Thanks for watching. We'd like to invite you back next week to hear from a guy that moved with his family to Maia and has really found home there. Please comment below where you'd like us to make a city guide for in Portugal next. - Josh & Kalie

@PatriotINF

4 ай бұрын

A city guide of Braga would be awesome!

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

@@PatriotINF Ask and you shall receive. kzread.info/dash/bejne/pJWd19abcq24qaw.html Housing costs would be the thing that's changed from this video. - Josh & Kalie

Born and reaised in Maia here! I love this town and I feel it's quiet enough for good resting (places like Gaia will have street racing and bad neighbors at night that won't let you sleep), but still full of shops, parks, gyms, pharmacies and restaurants. All of my family have had schooling here, and it's possible to make it from nursery to high school within walking distance, and for college, you have metro and bus that will get you there in about 25 minutes. You can also look at Castelo da Maia (ISMAI metro stop) Moreira da Maia (Pedras Rubras/ Airport metro line) or Aguas Santas (the cheapest part of Maia, serviced by a train). All these areas are good for families that seek quiet living but still want to have amenities nearby. An even cheaper alternative but still very charming and full of amenities I'd say is Famalicao, but that would be further north (reaching Porto by train).

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for your input and thoughtful post. We really appreciate it. We hope to see you back for next week's video where we interview a new Maia resident. - Josh & Kalie

@HelderP1337

3 ай бұрын

Olá caro Maiato! 😊

You guys are so cute. Maia, NOT happening! I didn't move to Europe to end up in Newark.

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

HAHA, you're not a fan of Maia? - Josh & Kalie

Nice, I was born and bred here. Currently living in California but I miss it every day. We'll return in a few years, can't wait.

yeah move to Maia... make Maia's prices higher too

Guys, please do a similar video for Lisbon!

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

We have. There is a Lisbon city guide that's a bit older. There's a new one on our 2nd channel ExpatsEverywhere Explores and there are Lisbon neighborhood videos as well. - Josh & Kalie

Great info, thanks!

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Thank you. Thanks for watching. - Josh & Kalie

We would love to see a city guide on Braga. Your guy's videos are great! Thank you for all of the content and effort you put into these videos.

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Ask and you shall receive. kzread.info/dash/bejne/pJWd19abcq24qaw.html Housing costs would be the thing that's changed from this video. Thanks for the compliment and recognition. We appreciate it. - Josh & Kalie

Thanks yall. Hoping to meet you guys done day as we hope to retire there!

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

We hope so too! - Josh & Kalie

Thanks for the review of Maia. How close is it to Matasinhos? 😊

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Thank you! Around 15 minutes by car. 9 miles (14 km). - Josh & Kalie

Maia isn't really even cheaper if you look on idealista. maybe slightly cheaper away from the metro. but, still an option because porto is now officially ridiculous cost of living.... especially if you earn local wages...

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Yes, the inventory is just so so low right now. Let's see what happens when a lot of the new construction finishes. Although, it'll probably get snapped up pretty quickly but let's see. - Josh & Kalie

thank you for introducing, Maia is a nice place but I like Porto and Matosinhos much more for its energy and lifestyle also, renting for 1500-2000 Euros per month for a T3 in Centro Maia is too expensive, my T3 new detached house on rent near Norte Shopping Centre in Matosinhos is only asking 2000 Euros monthly rent...

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

You're welcome. You know, we probably like Matosinhos a bit better too but Maia isn't bad. - Josh & Kalie

@lga908

4 ай бұрын

@@ExpatsEverywhere agreed, but it's true that housing in Matosinhos are getting so expensive compared with a few years ago, Porto the same

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

@@lga908 Oh gosh yea! When we initially moved Matosinhos was half the price of Porto rent and buy and now, they're close and both high IMO. - Josh

@lga908

4 ай бұрын

⁠@@ExpatsEverywhereyea you’re spot on, we were naturally pushed to Matosinhos back then due to the price difference when we sought to find a future settlement here in 2019, and now we are selling double the price we bought. I feel sorry for guys who love Greater Porto and who want to move here now, but I guess I cannot complain for getting an almost free swap to a new detached house in the same district. Wish everyone good luck in realizing their dreams in Portugal especially Porto

Wow! Those prices are higher than the ones you can find in The Netherlands if you shop around enough. 😬 Thanks for the update!

