Have you lived on or visited Madeira Island? We'd love to hear about your experiences with the cost of living. Leave a comment and let us know what you think about the changes from 2022 to 2023. Your thoughts and insights can help others who are considering a move or visit to Madeira Island. Thanks for watching! 🌎
Hello Diana! Awe 🙏🏻 thank you! That means a lot! We hope to be informative and maybe a little entertaining. 😂 Yes comparatively still very affordable! Thank you for watching and for your ongoing support of the channel. Cheers! M&D
Thank you for providing this info! The cost of living is still so much less expensive than the US. My wife and I are working hard to save and make retirement in Madeira a reality. Thanks again and I know my wife will look forward to the grocery cost comparison video. Obrigado
We also track our numbers on the mainland near Lisbon - for the past 9 months. (two of us, no pets - rent, groceries, utilities, internet/mobile phones, health ins, entertaining, travel cards, dining, cleaning service - vacations not included) - approx €uros2,500, about the same as when we arrived in the spring. I suspect prices have increased, but we are better shoppers now.
Hello Tinglestingles! Good to hear your numbers and experience. You’re right about the fact that if prices have increased on some items, as a better shopper you can work around it. Well said! Thanks as always for watching and sharing your insights. Cheers! M&D
Ok kids I like the update on the cost of living but I would like to know in Madeira do the restaurants have different menu prices like in France so if your hungry you take the expensive menu or if your not so hungry you go with fewer choices,normally there is about 3 or 4 different menus in every restaurant and the reason I am asking is because I only eat in restaurants even for breakfast with my coffee and croissant.I loved this video you guys are cute and coming from a macho that does not use the word cute it means something.Thanks again
Hello Frank! You made us laugh out loud with the last line of your comment! You’re very kind! Lol! As we have said we are not huge foodies, and we haven’t seen this multiple menus things like you describe. However, it’s never a problem to order simply a coffee or something small anywhere. We used to ask if it was ok to just order a coffee and share a pastry- and it always is. We will keep our eyes open, maybe we have missed this. Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers! M&D
Always great to hear from you guys! Thank you for this year over year cost of living review. It has calmed most of my fears of runaway inflation there. Rents may still be up in the air. Happy to see my client is doing well also.
Hello Chris! 🌎 Thank you so much for watching and commenting! Yes rental continues to be higher and tricky to find. Your client mr. Leo is doing well! Take care and as always thank you for your support! Cheers! M&D
Hello Al! Thank you so very much for your Super thanks! It means a lot to us that you find value in our content and support the channel. It’s encouraging! Cheers! M&D
Great video. I love watching you beautiful people. and also love the idea you Chosen Madeira where i was born to be your home 🏡 thanks From the bottom of my heart . Angelo
Hello Angelo! Thank you so much for watching and for your kind message. We are grateful daily to the Portuguese for welcoming us. Madeirans are kind and we feel fortunate to be here and get to know this incredible island. Cheers! M&D
Thanks - I really like these actual cost type videos. My wife and I are thinking of moving to Portugal ... and it helps to see what the monthly expenses are.
Hello Denny! Thank you for watching and for your kind message! We have many cost of living videos from last year that are still relevant. Each one dives into a few different aspects - so please check them out! Good luck to you both as you do your research into Portugal 🇵🇹! Cheers! M&D
Excellent video. I’ll be interested in your grocery video. Here in Lisbon, I’ve seen some increases since July but overall it feels relatively the same but it will be nice to see your hard data. Interestingly the large fresh squeezed OJ at Pingo Doce went as high as 5,99€ in the last 6 months, but it’s back to 2,99€. Keep up the good work!
We've also noticed some increases in Setubal, but it's difficult to see as every week there are special offers, and we have Pingo Doce, Continente, Lidl and Auchan all close by.
