The Fernshore Index
The factors fifo workers look at first.
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.
Cost of living
53 of 100Mixed
Price level 0.604 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), Portugal. Checked 15 October 2026.
Work and career
85 of 100Strong
Strong: a residence visa for remote work exists, and fixed broadband is 45.2 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line.
Source: Residence visa documents: remote work and retirement or passive income; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100Strong
A residence visa for remote work is open without a Portuguese job offer (proof of work for employers or clients abroad is enough), with no age minimum. The income test is four times the monthly minimum wage averaged over three months: about €3,700 a month, about €44,200 a year, about US$49,500 at 1.1208 US dollars per euro (ECB, 15 October 2026), under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than €3,700 a month. Holders of temporary residence for at least 5 years can request permanent residence.
Source: Residence visa documents: remote work and retirement or passive income; Temporary stay documents: remote work; Guaranteed monthly minimum wage 2026; Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar; Request a permanent residence permit (who can ask); Visa information. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
85 of 100Strong
A residence visa for remote work is open without a Portuguese job offer (proof of work for employers or clients abroad is enough), with no age minimum. The income test is four times the monthly minimum wage averaged over three months: about €3,700 a month, about €44,200 a year, about US$49,500 at 1.1208 US dollars per euro (ECB, 15 October 2026), under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than €3,700 a month. Holders of temporary residence for at least 5 years can request permanent residence.
Source: Residence visa documents: remote work and retirement or passive income; Temporary stay documents: remote work; Guaranteed monthly minimum wage 2026; Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar; Request a permanent residence permit (who can ask); Residence visa in Canada. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Australia passport
85 of 100Strong
A residence visa for remote work is open without a Portuguese job offer (proof of work for employers or clients abroad is enough), with no age minimum. The income test is four times the monthly minimum wage averaged over three months: about €3,700 a month, about €44,200 a year, about US$49,500 at 1.1208 US dollars per euro (ECB, 15 October 2026), under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than €3,700 a month. Holders of temporary residence for at least 5 years can request permanent residence.
Source: Residence visa documents: remote work and retirement or passive income; Temporary stay documents: remote work; Guaranteed monthly minimum wage 2026; Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar; Request a permanent residence permit (who can ask); Where should you lodge a visa application. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, New Zealand passport
85 of 100Strong
A residence visa for remote work is open without a Portuguese job offer (proof of work for employers or clients abroad is enough), with no age minimum. The income test is four times the monthly minimum wage averaged over three months: about €3,700 a month, about €44,200 a year, about US$49,500 at 1.1208 US dollars per euro (ECB, 15 October 2026), under the US$60,000 line. To be safe, have more than €3,700 a month. Holders of temporary residence for at least 5 years can request permanent residence.
Source: Residence visa documents: remote work and retirement or passive income; Temporary stay documents: remote work; Guaranteed monthly minimum wage 2026; Euro foreign exchange reference rate, US dollar; Request a permanent residence permit (who can ask); Where should you lodge a visa application. Checked 15 October 2026.
Safety
75 of 100Strong
Global Peace Index 2026: 7th of 163.
Source: Global Peace Index 2026, overall rank. Checked 15 October 2026.
Healthcare
76 of 100Strong
WHO UHC service coverage index 83 (2023).
Source: UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1). Checked 15 October 2026.
Internet
100 of 100Strong
45.24 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), above the 30 anchor.
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal. Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
The rest of the research on Portugal.
The country page grades every factor, with its sources.
PortugalQuestions from fifo workers about Portugal.
How long can a FIFO worker stay in Portugal without a visa?
The visa portal lists Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States as exempt from a short-stay visa. The Schengen limit is 90 days in any 180 across all Schengen countries: count back 180 days from each day. A long-stay visa or residence permit falls outside this rule.
Which Portuguese visas might fit a rostered job abroad?
The remote work visas ask for a work contract or employer declaration and income of four times the monthly minimum wage averaged over three months (to be safe, more than €3,700 a month). A passive-income visa lists income from property or assets. Whether a rostered job abroad counts is not stated.
Would a FIFO worker be tax resident in Portugal and Australia?
Portugal treats you as resident after more than 183 days in a 12-month period, or with a home suggesting you intend to keep it. Australia tests whether you reside there, then domicile and 183 days. An Australia–Portugal treaty was signed in 2023 but is not on Treasury’s in-force list. Ask an adviser.
What health cover does a FIFO worker need in Portugal?
Portugal’s visas ask for travel insurance covering medical costs and repatriation. Victoria’s health department lists Australia’s reciprocal healthcare agreements, and Portugal is not among them. The WHO service coverage index is 83 of 100 (2023). SNS access needs registration at a health centre once resident.
Is internet in Portugal good enough to use between swings?
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024, ITU via the World Bank). That is a national count, not a speed, so quality at a given address is unknown; confirm what a provider can connect there before you sign a lease.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [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'.
- [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).
- [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.
- [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).
- [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.