@luisfilipe534

4 ай бұрын

Real estate speculation in Portugal is surreal...

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

You’re welcome 😊 - Josh & Kalie

@charmerci

4 ай бұрын

In early 2020, there were small apartments in Braga for 60K. The last time I checked in the summer, there was nothing underneath 120K. Portugal real estate has gone crazy unless you want to live in the countryside.

@TheSimArchitect

4 ай бұрын

Yes, and buy a very dilapidated property. I personally don't want to live in an apartment as we never actually own it, as we have neighbors that vote for things like renovations (or the lack of them). I would also prefer something detached so I can make noise any time of the day or night. Remote areas in Portugal are in the middle of nowhere, different from The Netherlands. I also notice they sell properties that are worse than naked land as you find something built hundreds of years ago in total disrepair that you can't even tear down. Braga is a nice town, we drove there while staying in Viana do Castelo. @@charmerci

If you live in Portugal with NO debts, for example you can buy a house pay it off and buy a vehicle also paid off is the minimum wage for a couple enough to live a good life ? (I heard it’s hard to find jobs that pay more than min wage in Portugal)

@RazudMezeghis

4 ай бұрын

Native resident portuguese here... and simple answer... you simply cant... Cause the prices are so high that you simply cant aford a home, even if you work a bit above the minimum wage. Theres isnt good lifes in portugal since covid due to the high rise of living costs... me and my wife with 2 kids barely have some left over money at the end of the month. We live in a rented house and own 2 cars, have jobs were we are stable for years and even so the wage is not enough for a confortable life.

@sportinguista09

4 ай бұрын

@@RazudMezeghis thanks for the reply, I don’t think you understood my question though. I would be able to go without debts so I would have a house and car paid off. I don’t need to pay for rent or MTG. I am Portuguese Canadian. Born and raised in Canada with Portuguese parents. I LOVE Portugal I’m thinking about moving there. I’m sorry that those are your circumstances. Portuguese people deserve better. Boa sorte com tudo.

@RazudMezeghis

4 ай бұрын

@@sportinguista09 I talked from a regular portuguese person experience. Fortunally my circunstances arent the worse ones, i can still have a "home" and pay my bills, but theres tons of people in debt since the only way to buy home is by credit. Theres even working people living in tents on pubic gardens since the rents are to much high. As for cars, depends on what you want... newer ones are to expensive since they are dually taxed... but theres used cars in good shape in the market. Lets hope the new government in march 10 bring us a better future. Thanks. If you come to Portugal i recomend the north, since its more peacefull, specially porto and above.

@fp9556

4 ай бұрын

Minimum wage would be for unskilled jobs. If you have any sort of skill and experience you should be able to avoid those types of jobs. It all depends on your background.

@sportinguista09

4 ай бұрын

@@fp9556 I do trim/finish carpentry in Canada

Unlike in central and northen european countries, small(er) towns in Portugal do not present a satisfactory level of development and services (aside from surprisingly fast internet) which you absolutely need to go in the city for routinely, with maybe a few exceptions like Maia

@diogorodrigues747

4 ай бұрын

*Unlike in central and northen european countries, small(er) towns in Portugal do not present a satisfactory level of development and services* Explain more.

@rafaelrodrigues77

4 ай бұрын

@@diogorodrigues747 Having lived in a small-ish town in the UK I used to have access to every sort of government service, commerce with all the brands and varieties of bigger cities, digital transportation systems, amazon prime / lockers, restaurant chains, rideshare services. Also having lived in the outskirts of Lisbon, I recall needing to drive to get a good bunch of the aforementioned things. Whatever was available in the suburbs was always a downgraded version of what is available in Lisbon, both in scale, quality and availability, whereas in the UK I used to have only a scale difference (due to the smaller size of the town / city)

@diogorodrigues747

4 ай бұрын

@@rafaelrodrigues77 Didn't know that. Indeed here in Portugal you need to get into the bigger cities in order to have all the services. I didn't know that things were like that in the UK, that's great.

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Are you two brothers having a dialog here? :-) - Josh

@diogorodrigues747

4 ай бұрын

@@ExpatsEverywhere He's not my brother, it happens that we have the same surname.

No way. For a few hundred more per month I would get live in Porto itself.

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Our feelings exactly. - Josh & Kalie

Or better yet: don't move at all. Stay where you are. Your country needs you.

