Priced Out: Portugal’s Cost of Living Crisis Hits Immigrants
The skyrocketing cost of living in Portugal is pushing immigrant families to the brink, forcing many to skip meals and seek charity to survive. As inflation drains monthly budgets, a growing number of residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods are turning to community centers for the basics: a hot meal and a bag of groceries.
At the Unidinhos de Cabo Verde kindergarten in Casal da Mira, Amadora, the crisis is visible every Monday morning. While the aroma of a simmering stew fills the kitchen, staff prepare to distribute food baskets to families whose salaries and pensions no longer cover their expenses. Inside the classrooms, children aged three to five receive food supplements; many arrive hungry because their parents could not afford breakfast at home.
“Gold-Priced” Essentials
Cesaltina Gomes, known affectionately as Grandma Ciza, has worked at the center for nearly 40 years. She coordinates the distribution of donations collected from local hypermarkets. “What they earn is not enough for basic needs—not for food, and not for clothing,” she says.
The struggle is particularly acute for the Cape Verdean community in Amadora. Maria Natalina Lopes, 53, spent decades working in cleaning and elderly care. Now sidelined by chronic back pain and a meager pension, she relies on the kindergarten for food. “Sometimes there are things we just can’t afford to buy,” she says, noting that her menu is often restricted to the cheapest cuts of chicken or hake. “Gas canisters are priced like gold, and salaries remain low. It’s sad to see so many people sleeping on the street.”
A Generation on the Move
The economic pressure is sparking a new wave of migration. According to Gomes, the lack of prospects in Portugal is driving younger immigrants to seek better wages in France, Switzerland, and Luxembourg. They are leaving behind a community of elders who, despite the hardship, feel they have nowhere else to go.
Ana Maria, a 70-year-old widow from Santiago, Cape Verde, supports a household of six on her pension. After paying €300 in rent plus utilities, there is virtually nothing left for the pantry. “We can’t eat proper food; we buy what we can—mostly pasta and chicken,” she explains. Though she admits life in Cape Verde is cheaper, she says her family is too rooted in Portugal to return permanently.
The Shock of the Supermarket
For Lena, who arrived in Portugal in 1973, the current economic climate is unlike anything she has seen in decades. The simple act of grocery shopping has become a source of anxiety. “The other day I went to buy a kilo of onions and it was 1.69 euros,” she says. “I was shocked.”
As the cost of living continues to rise, community anchors like Unidinhos de Cabo Verde are becoming more than just kindergartens; they are the final safety net for a population caught between stagnant wages and a world that is becoming increasingly unaffordable.
Image: Pexels – Kate Trifo
