Portugal Cost of Living: Immigrants Choose Rent Over Food
As the cost of living continues to climb across Portugal, immigrant families are being pushed to the brink, forced to slash food budgets and rely on charity to survive. In neighborhoods like Casal da Mira in Amadora, the struggle to balance soaring utility bills with the basic need for nutrition has become a daily battle for survival.
At the Unidinhos de Cabo Verde kindergarten, the crisis is visible before the first bell rings. Every Monday, the center transforms into a lifeline, distributing food baskets to families whose salaries and pensions no longer cover the essentials. Inside the classrooms, children aged three to five receive supplementary meals; many arrive having skipped breakfast because their parents simply couldn’t afford it.
A Lifeline in the Kitchen
“What people earn is not enough for basic needs—not for food, not for clothing,” says Cesaltina Gomes, affectionately known as ‘Avó Ciza.’ An educational assistant who has anchored the center for 40 years, Ciza spends her Sundays collecting surplus stock from local hypermarkets to ensure her community doesn’t go hungry. “I’ve seen friends leave in search of better conditions in France, Switzerland, or Luxembourg,” she adds, noting that the younger generation is increasingly fleeing Portugal’s low wages for better prospects abroad.
For those who stay, the choices are becoming narrower. Maria Natalina Lopes, 53, a former cleaner and restaurant worker now sidelined by chronic back pain, relies on the center’s donations. Despite receiving a small pension, the math doesn’t add up. “Sometimes there are things we just can’t afford to buy,” she says. “Food is very expensive. We stick to chicken or hake, the cheapest options. You go to Lisbon and see so many people sleeping on the street; it’s sad. Gas is priced like gold.”
Choosing Between Rent and Rice
The crisis cuts across generations of the Cape Verdean community, many of whom have lived in Portugal for decades. Ana Maria, a 70-year-old widow born on Santiago Island, supports a household of six on her pension. With rent alone costing €300, her budget is hollowed out before she even reaches the grocery store.
“We can’t eat proper food; we have to buy what we can,” Ana Maria explains. “With six people at home, you buy pasta and chicken—the cheapest things. By the time the water, electricity, and rent are paid, we are left with nothing for the house.”
A Growing Divide
The hardship isn’t limited to the immigrant community, as Maria Natalina points out, but the pressure on low-income foreign-born residents is particularly acute. The skyrocketing price of staples has left many in shock. Lena, who moved to Portugal in 1973, recalls a recent trip to the market that highlighted the absurdity of the current market: “The other day I went to buy a kilo of onions, and it was €1.69. I was shocked.”
While some dream of returning to Cape Verde where life is cheaper, for most, Portugal is home. They remain, caught between a deep-rooted sense of belonging and an economy that is increasingly making it impossible for them to stay.
Image: Pexels – Hosny salah
