Ukrainian couple moves from Poland to Portugal and shares the pros and cons

A Ukrainian couple who had lived for several years in the Polish city of Toruń moved to Lisbon and, after six months in Portugal, said they have no regrets about their decision. The woman spoke about this in a video on her YouTube channel.

According to her, both partners work remotely and are not tied to any one place. For a long time, Poland seemed to them the optimal option for permanent residence — due to its relatively low prices and high level of comfort. In Toruń, they rented a two-room apartment with a courtyard and a parking space for 600 euros a month and spent roughly the same amount on food.

“Poland is the perfect combination of price and quality. It is the cheapest developed country in Europe. Yes, you can find cheaper places, but the quality of life there will be lower. In Poland, you get good roads, streets, and buildings, a well-developed network of services and shops. Everything around you is new and clean — and all of this for little money,” the blogger said.

Despite their comfortable life, the couple began thinking about moving due to the intensification of Ukrainian-Polish debates in politics and the media. The video’s author stressed that she had not personally encountered aggression from Polish people, but she was growing exhausted by the constant presence of the “Ukrainian question” in the country’s information space.

“I want to live in a country where I am judged by who I am as a person, not by my nationality. I don’t want any special love or special treatment because I am Ukrainian. I simply want to live in a country where Ukrainians are not among the top five topics in the daily news,” the woman explained.

The trigger for the move was a winter trip across Europe: the couple spent a month in Portugal and felt they wanted to stay there. According to the author, the decision was emotional but well thought through — at first they even tried to convince themselves to stay in Poland.

“Portugal simply drew us in with incredible force, and we could no longer resist,” the blogger admitted.

After six months of living in Lisbon, the couple cites the main advantages of their new country as its kind and smiling people, the ocean, nature, more physical activity, and fish and fruit in their diet. According to them, the country works like therapy: their anxiety has decreased, their sleep has improved, and they have more energy.

At the same time, the blogger acknowledged a significant downside to Portugal — considerably higher prices compared to Poland. Renting an apartment now costs the couple 1,300 euros a month, and grocery expenses come to no less than 800 euros.

“For us, Portugal is beautiful and amazing, even after six months of living here. So the answer to the question of whether we have any regrets — no, we don’t. Portugal has made us happier. And isn’t that what we earn money for?” the author concluded.