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City in Portugal

Loulé

Loulé is an Algarve municipality of 75,764 residents (2024) that takes in the coastal resorts of Quarteira and Vilamoura. AIMA counted 29,721 foreign residents there at the end of 2025, and Vilamoura has an international school. [N1] [G1] [M4] [Loulé S1]

Country
Portugal
Region
Faro District (Algarve)
Population
75,764 in 2024. Loulé municipality (concelho): INE resident population estimate for 2024; includes Quarteira and Vilamoura. [N1]
Settings
By the sea, In a small town [N1] [G1]
Weather
Mild, never too hot [Loulé W1] [W2]

Why it is here

Why Loulé is on the list.

A city is listed when there is evidence that people move there. This is the evidence.

  • AIMA counted 29,721 foreign residents in Loulé at the end of 2025, one of the municipalities its report names for a significant foreign presence. The 2021 Census counted 11,521 foreign nationals there, 15.93% of residents. [M4] [M2] [M3]
  • Vilamoura International School (Colégio Internacional de Vilamoura), in Vilamoura in the municipality, was established in 1984 and offers an international route from Cambridge International to the IB Diploma. [Loulé S1] [G1]

The Fernshore Index

How it grades, factor by factor.

Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.

The country

More on Portugal.

Cities

Other cities in Portugal.

Questions about Loulé.

How many foreigners live in Loulé?

AIMA counted 29,721 foreign residents in Loulé at the end of 2025. The 2021 Census counted 11,521 foreign nationals, 15.93% of residents, against 5.24% for Portugal. The municipality had 75,764 residents in 2024 (INE).

Relatório de Migrações e Asilo 2025 (Migration and Asylum Report 2025), Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA); Population of foreign nationality (No.) by geographic location at the census date (series 1890-2021), Statistics Portugal (INE), Census; Proportion of resident population of foreign nationality (%) by place of residence, Census 2021, Statistics Portugal (INE), Census 2021; Municipal statistics: Loulé (December 2025 release), Statistics Portugal (INE). Checked 15 October 2026

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What places does Loulé include?

A reference site (Wikipedia, secondary) says Loulé municipality includes the seaside towns of Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago and Quarteira, and inland villages. Figures for Loulé cover the whole municipality, coast and inland together.

Loulé, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026

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Are there international schools in Loulé?

Vilamoura International School (Colégio Internacional de Vilamoura), established in 1984, offers the Portuguese national curriculum or an international route from Cambridge International to the IB Diploma. Fees, places and other schools are unknown here.

About Us: Vilamoura International School (CIV), Vilamoura International School (Colégio Internacional de Vilamoura). Checked 15 October 2026

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What is the weather like in Loulé?

Fernshore has no climate normals for Loulé itself. The nearest IPMA stations give daily highs of 16.3 to 29.4 °C at Faro, about 14 km east, and 16.1 to 25.9 °C at Sagres, about 84 km west. Both are mild.

Climate normals 1991–2020, Faro, IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera); Climate normals 1991–2020, Sagres, IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera). Checked 15 October 2026

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Is there an AIMA store in Loulé?

AIMA's list of stores, read on 16 October 2026, names none in Loulé, Quarteira or Vilamoura. Stores are listed in Faro, Albufeira and Tavira. Which office handles your case depends on your visa and permit, so check with AIMA.

Lojas AIMA (AIMA stores), Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). Checked 15 October 2026

Read the long answer

Sources

Where each figure comes from.

Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.

