Posted by thejuice6 on 6/11/2024 6:22:00 PM (view original):
Posted by barracuda3 on 6/11/2024 5:33:00 PM (view original):
Vacationing in Lisbon during the feast of Santo Antonio will clear that right up for you.
Spent three days in Lisbon back in 1986 as a member of Uncle Sam's Navy. Loved every minute of it. The thing I remember the most is myself and two shipmates walking into a bar (I think all Navy stories start out like that...) and ordered three beers. Knowing we were Americans (uniforms gave it away), the bartender brought us three Budweiser's. I pulled my wallet out and, hoping they would take U.S. currency, I pulled out a one-dollar bill and laid it on the bar. Before I could get anymore cash out, he grabbed the one and walked away. Then he came back and gave me change! Yeah, you can bet we stayed there the rest of the night...lol.
I doubt if things are still that cheap but man we sure had a good time in Portuga!
Cool story.
Things are no longer that cheap, but still cheaper than the rest of Europe and the U.S. In a non-tourist-trap bar or cafe the going rate for a bottle of local beer is around $1.50, and in a local restaurant you can get a nice entree that comfortably feeds 2 people for $10-$20. Last night my girlfriend and I shared a generous pot of seafood rice for 17 Euro, which is currently about $18.25. No way that pot of food goes for less than $70 in a restaurant in Boston, if you can even find something that good.
What's really gone up is housing. I've come to Portugal at least once every year (other than 2020) since 2014. In that time, while food prices have maybe gone up 50%-60%, hotel and real estate prices have increased 2x to 3x. My plan has always been to retire 3 years from now and move here, but condo prices have skyrocketed so much that I'm not sure what I will be able to afford. I'm still going to try to make it work because I think this is the best place in the world, but unlike a decade ago the secret is definitely, unfortunately, out.
6/12/2024 4:16 AM (edited)