Portugal’s rental market is changing quickly as more foreigners look for long‑term housing across the country’s main cities.
New figures from idealista/data for May 2026 show that international tenants are now an important part of demand in most large urban areas. However, Portuguese residents still account for the majority of rental interest in every city analysed.
This article looks at where foreigners are renting in Portugal, who they are, and how their presence varies from place to place.
- How big is foreign demand for rental homes in Portugal?
- Where foreigners rent in Portugal: key hotspots for international demand
- Coastal, island and student cities on foreign renters’ radar
- The Alentejo exception for foreign tenants
- Who is renting in Portugal?
- City‑by‑city profiles: who is renting where?
- A shifting rental map for foreigners in Portugal
How big is foreign demand for rental homes in Portugal?
In the 20 major cities analysed, rental demand remains mainly domestic, with Portuguese‑based users still dominant everywhere.
At the same time, international demand has reached a clear threshold in most big markets:
- In 16 of the 20 cities, international demand for rentals has a double‑digit share of total demand.
Foreigners are therefore a visible minority in many local rental markets, though not yet the main driver.
Where foreigners rent in Portugal: key hotspots for international demand
idealista’s figures from May 2026 show the share of international visits to rental listings in each of the 20 main cities. At the top of the ranking are:
- Bragança – 20%
- Braga – 19%
- Lisboa – 19%
- Vila Real – 17%
- Porto – 17%
- Viana do Castelo – 17%
- Aveiro – 16%
- Funchal – 15%
- Coimbra – 15%
- Viseu – 15%
Bragança, Braga and Lisbon stand out, each with close to one in five rental listing visits coming from abroad.
Coastal, island and student cities on foreign renters’ radar
A second group of cities combines tourism, study and work opportunities with solid levels of foreign rental demand:
- Funchal (Madeira) – 15% of rental listing visits from abroad
- Coimbra – 15%
- Faro (Algarve) – 15%
- Viseu – 15%
- Ponta Delgada (Azores) – 14%
Although their international shares are slightly below the top tier, foreigners still account for a noticeable portion of the local rental audience.
The Alentejo exception for foreign tenants
Three major Alentejo cities currently register the lowest international shares for rentals:
- Évora – 8% international share
- Beja – 8%
- Portalegre – 7%
All three sit at the bottom of the 20‑city ranking for foreign demand.
Who is renting in Portugal?
In more than half of the cities studied, the top three nationalities together account for over 50% of all international rental demand.
Brazil as the main driver of international rental demand
Across Portugal’s 20 main cities, Brazilian citizens are the primary source of international demand for rental homes, ranking as the top origin country in 14 of the 20 cities.
In Viseu, Leiria and Braga, Brazilian demand exceeds 40% of all international rental interest.
German, American and Spanish tenants: regional leaders
While Brazil dominates in most cities, other nationalities take the lead in several strategic locations:
- Germany is the main foreign nationality for rentals in:
- Lisbon – with 11% of international demand
- Funchal – 21%
- Faro – 13%
- United States renters are the largest international group in Ponta Delgada, with 19%
- Spain leads in two interior cities with cross‑border ties:
- Guarda – 27%
- Portalegre – 24%
These patterns underline how different national groups gravitate towards specific parts of Portugal’s rental market.
City‑by‑city profiles: who is renting where?
The following table summarises the locations with the highest international share of rental listing visits and the top three foreign origins in each city, based on idealista/data for May 2026.
Top 10 cities by international share of rental demand and leading nationalities
Rank by international share | City | International share of rental demand | 1st nationality (% of international demand) | 2nd nationality | 3rd nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bragança | 20% | Brazil 29% | Spain 20% | Mozambique 12% |
2 | Braga | 19% | Brazil 43% | US 11% | Spain 6% |
3 | Lisboa | 19% | Germany 11% | Brazil 11% | US 10% |
4 | Vila Real | 17% | Brazil 34% | France 14% | Spain 11% |
5 | Porto | 17% | Brazil 19% | US 15% | Spain 9% |
6 | Viana do Castelo | 17% | Brazil 28% | US 14% | France 10% |
7 | Aveiro | 16% | Brazil 31% | US 17% | Spain 9% |
8 | Funchal | 15% | Germany 21% | Canada 7% | US 7% |
9 | Coimbra | 15% | Brazil 31% | Spain 12% | US 8% |
10 | Viseu | 15% | Brazil 46% | US 11% | Spain 8% |
A shifting rental map for foreigners in Portugal
Taken together, the figures suggest a two‑speed market for foreigners renting in Portugal. In northern and coastal cities, international tenants already account for a sizeable share of rental demand, led above all by Brazilians and, in some areas, Germans and North Americans.
In Alentejo cities, the lower international shares point to markets that remain more locally driven, even though Brazilian and Spanish renters are still present. As these patterns consolidate, the geography of foreign tenants is likely to keep reflecting language ties with Brazil, tourism and island economies that attract Germans and US citizens.
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