Estate Living Magazine Design for living - Issue 42 June 2019 | Page 65

l i v e
s m a r t
The City of Lisbon is spending €523 million
on a city-wide investment plan to enhance
its infrastructure. Meanwhile, a massive
development in Lisbon’s Beato District will
host 700 international tech employees and
entrepreneurs.
IP Global, whose clients have invested over
US$3.2 billion across 32 markets worldwide,
indicates that there has also been a robust
housing market in Portugal’s capital since 2014.
‘The average house price has doubled from the
2012 figure, and capital appreciation for the next
five years is expected to be 19.2%. Investors will
also be pleased to hear that the average price
per square metre is significantly lower than other
European cities – €4,074 vs €5,327 in Berlin,
€6,106 in Dublin and €15,511 in London.’
that, unlike South Africa, it ranks consistently
highly when it comes to perceptions of safety
and security, and other quality-of-life measures.
According to Expat Insider, Portugal ranks sixth
out of 68 countries in the overall results for 2018.
In three indices, the country ranks in the top 10,
including fifth for ease of settling in and second
for quality of life. The quality and affordability
of medical care in Portugal is ranked above the
global average, the local people are regarded as
largely welcoming and friendly and, even if you
don’t speak Portuguese, it is still generally easy
to live in Portugal.
When it comes to families, Portugal comes up
trumps, ranking ninth out of 50 destinations in
the Family Life Index. Some 94% of expats are
generally satisfied with their personal family life
compared to the global average of 79%.
Competitive lending rates and payment plans
make it even more attractive to invest in Lisbon’s
housing market, but the destination also ticks
many other boxes for South African expats,
Radford says. Parents say they do not struggle to afford
childcare and, when it comes to educational
standards, over four in five parents say the quality
of education in Portugal is generally high.
Beautiful open landscapes, plenty of sunshine,
a mild climate, world-renowned wine – in many
ways Portugal could be South Africa. Except The message for South African families is that
Portugal is a great place to raise a family and
enjoy a high quality of life.
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