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Why Would I Choose Spain Over Portugal if I Had to Do It All Over Again?
I get asked this question a lot because I’m pretty vocal about it.
I’m not trying to dissuade anyone from moving to Portugal, but I think it’s important to know the facts before you do, and it’s also important to consider other options.
The amount of expats and immigrants coming here is having a major impact on Portugal, both good and bad. The bad is that we’re significantly driving up costs, mostly housing. So much so that many Portuguese can’t afford to live here anymore, and that’s heartbreaking. I watched a similar thing happen in California (for different reasons) where I was born and raised and it pushed me out. A positive part of the influx is that it that many areas are being revitalized and crime has gone down. —Portugal is a small country. Spain is five times bigger.
The weather in Spain (overall) is better.
The coast is warmer and longer so there are a lot of beach towns and since a large portion is on the mediterranean, you can swim in the ocean because it’s warmer!
It's a larger country so there's more to explore and more people and different cultures (Catalan, Galician, Basque, etc.).
Dogs are allowed everywhere (in malls and even in high end clothing stores) in Galicia for sure—I can’t speak to all of Spain.
The language is significantly easier, pronunciation wise and spoken in more countries and areas of the world.
Some areas in Spain are just as inexpensive (or more so) than Portugal, especially housing.
It's much closer (drivable) to some other countries that I currently have to fly to from Portugal. Depending on where in Spain you are of course. Valencia, Bilbao Girona and more are much closer to France.
The flights to fly within Spain are incredibly low, €40 round trip from Santiago de Compostela to Valencia (in the off season) for example.
In my experience, the men are much nicer (I'm not saying to date but strangers on the street)—in Portugal, men (usually the ones over fifty who grew up during the dictatorship of Salazar) can be quite aggressive toward women and/or inappropriate. Unfortunately, of the dozens of men over fifty that I've come into contact with, only 2 have been nice. And this is backed up by my female Portuguese friends as well.
I think the food is better though there are less vegan options.
Spain isn't perfect, nowhere is, but if I had to do it over again today, those are a few reasons why I'd choose Spain.
However—I love, love, LOVE living in Portugal and I’m so glad I ended up here!
I hope this helps with your planning! —I also recommend looking at the Balkan countries and Georgia!!!