank more often at home, €40-50. The beerfest was €21 alone. - Josh & Kalie

[@RushmoorFizzbomb]

TAX! Tax is deducted from your minimum wage, but by chance the extra 2 pay periods per year make up for it. You must pay nearly 12% tax if the minimum wage is 14x820=11480 less tax is 10100, so divide by 12 months is €842. That’s fine if you are working and getting 14 payments per year, but not so if you are on a D7 where 12x820 is the minimum passive income requirement. Can somebody comment?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

As explained in the beginning, we had a tax person answer this question about how much we'd need to set aside for taxes. - Josh & Kalie

[@SilverTurtle65]

Hello from Costa Rica 🇨🇷 I was in Portugal in March and spent most of February in the Azores. Most people that are native in Portugal either have their homes mortgage free and don’t pay rent so that makes a huge difference on monthly expenses in my opinion.

[@afaria6173]

a lot of people in the Azores have mortgages and they are all variable rates loans. People who have been paying 500 euros monthly for years are now paying 800 because of the spike in interest rates.

[@rdmf2921]

What are you talking about? Ahahahah

[@PeterMKooiman]

LOL, that is incorrect and not factual! Who sold you that bs story?

[@dagerman7032]

@@PeterMKooiman"In 2020, 46.6% of households living in Portugal had some kind of debt. Among all households, the most common type of debt is mortgages on the main residence (30.5% of households). (Data from the Bank of Portugal) And the percentage of Portuguese who own their home is 78 %. So afaria is right.

[@PeterMKooiman]

@@dagerman7032 Sorry wrong! I know of no one, NO ONE!!!! mortgage free, unless they are living with their parents. The data you pointed out is a joke, if you have a look at the details they consider people living with their parents as if they have their own household. Not even 1/3 of the people I went to school with have their own home. Sorry actual facts beat poor data.

[@capt.miguelresendez5238]

If you had car expenses, it doesn’t seem possible to afford a vehicle and insurance, gas, maintenance, etc.

[@BaltzerBoy]

Come on You Gunners ✨🔴

[@TheGforceuk]

another great video . We’re hopefully retiring to the algarve in 5 years. . Together we will have almost 3 thousand Euros between us to live on and will be mortgage / rent free as we will be purchasing a property there . Is that a comfortable amount to live on for two of us down there

[@TheGforceuk]

And 6 years later we will have another 30 thousand euros a year to live on with our state pension

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thank you very much. We answered that question at the end of the video. We hope you caught it. - Josh & Kalie

[@TheGforceuk]

@@ExpatsEverywhere can’t believe I missed that , I think my half talked over that 😂. So looking forward to retirement without rent even though I think the algarve is a little more expensive than Porto.

[@shinyshinythings]

Don’t forget to budget for health insurance and basic transportation. Plus property taxes, utilities and upkeep for the home, and savings in case of an emergency.

[@TheGforceuk]

@@shinyshinythings lol I’m sure that’ll be plenty to cover those

[@mariacorreia8362]

First just Wana say I was cracking up with this experience as I am living in USA but I go Portugal multiple times . One tip I suggest I ate at continente for 8 euros ( meal and soup and juice ) yep can’t beat it . What’s the trick : meal of the day. I learned this year u Wana save $$ meal of the day is ur best , u get two choices and usually comes with soup and juice and coffee ain’t much so I was eating out for 10 euros on the dot ;) also I didn’t have a car so how did I get around : walked and bus ! For phone I got SIM card for $25 euros lasted 3 weeks and I could use google maps . There’s a lot way to save money in Portugal Just have to research and go and do like locals do . So I was born in Portugal therefore I go continente / pingo Doce anything to save $$ even when traveling there yep yep why not !! If I can bring cash home why not . Also , just saying : rent vs buying place if you can afford it u better off . Just saying … hope I get a chance to meet u guys someday 🥰 love watching ur channel - ❤

[@mariacorreia8362]

Also use bolt is cheaper -- same idea as Uber but Portuguese so it’s less ;)

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Thanks for the love. We appreciate you watching. We haven't tried the Continente Cafe as the PD one is closer to us. We found a few places that still have €6 menu of the days. We host regular meetups, so hopefully we get to meet you at one of those. - Josh & Kalie

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We price compare Uber and Bolt and generally take the cheaper one. We get a lot of Uber promos for 10, 20, 30% off. Also did you know that Bolt is Estonian? - Josh & Kalie

[@sololife1968]

Now can you imagine doing that as a single parent with only one min. wage income.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

No. Can you? - Josh & Kalie

[@sw8398]

That's the UK pensioner's income..UK pension is shameful

[@Carolinapetroska]

Why in the world would you buy foreign bread when the Portuguese bread is one of the best in the world and very cheap too ?

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

The bread we bought was from Pingo Doce. How's it a foreign bread? You mean because it's sandwich bread and we like to make sandwiches for lunch? It's a cultural thing, Carolina. It's like something something that our American and Canadian audience can really relate to. PS - We're not advocating for this particular bread as it's not nice. A euro more and it'll buy a much better bread that's the same style. As you saw later in the video, we preparing the snack for watching football on TV with a friend, we bought bakery fresh bread for €0.19 per roll I believe it was. Downside to this bread is it needs to be consumed in 24-48 hours but we did in this case, so it's all good. - Josh & Kalie www.pingodoce.pt/produtos/marca-propria-pingo-doce/pingo-doce/pao-de-forma-12-cereais-e-sementes-pingo-doce-600-g/

[@kajerlou]

Growing up in poverty mostly sucked due to 2 things, a lack of lack of freedom and a lack of security. At least, in our current economic paradigm you purchase the freedom to do things--it may be as simple as transit to your "free" destination but, when you have zero money... It is the uncertainty, that lack of freedom. Anything can happen to cost unexpected amounts and then, you make a hard choice to let your power bill or water bill or something else go for a month or two in order the recoup those losses because you simple do not have the resources to pay for it all. I went without lights and water for several periods of my childhood. I also moved around an awful, awful lot from one derelict broken mobile home to a nigh condemned apartment back to a moldy trailer. I never felt secure, growing up. Now, at 36 not only do I have a solid middle class income, I also have diverse investments and a considerable credit line. Unlike in my childhood, I have no fears of not being able to afford whatever may come my way. Most of my extended family is still in poverty though, stuck in the cycle, generation after generation.

[@sarasimoes9845]

Lucky your girl didn’t need any clothes/shoes or you have birthday presents to buy. Minimum wage is always very tight in every country. With children basically impossible. 😊

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

Hi Sara, we've pinned a comment on our thoughts on that. - Josh & Kalie

[@qwqwlex]

If you subtract rent of 700 euros and utilities from the minimum salary, how can you have 629 euros left? Maybe I missed something. With minimum wage as a single person, you rent a room for 300 euros which includes all bills. Also, Portugueses, and myself I have to say, spend their money a bit differently and are more frugal. They go for coffee rather than bears, and not necessarily with friends. I live with no more than 150 euros a month in groceries, and I almost always take public transport which works pretty well and it is cheap. If needed, I ride a Bolt or Uber. I probably live on 250-300 euros per month for the basics. Everything else is a plus that I can avoid but I don't because I can afford it.

[@ExpatsEverywhere]

We're two people. €820 X 2. We explained this in the beginning. - Josh & Kalie