Hello Joel! Reading your comment and the chat with Tinglestingles - we are having the same experience. For sure there are discounts and sales and you can be mindful of them and save money! We love wine from Setubal! 🍷 Thank you for watching and commenting! Cheers! M&D
Hello Steve! Thank you for watching and for the shout out to Leo! 🐶 Glad to hear your pup had a long and happy life- they all deserve that! Cheers! M&D
Hello BM! Absolutely. We have mentioned these costs in other videos! We have a property tax exemption for 3 years. When we will pay, the cost called parish tax will be between 300 and 400 £ per year. We do not have a mortgage so no interest payment. We do also have house insurance - about 400€ per year. This month we had no maintenance or repair costs, but of course we eventually will and we would share that if we did. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers! M&D
Hi, I am tracking you down "closelly" :) Great video. Some piece of info is missing, in my opinion. Yu get read of rent cost (good for you) but, there must be property tax and home insurance. I understand, it depends on place and size of house but, I can't imagine it could be more than it is in Ontario.
Hello Kristof S! Ah yes, we have mentioned property taxes and house insurance in other videos. Ok so we are exempt from property taxes for 3 years. Once we have to pay “ parish” taxes on our home, they will run 300-400€ a year. A far cry from the property taxes we paid on our home in North America!! As for house insurance it’s about 400€ per year. We had paid a lump sum. So not huge expenses at all! Thanks for mentioning this! Keep warm in Ontario!! Thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
@@Track_Us_Down Thank you for reply. Sorry I have missed that info. We are paying almost 12k in property tax here in Ontario. So, looks like we will be saving some money :). I will have to investigate conditions of tax exempt for new build house. BTW, did you try to keep Canadian account of Amazon or Netflix, etc., using VPN and "pretending" you didn't leave ? If yes, it could be theme for one of your amazing videos. If is not illegal of course. Ontario is still cold and our Vizsla girl doesn't like it at all. Regards, Krys & Krys & Rosie
I am 36 years old and dreaming of retiring when I am 50 in Portugal. I live in Boston but I am from Brazil and I am Shocked how cheap it is to retire in Portugal. In the US you need a minimum of $10k a month to retire in Boston. In Portugal it seems that $3k a month of passive income will suffice for a couple. The only problem that I see is living abroad while my kids are living in the US. I have 3 kids, 12, 10 and 9 and I mentioned to my husband my dream of retiring in another country and he is not on board because he doesn’t want to be away from the kids. How do you guys deal with this situation, being away from your boys and not seeing them for so many months. I don’t have a problem with that but my husband is very clingy and wants to be close to the kids when they grow up.
Hello Karina! 🌺 We are reading and rereading your comment. We deeply understand!! We made a whole video about this - leaving your children and how to handle it. Please check out our video Moving abroad advice. We get into this whole thing!! One thing as a mom that I know for sure is that 14 years is a long time and your youngest will be 23. Our youngest is now 23. So much will change over these years. We always said we want to give our boys roots ( we did, stable home …) and wings! We want them to feel free to go anywhere and experience life not be tied down to one place. Our move and exploring the world , we hope is motivating and inspiring to them that life doesn’t end in middle age! We are and feel closer to our boys than ever. They are grown men now, living lives of their own. We group text daily and our time together is amazing! If we were friends in real life, I would say to you to plan big plans about retiring and options of moving, love and enjoy every day with your 3 children. Those years are precious. They will all grow up and live their own lives, be independent and that is the whole point isn’t it? 🤗 Thanks for watching and best of luck to you and your family! Cheers! M&D
@@Track_Us_Down thank you so much for your wonderful reply 😊 14 years is a long way to go and I know he will probably change his perspective once the kids become more independent. We are taking trips abroad as a family and we went to Portugal last year with kids and we stayed in a RV for 3 weeks. Your videos about taking a year off with your kids in a RV inspired us to go and experiment. Everything about your lifestyle is so inspiring that I am slowly introducing those concepts to my husband and I know everything will work out. In the meantime I look forward to your videos and adventures and I am just dreaming of one day being able to be in great health and travel the world! Keep up the good work, your story is amazing!!!!! 🤩
During our dinner in Madalena do Mar tonight, we talked to a German who visited Madeira last year (he spoke English without an accent, thanks to his education in Manitoba) hHe said he noticed how much more expensive everything was. People in North America don’t realize how much Europe relied on Russian energy until the invasion. Yes, our gas prices exploded but they eventually became more reasonable. I’m not sure the same has happened over here, based on what I’m reading and watching on RTP Madeira Telejornal. Thanks for the update - and watch for our own Madeira videos, coming soon.
