3 Jun 2026
In mid-May, the Fine & Country Portugal team crossed the Atlantic. Destination: Miami, New York and Chicago.
It was not a leisure trip. It was work — the best kind. The kind where you spend hours in genuine conversation with people who are seriously considering a change of life. Americans treating Portugal not as a holiday destination, but as a real Plan B. Weighing their options. Asking the right questions. Beginning to imagine themselves living somewhere they don't yet know well, but feel inexplicably drawn to.
We were present at the Living in Portugal Seminars — the leading in-person event series dedicated to Americans considering moving to Europe — across three cities:
- Miami, FL — The Brickell Arch
- New York, NY — Millennium Hilton Hotel
- Chicago, IL — Park Hyatt Hotel
Why Are So Many Americans Choosing Portugal as Their Plan B?
American interest in Portugal is not new — but it is evolving. More structured. More decisive. The people who attend these events are no longer dreaming. They are planning.
For a growing number of Americans, moving to Portugal represents something very specific: a way out of the relentless pace of American life, without sacrificing quality, safety or connectivity. A European country with a functioning public health system, a generous climate, and a quality-of-life proposition that simply no longer exists at the same price point in most Western markets.
Portugal is not a compromise destination. For an increasingly large share of Americans thinking about moving to Europe, it is the most logical and balanced choice — for its location, its cost of living, its ease of integration, and, more than ever, its property market.
Our Role at These Events
Fine & Country Portugal attended as luxury real estate specialists — and that is precisely how we worked. We presented real opportunities: properties in Cascais, Lisbon and Comporta. We discussed market dynamics, capital appreciation, and lifestyle. But above all, we listened.
We listened to what these people are looking for. What concerns them. What excites them. And we were reminded, once again, that Portugal has a very concrete answer to almost everything they say they want.
Those coming from the American market arrive with exacting standards and genuine purchasing power. They are not simply looking for a second home — they are looking for an investment that makes sense, in a location that will surprise them. Comporta does that. Cascais does that. Lisbon does that.
A View from the Ground — Nuno Durão, Managing Partner
Nuno Durão, Managing Partner of Fine & Country Portugal, returned from all three cities with a reinforced conviction:
"I recently returned from Miami, New York and Chicago, having spoken with over a hundred Americans. And one idea came through with striking clarity: there is today an enormous appetite for a Plan B life in Portugal.
The United States remain an extraordinary country — but they are also intense. Vast, fast-moving, anxious, constantly in motion. Portugal offers almost the opposite: a European country that is safe, stable, human in scale, and genuinely easy to live in. Where everything is close. From the mountains to the beach. From the forest to the office. From the airport to the sea in twenty minutes.
Where Americans spend hours flying, in Portugal we drive. Where they drive, here we walk. And in the midst of global noise, that simplicity has begun to carry an enormous value.
For many Americans, Portugal is no longer simply a destination. It is, most likely, the most logical and balanced choice in Europe."
— Nuno Durão, Managing Partner, Fine & Country Portugal
Where Are Americans Buying Property in Portugal?
This interest has direct consequences for the market. American buyers are approaching Portugal with increasing knowledge and determination — and when they decide to move forward, they do so seriously. These are the three locations that resonate most strongly with those considering moving to Portugal.
Comporta remains the great revelation. Those who arrive for the first time cannot quite believe that a place like this exists less than an hour from Lisbon: preserved nature, low density, restrained and elegant architecture, and a market with genuine room to appreciate. For those buying today, it is one of the country's most compelling opportunities — and one of the destinations growing fastest on the radar of Americans looking for a Plan B in Europe.
Cascais speaks to a different profile — those who want convenience, international schooling, a marina, and the reassurance of an established expat community. A location that Americans instinctively recognise as the right fit when thinking about moving to Europe with a family.
Lisbon needs little introduction. A European capital on a human scale, with a genuine cultural offering and a property market that continues to attract consistent international demand. For Americans moving to Portugal, Lisbon is often the first point of contact — and, frequently, the final choice.
Portugal Is Not a Compromise. It Is a Strategy.
We are back. And the conversations that began in Miami, New York and Chicago continue — now from this side of the Atlantic.
If you are considering Portugal as your Plan B, or if you represent American clients thinking about moving to Europe, Fine & Country Portugal is here to guide you through every step of the process — from the first conversation to the keys in hand.
