Living, buying and investing in Porto

Porto at a glance for expat buyers

Porto is Portugal's second city and the most active property market outside Lisbon. About 232,000 people live in the municipality, with roughly 1.7 million in the wider Norte metropolitan area. Average asking prices reached approximately €3,380 per square metre in early 2026 — about 40% cheaper than Lisbon — with Foz do Douro and central Cedofeita typically above €5,000/m². Foreign-buyer share has risen sharply since 2020 as buyers priced out of Lisbon look north. Porto offers a better price-to-quality ratio than Lisbon: lower absolute prices, comparable infrastructure, an international airport with European connections, a UNESCO-listed historic centre, and a noticeably more relaxed pace. The trade-offs are weather (cooler and wetter than Lisbon, closer to Galicia than to the Algarve), a smaller English-speaking professional services scene, and fewer direct international school options.