Hello there! 🌎 Thank you for watching and for this interesting insight. We will continue to share costs and our life here on the island. Looking forward to checking out your videos ! All the best! Cheers! M&D
Thanks. I didn’t hear much about cooking at home? I figure Doug fires up the electric stove and makes amazing 4 course dinners? Our day is coming soon: 3/31. JP
Hello JP! Yes your date is fast approaching! We bet you are both getting pretty excited! We are very happy for you! Ha ha, we do cook often at home- Doug doesn’t make the 4 course dinners though! Lol! Cheers! M&D
Too good to be true what you mention. Please stop!! 😄I know Madeira is heaven on earth. I fell deeply in love with Madeira in 9 days for the fireworks staying in Santa Cruz. I have lots of countries & continents to compare with, I´m serious. In March I hope to be 10 days in the Anadia surroundings in Funchal. Coming from Argentina in 2021, I chose Coimbra over Lisbon & Porto !!! Greetings 🙂
Hello, Love watching your videos. We will be moving to Madeira next year. Is it expensive to move our car from US to Madeira? I heard its very expensive to buy an automatic car in Madeira. Thank you
Hello Friba! Thank you so for watching and for your kind message. It is very expensive to move a car from US to Madeira. Most cars here are standard. You can find automatic or of course electric cars - which are automatic, are becoming very popular here and are excellent for the island and for the hills. We wouldn’t recommend bringing your car. Buying one here would be the better option. You also can learn to drive a standard. Cheers! M&D
Thanks so much for this video very useful, just a question I have . You said that you was paying 1, 180 euros for your apartment rent last year , can I ask you how many bedrooms you had on this apartment? Many thanks
Hello Rubina! The apartment had two bedrooms and was fully furnished. Please check out our apartment your video. I think it’s our second or third video on this channel. That will give you an idea. Thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
You did not mention taxes. How much and at what percentage do you get taxed for property? Great videos!!! Thank you. We are headed to Faro for 2 weeks in June and will explorer our options for Portugal. 2027 is our target and I’ve been watching all your video as for downsizing, so I have some time. 😊
My wife and I have the same target date and are working on saving, downsizing and learning language. We are planning on Madeira but the Algarve is a possibility as well.
Hello Have Chopsticks Will Travel! Yikes you’re right we didn’t mention taxes. So we have an exemption for 3 years on property taxes. However, when we do start paying -our taxes will be between 300-400 € per year. A far cry from the property taxes we paid in North America!! Thank you for watching and commenting! Best of luck to you on your trip to Faro! Absolutely beautiful area!! Also good for you downshifting and downsizing! It’s freeing! Cheers! M&D
Hello Mark! Good for you guys on saving and downsizing!! Both Madeira and the Algarve are excellent choices. Best of luck to you as you begin this journey! Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers! M&D
Hello Steven! We absolutely did not, and would not recommend shipping a car or for that matter anything over! 🤣 We did purchase a used car here! Excellent experience and all used vehicles come with an 18 month warranty! Not bad!! Thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
Here, just to make you guys feel better since I live in Coquitlam BC. January 20 23 expenses. 3000 ft² house, but only two people using one floor for the most part. Natural gas $175. It was $275 the month before. 🤪 Hydro $130. Groceries around $1100. That's just food. Doesn't include paper towels etc. Gas about 300, but I don't drive anywhere except to Starbucks once a day. Car insurance 150. Wi-Fi data mobile phones 260. Netflix Amazon etc about 40. Property tax this year in July will be 5,000 and the water garbage bill 1400 annually so just divide that by 12. No medical expenses as you know. Here's the kicker. We maintain a very low-key lifestyle and don't spend much. Annual budget came in around 74k. We have four cats, so the vet bills and food add a lot. Now imagine if you start eating out and traveling regularly. You're easily at 85 to 95,000 k. Time to leave Canada!!
Hello Michael! Thank you for the in depth information and reality check from North America! We lived a very similar life to what you’re describing. We were living to work and pay for everything you described , hoping to get a couple holidays in there. For us, we ran the numbers over and over ( that’s why we share our cost of living videos) and for our Second Half of life we realized there was another way! We took it! Best of luck to you and thank you so much for watching and commenting. Cheers! M&D
Hello guys, I have been enjoying your videos. We are from northern California and planning on purchasing an investment property to begin with in Porto. One question that I am trying to grasp is the property tax? I was told that property tax is based on the assessed value not the purchase price, I hear it is almost nothing compared to the US (California) is this true?