My wife and I have watched all your videos. They are great! We hope to retire in Portugal in the next 2-3 years. I'm assuming (based off of past videos) that you would Braga over Mia?

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching our content. Josh - Maia Kalie - probably Maia The reason...it's close to Porto. 😁 - Josh & Kalie

Looks like a concrete jungle.

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

The downtown is fairly concrete jungly but it's small and as you go out it becomes more rural. - Josh & Kalie

Why are you guys bragging about Porto so much? Gaia is also beautiful esp by Afurada and Canidelo.

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

We live in Porto and we love it. Check out our top 12 cities for 2024 to see where Gaia ranked. ;-) - Josh & Kalie

What " amenities" its lacking? It got everything you need... you just need to know the city, not just the center of it, like you showed in the video. Maia is composed by 10 villages, each one with their own amenities. Let me correct you there, 8:45 , Maia has sushi, pizza, burgers, indian, turkish, italian, etc... food restaurantes, you just need to look around. Again learn and discover the city before talking about it... as a native portuguese Maia residente it triggers me that people like to talk about what they really dont know and make the city look bad. I appreciate the attention given to Maia, but if you want to find more relaxed places you should seek Moreira or Pedras Rubras, a small village of Maia... its currently filled with abandoned houses and fields that can be a new start for who wants, and has plenty of money, for a new place. Its near the airport, got metro and bus, plenty of supermarkets and local markets, schools, etc...

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

Let's say it a different way. It doesn't have many options compared to larger cities in Portugal. 1-3 of each of those ethnic foods aren't great. Don't get triggered though. These are outsiders opinions on a place geared towards outsiders. Thanks for your suggestions on small villages. - Josh & Kalie

@RazudMezeghis

4 ай бұрын

@@ExpatsEverywhere Maia is a city composed by 10 villages, in each one you can find a variety of restaurants, shops, bars, etc... each with they're own charm that compose the city. You only visited the center, so of course it doenst have it "all". As for food, heres some recomendations: Restaurante estação, Coreto, Steak House portuguesa da Maia, Musaxi, Mercearia do Bacalhau, O Forno e Nonna vespa. Heres a few surrounding villages you should check that are part of Maia. - Moreira, has plenty of supermarkets, night bars (like Seven's and Bolero) Metro, airport, bus and coach's. Some beautifull scenarios of green fields and plenty of peace. You got ecopaths you can explore. - S. Pedro de Fins got a really nice urban park - Castelo da Maia has some museus and really nice quintas to discover Also dont assume everywhere theres a "place geared towards outsiders", cause thats not how majority of business work in the country. An easy way to know places is by visiting the tourist centers shops. Every city has one. On Maia is called the "welcome center" and its near the metro Forum Maia.

Nope. Looks like a nondescript suburb. Nothing in the visuals appeals to me, not even the downtown. You get what you pay for; I’d rather pay more for place that appeals more.

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

We understand what you mean, Gerlad. Being there in the downtown might give you a little different impression. It's not THAT bad. Have you visited on your scouting trips? We feel the same way about getting what you pay for and this was our original response back in 2020 and 2021 when Portuguese viewers were saying move to Maia, it's cheaper! - Josh & Kalie

@GeraldFigal

4 ай бұрын

⁠​⁠@@ExpatsEverywhereIf one is on a tight budget and is determined to move to Portugal with access to a real city, it could be a good choice. I personally wouldn’t consider it at all based on what I’ve seen online, so no need to scout it (I trust you guys). For me, in that general area Vila do Conde would be more interesting. Cheaper than Porto, not as cheap as Maia, but with more appealing urbanscape and surroundings (Ave River, coast) and connected by Metro to Porto (just farther). I have an acquaintance who has been retired there for a few years and he loves it. Perhaps a video on it is in the offing? 😊

@ExpatsEverywhere

4 ай бұрын

@@GeraldFigal Yup, Vila do Conde and Povoa de Varzim are both in the offing with interviews (possibly) to accompany them. We're working on them. - Josh & Kalie

@SimpletonPortuguese

3 ай бұрын

I live in Maia. Your video is pretty accurate except for two minor details. There are no hills nearby and it will be equally difficult finding someone who doesn't speak at least passable English under 60. Also, you didn't mention the Asian wasp infestation and the roaming wild dog pack problem, but that's understandable.

No thank you