Moving to Portugal: How a retired TV executive found a new life on the edge of Europe .

Moving to Portugal

How a retired TV executive found a new life on the edge of Europe 

By ROGER B. ADAMS

This is part of a series of travel stories in which retirees living overseas, full time or part time, profile their adopted locales. Send us your suggestions at next@wsj.com.

Everybody always asks, "Why did you leave America for Portugal?" To start, I was burned out after 20 high-stress years in the television-syndication business and needed a change. Ishmael in "Moby Dick" puts it well:

"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul…then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can."
I had been to Portugal on vacation in the 1980s and loved it. In those days, it was like America in the early 1950s. As I write this in 2012, things have changed a great deal—we have cable TV with 106 channels (much of it from America in English), smartphones, online banking, malls, the biggest casino in Europe, opera, ballet and museums. But I digress
To answer "why Portugal," I should begin with the countryside. We have mountains; plains where cork oak, olives, grapes and cattle are raised; lovely river valleys where the famous Port wine grapes come from; the semitropical south called the Algarve; and, of course, the coast.

Daily Life

I moved to Portugal in 1990 and lived out in the country for a decade before moving to Cascais (pronounced Cahsh-Kaish), a pretty little cosmopolitan town on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean about 30 minutes from Lisbon. The climate is like Southern California's. The streets are lined with flowering trees and palms. We have many expats, from Brits to South Africans, camped out here in addition to the Portuguese. We get lots of tourists during the summer from just about everywhere.

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EXPAT APPEAL Cascais is on the Atlantic near Lisbon, with a climate like Southern California's.

For the active retiree (myself included, as I near 70), there is plenty to do: golf, sailing, diving, biking—you name it. For the more sedentary, there is gardening, an avid bridge-playing set of folks and other interest groups.
Living here, all of the great cities of Europe are at your doorstep. You can drive to Madrid, Seville or Barcelona in Spain. The south of France is a day's drive away. I have been to London, Prague, Paris, Vienna, Bavaria and Switzerland.
Let's talk about food and drink. All the usual suspects like beef, pork and chicken are on the menu—plus rabbit, goat, snails and dried codfish. Most people prepare food from scratch, so freshness and seasonality are important. Twice a week there is a big farmer's market in town. Fish figures prominently in the diet. Bread is tasty and in great variety.
Wine is very affordable. You can get a very good bottle for €4 to €6, or about $5.25 to $8. Beer is excellent and cheap.

I generally prepare my own meals. (I'm single; one son lives here in Portugal, the other in England.) Everything is sold by the kilo (2.2 pounds); locally produced meat, fish, fruit and vegetables are inexpensive.

Talking, Staying Healthy

We have explored the geographic and sensual. How about language? You will need to train your mouth to do new and interesting things to pronounce some important words, like bread (which is spelled pão and pronounced "paown").
I have no gift for languages, but I've learned enough to read a newspaper, order in a restaurant, get my hair cut and communicate like a 5-year-old. Many foreigners here don't speak the language at all, but there is no shortage of language schools if you wish to learn the basics. And don't fear: Plenty of Portuguese speak English.
Where to live? In my opinion, a town like Cascais is better than a small, picturesque village. The former simply has more amenities. Moreover, some of the old quaint homes in the country that so appeal to newly arrived expats have no central heating, insulation or no city water. It costs a fortune to update them—if you can find an honest, competent contractor. In Cascais, you can buy a nice two-bedroom condo for €200,000 to €350,000, or about $260,00 to $460,000. Other neighborhoods farther from the ocean are less costly.
I own a two-bedroom condo on a quiet street close to the ocean. I drive an old BMW, but I don't use it much since I can walk to pretty much any place in town. I use it mostly for shopping or long drives.

Gas is expensive here; at least twice as much as in the U.S. The highways and roads are excellent, and you can drive at 75 miles per hour legally. Public transportation is readily available and quite reasonable.
Altogether—with housing, food, transportation, utilities, clothing, entertainment, health care and taxes—you can live comfortably here for about €35,000, or $46,000, a year. Less if you're frugal.
What if I get sick or hurt? Portuguese health-care facilities are very modern in most places. Once you become a resident and are working either for yourself or another (thereby paying into the system), you and your family may join the national health-care system; it's essentially free. Private insurance is available. I pay €180 monthly for extensive coverage and, since I work, I have the national plan, too.
What do I get for private coverage? The ability to make an appointment, wait less than half an hour for a consultation, see a specialist if I wish and, if necessary, get some important part of me repaired quickly.
All health and dental-care services and drugs are far less expensive here than in the U.S.

Fitting In

Settling in isn't without its stumbling blocks. The Portuguese people are courteous and like Americans—but they are clannish. Most are part of large family groups amalgamated over generations through marriage. The culture is male-dominated. Additionally, there is no feeling of sisterhood among women as is so prevalent in America.
If you're retired and still want to work, think like an entrepreneur. It is virtually impossible for an expat to find employment in a Portuguese company.
For reasons too complicated to explain briefly, I decided to enter the field of international taxation. I prepare U.S. taxes for U.S. citizens abroad and non-Americans who have to deal with the Internal Revenue Service. I am pretty busy each year for four or five months. I also write and lecture on the subject when I wish. I don't have much competition, and I work as much as I like. Perfect.
As the saying goes "wherever you go, there you are." Whoever contemplates a new life abroad must leave the familiar behind and be flexible and accepting of the culture, lifestyle and way of doing things in their new home. It is important to like and be liked. Get out and meet people. I recommend getting involved in everything you can: hobbies, clubs, sports, church.
In a nutshell, I am a happy expat. I live in a beautiful place, I have a profession I love, I enjoy my family, friends and neighbors, and I am never bored or lonely. One can ask little more than that from life.
Mr. Adams can be reached at next@wsj.com.