Hello! That is correct. Property tax is quite low. On our home, we are to pay 300-400€ / year. However if it’s your primary residence , you are exempt for the first 3 years. Truly inexpensive compared to the thousands we paid per year in Canada on our home. For sure a significant savings from what you are paying in California. Thanks for watching and if you haven’t already please subscribe! Cheers! M&D
Please please please may I ask a question? We're hoping to move to Portugal (possibly Madeira or somewhere near Porto), but we have two cats! My husband says it will be absolutely impossible to find a rental property that allows pets, unless it's mega expensive or charge a lot on top for the pets. What is your experience if you have any or noticed anything? I'm desperately wanting to keep my cats 😭 (both have passports, vaccinations, were from EU). Thank you ❤
Hello! Thanks for watching and no problem answering your question! As you may know from our videos, we have a large dog and we found a rental with him. Many expats here have a dog or cat and have found rental. There may be some condos that have a no pet policy but many allow pets. There may be a refundable fee when you have a pet. There was for us, you can watch our apartment tour video, and we got it back. Of course bring your cats!! 🐱 Best of luck to you and thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
Hey guys! Have you had any problems accessing healthcare through the public system (wait times, specialty care, making appointments, etc)? I'm guessing that accessing public services on the island may be a little easier than on the mainland (for healthcare, SEF, driver's licenses, and so on...). Can you comment on that? Obrigado!
Hello Jess! We have not really used any health care here. From what we hear from others we meet, it is easier for all those services here on the island. We had an easy time with SEF and getting our drivers license. Both no hassle and easy. We had a friend who went to the public hospital to put his name in to get a regular colonoscopy - thinking it would be months and they said - come in Tuesday. ( he wished it wouldn’t have been so fast! 😆) We have also had 2 covid immunizations here and it was easy, fast, well organized and efficient. That’s our experience so far. We have heard mainland can be different. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers! M&D
What is cost of Home Owner Dues per month or year? In Canico if a person buys an apartment there? Thank you 🙏 🇺🇸. We are retired with passive and other income .
Hello! Thanks for watching and for your question! The HOA fees or condo fees would of course, depend on the property. They do tend to be quite a bit less than NA. We have heard from about 40€ to 70€. Best of luck to you and thanks again for watching! Cheers! M&D
@@Track_Us_Down thank you 🙏 for your reply. We are seriously looking to immigrate to mainland or Madeira Portugal in 2024 and all information that we can look at is very helpful. Leone 🇺🇸. p.s. my husband is 2nd generation Portuguese (Azores). Doing research 6 months plus.
yep it seems like because of the war the whole world is changing. I checked, last year it was possible to find 1+1 in Funchal for 500 euro and now prices start from 700. Sad
@@Track_Us_Down Will you change from US/Canadian Netflix to Portuguese Netflix? As I'm assuming VPN will no longer work as they change the IP address, and Netflix will stop access.
Hello! Well you know more than we do! We haven’t looked into this far into it. Thanks for the heads up….. we will have to figure something out! What are you going to do?
Have you lived on or visited Madeira Island? We'd love to hear about your experiences with the cost of living. Leave a comment and let us know what you think about the changes from 2022 to 2023. Your thoughts and insights can help others who are considering a move or visit to Madeira Island. Thanks for watching! 🌎
My favorite UA-cam channel! Thanks for sharing your monthly living costs. Compared with USA, still super affordable!!
Hello Diana! Awe 🙏🏻 thank you! That means a lot! We hope to be informative and maybe a little entertaining. 😂 Yes comparatively still very affordable! Thank you for watching and for your ongoing support of the channel. Cheers! M&D
Thank you for providing this info! The cost of living is still so much less expensive than the US. My wife and I are working hard to save and make retirement in Madeira a reality. Thanks again and I know my wife will look forward to the grocery cost comparison video. Obrigado
Hello Mark! Thanks for watching and commenting! We will see you next week! Cheers! M&D
Great video, very informative, thanks
Hello Angelo! Thanks for watching and for your kind feedback! Cheers! M&D
We also track our numbers on the mainland near Lisbon - for the past 9 months. (two of us, no pets - rent, groceries, utilities, internet/mobile phones, health ins, entertaining, travel cards, dining, cleaning service - vacations not included) - approx €uros2,500, about the same as when we arrived in the spring. I suspect prices have increased, but we are better shoppers now.
