I know a guy that worked for good UK salary (fintech) that moved to Portugal(Lisbon) almost a decade ago. It seems to be a lovely place, he also happily tell me how much he manage to save and how early he will be able to retire. He got many friends there too, but mostly expats.

If I'm to believe my Portuguese friends however, the extreme influx of digital nomad types have really changed Lisbon. There's almost no authentic Portuguese thing there anymore, just thing LARPING as it. The rent is too high for any local young Portuguese to pay for, while the landlords are super happy for these influx of wealthy expats, so the young either move out of the city or move all together.

In a very utopia like set up, there's something depressing about that reality.

When I asked about to my expat friend living there, he acknowledged it, shrugged, and said "don't hate the playa, hate the game".

Anyway, enjoy the game!

I'm not moving to Lisbon, but my experience in that city aligns with your friends'.

Other cities offer much better value for money and hold a lot more of the Portuguese culture intact. There are beautiful cities and towns all throughout the country.

I heard something similar from residents of Lisbon when I visited, but it was always framed in terms of tourism, Airbnb, etc, not digital nomads or expats. And to the extent it is expats, my guess is probably more British than American.