  1. [N1] Municipal statistics: Loulé (December 2025 release), Statistics Portugal (INE). Checked 15 October 2026. Resident population estimate 75,764 for 2024 in the Loulé municipality (concelho); NUTS III Algarve: 492,747. INE annual estimates of resident population.
  2. [G1] Loulé, Wikipedia (secondary). Checked 15 October 2026. Says Loulé municipality includes sea-side towns like Vilamoura and Quinta do Lago and Quarteira, and inland villages.
  3. [M4] Relatório de Migrações e Asilo 2025 (Migration and Asylum Report 2025), Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). Checked 15 October 2026. AIMA counted 29,721 foreign residents in Loulé at the end of 2025; the report names Loulé among the municipalities with a significant foreign presence. Report dated September 2026; pages 8 and 9.
  4. [Loulé S1] About Us: Vilamoura International School (CIV), Vilamoura International School (Colégio Internacional de Vilamoura). Checked 15 October 2026. The school's own site: established in 1984; families choose the Portuguese national curriculum or an international route through Cambridge International to the IB Diploma Programme.
  5. [Loulé W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Faro, IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera). Checked 15 October 2026. Nearest IPMA station (about 14 km east), not Loulé's own. Highs 16.3 to 29.4 °C; mild and four seasons.
  6. [W2] Climate normals 1991–2020, Sagres, IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera). Checked 15 October 2026. Second-nearest IPMA station on this coast (about 84 km west), not Loulé's own. Highs 16.1 to 25.9 °C; mild.
  7. [M2] Population of foreign nationality (No.) by geographic location at the census date (series 1890-2021), Statistics Portugal (INE), Census. Checked 15 October 2026. Loulé: 11,521 residents of foreign nationality at Census 2021 (both sexes), read from the INE data API (indicator 0014407) on 15 October 2026.
  8. [M3] Proportion of resident population of foreign nationality (%) by place of residence, Census 2021, Statistics Portugal (INE), Census 2021. Checked 15 October 2026. Loulé: 15.93% of residents were of foreign nationality at Census 2021 (Portugal as a whole: 5.24%), read from the INE data API (indicator 0012314) on 15 October 2026.
  9. [C1] Price level index (GDP), Portugal, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 60.37 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
  10. [Portugal W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Braga / Merelim, IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera). Checked 15 October 2026. Braga, the main city for Portugal's climate grade. Monthly highs 14.1 to 28.7 °C; April to September are 18 to 30 °C with under 150 mm of rain (6 comfortable months).
  11. [Portugal S1] Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank, Institute for Economics and Peace. Checked 15 October 2026. Portugal ranks 7th of 163 countries (score 1.427).
  12. [H1] UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1), World Health Organization. Checked 15 October 2026. Portugal: 83 out of 100 (2023), read from the WHO Global Health Observatory API on 15 October 2026.
  13. [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Portugal ranks 7th of 31 countries.
  14. [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. Portugal ranks 11th of 31 countries.
  15. [K1] Residence visa documents: remote work and retirement or passive income, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 15 October 2026. Lists remote work (digital nomads) with proof of average monthly income over three months of at least four times the monthly minimum wage, and a fixed residency for retirement or passive income; no age minimum, job offer or deposit is stated. The page gives no euro figure and no validity period.
  16. [K2] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 45.24 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
  17. [R1] Request a permanent residence permit (who can ask), Portuguese Government (gov.pt), service of the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA). Checked 15 October 2026. Page updated 1 September 2026: holders of a temporary residence permit for at least 5 years; the page warns it may be out of date and points to the AIMA portal.
  18. [F1] EF English Proficiency Index 2025: Portugal, EF Education First (private test-taker index). Checked 15 October 2026. Score 612, global ranking #6; the 2026 edition was not yet published on 15 October 2026.
  19. [K3] Temporary stay documents: remote work, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 15 October 2026. Temporary stay visa for remote work: work contract, employer declaration or service contract, fiscal residence, and income of four times the monthly minimum wage averaged over three months; no age minimum stated. The page gives no stay length.
  20. [V1] Guaranteed monthly minimum wage 2026, Directorate-General for Employment and Labour Relations (DGERT). Checked 15 October 2026. €920 a month from 1 January 2026 (Decree-Law 139/2025); four times is €3,680. The 2027 figure is expected to rise, so the test needs reconfirming for 2027.
  21. [V2] Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar, European Central Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 15 October 2026: 1.1208 US dollars per euro (14 October 1.1195); €44,160 is about US$49,500.
  22. [V3] Visa information, Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C.. Checked 15 October 2026. US applicants: the list of national visa forms includes 'Resident Visa - Retirees, Living on Income and Religious Purposes' and 'Resident Visa - Remote Work'.
  23. [V4] Residence visa in Canada, Consulate General of Portugal in Toronto. Checked 15 October 2026. Canadian applicants served by Toronto: residence visas include digital nomads and retirees or people living on passive income (D7).
  24. [V5] Where should you lodge a visa application, Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (visa portal). Checked 15 October 2026. Australia: Consulate General in Sydney or Embassy in Canberra; New Zealand: Embassy in Canberra.

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