Hello Tinglestingles! Good to hear your numbers and experience. You’re right about the fact that if prices have increased on some items, as a better shopper you can work around it. Well said! Thanks as always for watching and sharing your insights. Cheers! M&D
Ok kids I like the update on the cost of living but I would like to know in Madeira do the restaurants have different menu prices like in France so if your hungry you take the expensive menu or if your not so hungry you go with fewer choices,normally there is about 3 or 4 different menus in every restaurant and the reason I am asking is because I only eat in restaurants even for breakfast with my coffee and croissant.I loved this video you guys are cute and coming from a macho that does not use the word cute it means something.Thanks again
Hello Frank! You made us laugh out loud with the last line of your comment! You’re very kind! Lol! As we have said we are not huge foodies, and we haven’t seen this multiple menus things like you describe. However, it’s never a problem to order simply a coffee or something small anywhere. We used to ask if it was ok to just order a coffee and share a pastry- and it always is. We will keep our eyes open, maybe we have missed this. Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers! M&D
Great investigative reporting. Obrigado!
Hello Disturbed Peace! 😂 ha ha! Thanks for watching and making us laugh! Cheers! M&D
Always great to hear from you guys! Thank you for this year over year cost of living review. It has calmed most of my fears of runaway inflation there. Rents may still be up in the air. Happy to see my client is doing well also.
Hello Chris! 🌎 Thank you so much for watching and commenting! Yes rental continues to be higher and tricky to find. Your client mr. Leo is doing well! Take care and as always thank you for your support! Cheers! M&D
Thanks!
Hello Al! Thank you so very much for your Super thanks! It means a lot to us that you find value in our content and support the channel. It’s encouraging! Cheers! M&D
Great video. I love watching you beautiful people. and also love the idea you Chosen Madeira where i was born to be your home 🏡 thanks From the bottom of my heart . Angelo
Hello Angelo! Thank you so much for watching and for your kind message. We are grateful daily to the Portuguese for welcoming us. Madeirans are kind and we feel fortunate to be here and get to know this incredible island. Cheers! M&D
Thanks - I really like these actual cost type videos. My wife and I are thinking of moving to Portugal ... and it helps to see what the monthly expenses are.
Hello Denny! Thank you for watching and for your kind message! We have many cost of living videos from last year that are still relevant. Each one dives into a few different aspects - so please check them out! Good luck to you both as you do your research into Portugal 🇵🇹! Cheers! M&D
Excellent video. I’ll be interested in your grocery video. Here in Lisbon, I’ve seen some increases since July but overall it feels relatively the same but it will be nice to see your hard data. Interestingly the large fresh squeezed OJ at Pingo Doce went as high as 5,99€ in the last 6 months, but it’s back to 2,99€. Keep up the good work!
We've also noticed some increases in Setubal, but it's difficult to see as every week there are special offers, and we have Pingo Doce, Continente, Lidl and Auchan all close by.
@@tinglestingles I’ve been buying a bottle of wine weekly at Pingo Doce that’s been on sale since July 😝😝😝
@@joelprice1 Yes, our favourite wine 'seller' is Lidl - we feel ripped off if we pay more than €3 a bottle! Gotta love Portugal!
Hello Joel! Reading your comment and the chat with Tinglestingles - we are having the same experience. For sure there are discounts and sales and you can be mindful of them and save money! We love wine from Setubal! 🍷 Thank you for watching and commenting! Cheers! M&D
obridado, merci, thanks :) i really like Leo :) i had a dog like leo and he lived a long happy life
Hello Steve! Thank you for watching and for the shout out to Leo! 🐶 Glad to hear your pup had a long and happy life- they all deserve that! Cheers! M&D
In order to best compare the housing costs you should line out muni taxes and interesrt motgage. Any repairs and maintenance
Hello BM! Absolutely. We have mentioned these costs in other videos! We have a property tax exemption for 3 years. When we will pay, the cost called parish tax will be between 300 and 400 £ per year. We do not have a mortgage so no interest payment. We do also have house insurance - about 400€ per year. This month we had no maintenance or repair costs, but of course we eventually will and we would share that if we did. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers! M&D
Hi, I am tracking you down "closelly" :) Great video. Some piece of info is missing, in my opinion. Yu get read of rent cost (good for you) but, there must be property tax and home insurance. I understand, it depends on place and size of house but, I can't imagine it could be more than it is in Ontario.
