the slow life
This Guy Moved From Reno To Rural Portugal, Bought A House For $300,000, And Makes Travel Videos For A Living
For Dave Alastair, an American man who had been living in Nevada, moving to a rural province 45 minutes north of Lisbon, Portugal, wasn't exactly a planned decision. But he ended up falling in love with the country — the sights, the lifestyle, the culture — and he decided to move there permanently.
[The exterior of Dave Alastair's house in Portugal. Dave in Portugal]
After scouring online platforms, Alastair chanced upon a local real estate agency with a few homes for sale in the area he was looking at. He found the perfect quaint three-bedroom home in the countryside.
[The living room has a pitched ceiling. Dave in Portugal]
Alastair ended up buying the property in April 2022 for 280,000 euros, or $300,000.
"The bones of this house are probably in the range of about 150 years old or 200 years old," Alastair said.
[The primary bedroom. Dave in Portugal]
Even though Alastair has lived in the house for over a year, he still has some renovations planned for the future.
This includes installing solar panels on the roof and then switching over to a solar water heating system. He also plans on installing a battery so that the property can be fully independent from the power grid.
[The dining area. Dave in Portugal]
Alastair says that while his cost of living is lower than it was in the US, it's only because he lives in an older house on the outskirts of Portugal.
"One thing about owning an older house in Portugal is my house taxes are significantly lower here because it's from the time that the house was registered with the local municipality," he said. "So my house taxes are only a couple hundred euros a year, versus a house that would be newer, which would be a couple of thousand."
[The loft. Dave in Portugal]
One of the best parts about living in Portugal is that he's learned to slow down and enjoy life and the company of the people around him, he said.
"I think the biggest difference is that in the United States, people are in this kind of survival mode," Alastair said. "They have this kind of live-to-work mentality where everything is about your job, it's about your independence, the corporate ladder, and improving the self."
