Can the Portuguese live on minimum wage?

Portugal's poverty has nothing to do with their minimum wage, just like it as nothing to do with poverty in the United States. Only 1% of families in poverty worked an hourly job earning the minimum wage. Portugal's struggle of getting away from socialist politicians is the problem. Socialism has destroyed Portugal with the astronomical taxes and regulations that destroy any hope of families having a business or growing their current businesses. Truly despicable how the people are kept down by the thumb of Socialist politicians that hate them.

Hi CaptnBlynd,

I think these values have to do with equality and justice principles. If a government assumes that a foreigner needs a higher monthly income to live in the country, it is being inconsistent with part of its population, by assuming that this value is not enough to live...

This is the rationale of these rules, and legally minimum values must be fixed.

But I can tell you that minimum wage is not enough to pay a significant part of the existing rentals in the main portuguese cities. It is not difficult to reach this conclusion with a simple research of property rentals.

Another issue to consider is that these minimum amounts do not guarantee automatic visa approval. Therefore, the more resources you can prove, the greater is the chance of having the D7 visa approved. From my point of view, you should do the math based on the average amount and not the minimum amount.

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Minimum wage (2021):
665 eur x 14 months = 9310 eur
9310 eur / 12 months = 775,83 eur

In Portugal, wages are paid 14 times a year: 12 months + Christmas extra wage (in December) and holiday extra wage (in June). Minimum wage covers around 21% of workers.

https://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc22/com … os-em-2021https://www.tsf.pt/portugal/economia/go … 63475.html

Average wage in Portugal is 1266 eur (November 2020):

https://www.jn.pt/economia/salario-mens … 02083.html

There is a target of a minimum wage of 750 euros to be reached by 2023.

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It is possible to work with D7 visa, there is no restriction in that. But D7 is granted to those who prove that they have enough income to live in Portugal for the time period of the visa. If there is income from work, it should be considered only an extra income and never a main income.

I have about double the minimum as my passive income. I will not be trying to live on their minimum but what my neighbors make concerns me. A paid for home will help keep cost of living low as well. Poverty for some is bad for all of us, in my opinion.
Thank you for the breakdown. I will study it.

Portugal is a fascinating nation which I intend to visit for extended periods of time as soon as the madness is over. I am not ready to entirely pull up roots but I am starting my search for a second home. 3rd safest nation in the world is the biggest draw for me.

I think it is different.
This higher amount comes because Portugal does not want only the poorest expats and pensionado's. They want people who contribute to the Portugal society bij spending some more money in Portugal. Not the ones who have almost nothing and hardly survive, and where the chance excist they even need the Portugal social system in some way to survive and so cost the Portugal society money. Too this poor expats and pensionado's who mostly do not speak the language will look for the most simple and lowest jobs, take them away from the poor people in Portugal.
This thinking is very common, and in many countries. Too I think this is a thought from the Kapitalist thinking and NOT from  socialist.

Imagine Portugal would ask only an income of 200 USD a month, imagine what kind of expats, pensionado's and entrepeneurs (bussinessmen who start some kind of bussiness) would overflow the country.

As we were living before in Philippines the same, a pensionado need at least 1000 plus USD a MONTH. The Phillipine minimum wage is less then 10 USD a day x27 days a month for Metro Manila and 6-7 USD a day for outside Metro Manila (= NCR, the National Capital Region). Too you must invest a bigger amount like several thousands of USD by buying a condominium or a place in a golfclub or something.

CaptnBlynd wrote:

I have about double the minimum as my passive income. I will not be trying to live on their minimum but what my neighbors make concerns me. A paid for home will help keep cost of living low as well. Poverty for some is bad for all of us, in my opinion.
Thank you for the breakdown. I will study it.

Portugal is a fascinating nation which I intend to visit for extended periods of time as soon as the madness is over. I am not ready to entirely pull up roots but I am starting my search for a second home. 3rd safest nation in the world is the biggest draw for me.

My wife visited her (female) friends in Faro (very South !!!)  for one week, She lived at one of her friends house, her husband is a higher policeman. He warned them that after dark falls it is not safe, and only go out by car after dark ( a group of older women). In Manila I lived 5 years and went out day and night, the worst thing what happened to me was one time they pickpocked my simple cheap old Nokia phone. Some common sense ofcourse is always good. No jewelery, watch, smartphone. We bought the cheapest  we could find in a locall store. Things like that.
And ofcourse you must have some luck, like alwys in life, or at least no bad luck !! 

All these responses about minimum wage were really helpful.  I agree with whatever country you are going to, that we must be assets to their community.  Each country has its own economic problems so we should be glad for the privilege of living in their country and helping that economy.