Hello Kristof S! Ah yes, we have mentioned property taxes and house insurance in other videos. Ok so we are exempt from property taxes for 3 years. Once we have to pay “ parish” taxes on our home, they will run 300-400€ a year. A far cry from the property taxes we paid on our home in North America!! As for house insurance it’s about 400€ per year. We had paid a lump sum. So not huge expenses at all! Thanks for mentioning this! Keep warm in Ontario!! Thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
@@Track_Us_Down Thank you for reply. Sorry I have missed that info. We are paying almost 12k in property tax here in Ontario. So, looks like we will be saving some money :). I will have to investigate conditions of tax exempt for new build house. BTW, did you try to keep Canadian account of Amazon or Netflix, etc., using VPN and "pretending" you didn't leave ? If yes, it could be theme for one of your amazing videos. If is not illegal of course. Ontario is still cold and our Vizsla girl doesn't like it at all. Regards, Krys & Krys & Rosie
I am 36 years old and dreaming of retiring when I am 50 in Portugal. I live in Boston but I am from Brazil and I am
Shocked how cheap it is to retire in Portugal. In the US you need a minimum of $10k a month to retire in Boston. In Portugal it seems that $3k a month of passive income will suffice for a couple. The only problem that I see is living abroad while my kids are living in the US. I have 3 kids, 12, 10 and 9 and I mentioned to my husband my dream of retiring in another country and he is not on board because he doesn’t want to be away from the kids. How do you guys deal with this situation, being away from your boys and not seeing them for so many months. I don’t have a problem with that but my husband is very clingy and wants to be close to the kids when they grow up.
Hello Karina! 🌺 We are reading and rereading your comment. We deeply understand!! We made a whole video about this - leaving your children and how to handle it. Please check out our video Moving abroad advice. We get into this whole thing!! One thing as a mom that I know for sure is that 14 years is a long time and your youngest will be 23. Our youngest is now 23. So much will change over these years. We always said we want to give our boys roots ( we did, stable home …) and wings! We want them to feel free to go anywhere and experience life not be tied down to one place. Our move and exploring the world , we hope is motivating and inspiring to them that life doesn’t end in middle age! We are and feel closer to our boys than ever. They are grown men now, living lives of their own. We group text daily and our time together is amazing! If we were friends in real life, I would say to you to plan big plans about retiring and options of moving, love and enjoy every day with your 3 children. Those years are precious. They will all grow up and live their own lives, be independent and that is the whole point isn’t it? 🤗 Thanks for watching and best of luck to you and your family! Cheers! M&D
@@Track_Us_Down thank you so much for your wonderful reply 😊 14 years is a long way to go and I know he will probably change his perspective once the kids become more independent. We are taking trips abroad as a family and we went to Portugal last year with kids and we stayed in a RV for 3 weeks. Your videos about taking a year off with your kids in a RV inspired us to go and experiment. Everything about your lifestyle is so inspiring that I am slowly introducing those concepts to my husband and I know everything will work out. In the meantime I look forward to your videos and adventures and I am just dreaming of one day being able to be in great health and travel the world! Keep up the good work, your story is amazing!!!!! 🤩
During our dinner in Madalena do Mar tonight, we talked to a German who visited Madeira last year (he spoke English without an accent, thanks to his education in Manitoba) hHe said he noticed how much more expensive everything was. People in North America don’t realize how much Europe relied on Russian energy until the invasion. Yes, our gas prices exploded but they eventually became more reasonable. I’m not sure the same has happened over here, based on what I’m reading and watching on RTP Madeira Telejornal. Thanks for the update - and watch for our own Madeira videos, coming soon.
Hello there! 🌎 Thank you for watching and for this interesting insight. We will continue to share costs and our life here on the island. Looking forward to checking out your videos ! All the best! Cheers! M&D
Thanks. I didn’t hear much about cooking at home? I figure Doug fires up the electric stove and makes amazing 4 course dinners? Our day is coming soon: 3/31. JP
Hello JP! Yes your date is fast approaching! We bet you are both getting pretty excited! We are very happy for you! Ha ha, we do cook often at home- Doug doesn’t make the 4 course dinners though! Lol! Cheers! M&D
Great video thanks
Hello Blender Buffer! Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers! M&D
Too good to be true what you mention. Please stop!! 😄I know Madeira is heaven on earth. I fell deeply in love with Madeira in 9 days for the fireworks staying in Santa Cruz. I have lots of countries & continents to compare with, I´m serious. In March I hope to be 10 days in the Anadia surroundings in Funchal. Coming from Argentina in 2021, I chose Coimbra over Lisbon & Porto !!! Greetings 🙂
Hello Teo! Greetings and thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts! Madeira is heaven on earth! 💕🌸Cheers! M&D
Hello,
Love watching your videos. We will be moving to Madeira next year. Is it expensive to move our car from US to Madeira? I heard its very expensive to buy an automatic car in Madeira. Thank you
Hello Friba! Thank you so for watching and for your kind message. It is very expensive to move a car from US to Madeira. Most cars here are standard. You can find automatic or of course electric cars - which are automatic, are becoming very popular here and are excellent for the island and for the hills. We wouldn’t recommend bringing your car. Buying one here would be the better option. You also can learn to drive a standard. Cheers! M&D
@@Track_Us_Down thank you for the information.
Thanks so much for this video very useful, just a question I have . You said that you was paying 1, 180 euros for your apartment rent last year , can I ask you how many bedrooms you had on this apartment?
Many thanks
Hello Rubina! The apartment had two bedrooms and was fully furnished. Please check out our apartment your video. I think it’s our second or third video on this channel. That will give you an idea. Thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
Thank you so much for replying, and for your videos .
You did not mention taxes. How much and at what percentage do you get taxed for property? Great videos!!! Thank you. We are headed to Faro for 2 weeks in June and will explorer our options for Portugal. 2027 is our target and I’ve been watching all your video as for downsizing, so I have some time. 😊
My wife and I have the same target date and are working on saving, downsizing and learning language. We are planning on Madeira but the Algarve is a possibility as well.
Hello Have Chopsticks Will Travel! Yikes you’re right we didn’t mention taxes. So we have an exemption for 3 years on property taxes. However, when we do start paying -our taxes will be between 300-400 € per year. A far cry from the property taxes we paid in North America!! Thank you for watching and commenting! Best of luck to you on your trip to Faro! Absolutely beautiful area!! Also good for you downshifting and downsizing! It’s freeing! Cheers! M&D
Hello Mark! Good for you guys on saving and downsizing!! Both Madeira and the Algarve are excellent choices. Best of luck to you as you begin this journey! Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers! M&D
You mentioned that you were driving more did you ship a car over or did you buy one when you got there (if you bought one used or new)
Hello Steven! We absolutely did not, and would not recommend shipping a car or for that matter anything over! 🤣 We did purchase a used car here! Excellent experience and all used vehicles come with an 18 month warranty! Not bad!! Thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
Here, just to make you guys feel better since I live in Coquitlam BC. January 20 23 expenses. 3000 ft² house, but only two people using one floor for the most part. Natural gas $175. It was $275 the month before. 🤪 Hydro $130. Groceries around $1100. That's just food. Doesn't include paper towels etc. Gas about 300, but I don't drive anywhere except to Starbucks once a day. Car insurance 150. Wi-Fi data mobile phones 260. Netflix Amazon etc about 40. Property tax this year in July will be 5,000 and the water garbage bill 1400 annually so just divide that by 12. No medical expenses as you know. Here's the kicker. We maintain a very low-key lifestyle and don't spend much. Annual budget came in around 74k. We have four cats, so the vet bills and food add a lot. Now imagine if you start eating out and traveling regularly. You're easily at 85 to 95,000 k. Time to leave Canada!!
Hello Michael! Thank you for the in depth information and reality check from North America! We lived a very similar life to what you’re describing. We were living to work and pay for everything you described , hoping to get a couple holidays in there. For us, we ran the numbers over and over ( that’s why we share our cost of living videos) and for our Second Half of life we realized there was another way! We took it! Best of luck to you and thank you so much for watching and commenting. Cheers! M&D
Hello guys, I have been enjoying your videos. We are from northern California and planning on purchasing an investment property to begin with in Porto. One question that I am trying to grasp is the property tax? I was told that property tax is based on the assessed value not the purchase price, I hear it is almost nothing compared to the US (California) is this true?
Hello! That is correct. Property tax is quite low. On our home, we are to pay 300-400€ / year. However if it’s your primary residence , you are exempt for the first 3 years. Truly inexpensive compared to the thousands we paid per year in Canada on our home. For sure a significant savings from what you are paying in California. Thanks for watching and if you haven’t already please subscribe! Cheers! M&D
Please please please may I ask a question? We're hoping to move to Portugal (possibly Madeira or somewhere near Porto), but we have two cats! My husband says it will be absolutely impossible to find a rental property that allows pets, unless it's mega expensive or charge a lot on top for the pets. What is your experience if you have any or noticed anything? I'm desperately wanting to keep my cats 😭 (both have passports, vaccinations, were from EU). Thank you ❤
Hello! Thanks for watching and no problem answering your question! As you may know from our videos, we have a large dog and we found a rental with him. Many expats here have a dog or cat and have found rental. There may be some condos that have a no pet policy but many allow pets. There may be a refundable fee when you have a pet. There was for us, you can watch our apartment tour video, and we got it back. Of course bring your cats!! 🐱 Best of luck to you and thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
Hey guys! Have you had any problems accessing healthcare through the public system (wait times, specialty care, making appointments, etc)? I'm guessing that accessing public services on the island may be a little easier than on the mainland (for healthcare, SEF, driver's licenses, and so on...). Can you comment on that? Obrigado!
Hello Jess! We have not really used any health care here. From what we hear from others we meet, it is easier for all those services here on the island. We had an easy time with SEF and getting our drivers license. Both no hassle and easy. We had a friend who went to the public hospital to put his name in to get a regular colonoscopy - thinking it would be months and they said - come in Tuesday. ( he wished it wouldn’t have been so fast! 😆) We have also had 2 covid immunizations here and it was easy, fast, well organized and efficient. That’s our experience so far. We have heard mainland can be different. Thanks for watching and commenting. Cheers! M&D
What is cost of Home Owner Dues per month or year? In Canico if a person buys an apartment there? Thank you 🙏 🇺🇸. We are retired with passive and other income .
Hello! Thanks for watching and for your question! The HOA fees or condo fees would of course, depend on the property. They do tend to be quite a bit less than NA. We have heard from about 40€ to 70€. Best of luck to you and thanks again for watching! Cheers! M&D
@@Track_Us_Down thank you 🙏 for your reply. We are seriously looking to immigrate to mainland or Madeira Portugal in 2024 and all information that we can look at is very helpful. Leone 🇺🇸. p.s. my husband is 2nd generation Portuguese (Azores). Doing research 6 months plus.
I mean everything around the world had gone up. Especially if the war keeps on going.
I love the doggie working on his blog on the laptop. 😆
Hello Rosalind! Thank you for watching and commenting. Leo appreciates the shout out! 🐶 Cheers! M&D
yep it seems like because of the war the whole world is changing. I checked, last year it was possible to find 1+1 in Funchal for 500 euro and now prices start from 700. Sad
Hello Global Citizen! Thank you for watching and for sharing your insight. Cheers! M&D
Losing Netflix account due to new rules?
Hello Tinglestingles! We will be releasing some family members from our subscription 😂! We will have to adjust! Thanks for watching! Cheers! M&D
@@Track_Us_Down Will you change from US/Canadian Netflix to Portuguese Netflix? As I'm assuming VPN will no longer work as they change the IP address, and Netflix will stop access.
Hello! Well you know more than we do! We haven’t looked into this far into it. Thanks for the heads up….. we will have to figure something out! What are you going to do?