The mild climate, the sun, the sea, the delicious local cuisine, the security and the friendliness of the Portuguese people are some of the things that attract foreigners from across the world to visit and live in Portugal. Portugal's coastal municipalities, especially Lisbon, Porto and several cities in the Algarve, are the most popular with foreigners and expats and are the areas that attract most foreigners to buy houses in the country. But that's not all: there are also those who are looking for quieter places to live and in Portugal there are 10 municipalities with less than 5.000 inhabitants where foreigners are more interested in buying a house than the Portuguese themselves, according to a study by idealista. We have the details.
The Portuguese villages most popular with foreign buyers are Porto Moniz, on the island of Madeira, and Lajes das Flores, on the Flores Island (the Azores), where 68% of visits to houses for sale received in the last three months come from abroad. This is according to the same study carried out by idealista, the Southern European property marketplace. Just behind is the municipality of Nordeste, on the island of São Miguel (Azores), where 64% of the recorded visits are of international origin.
Towns and villages in the Azores attract the most foreigners
Looking at the locations of the 10 municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants that are more sought after by foreigners than by Portuguese to buy property, it appears that the vast majority, 8 to be precise, are located in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. This is one of the conclusions of the idealista report, which measured the origin of visits received to properties for sale on the idealista website in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants during the last three months.
In this region, the municipality of Lajes das Flores, on Flores Island was the one with the greatest international weight when it comes to visits (68%), followed by the municipality of Nordeste, on the island of São Miguel (64%). This is followed by Santa Cruz das Flores, on Flores Island (62%); the municipality of Corvo, on the island of Corvo (60%); Santa Cruz da Graciosa, on the island of Graciosa (59%); Calheta, on the island of São Jorge (59%); Lajes do Pico (57%) and São Roque do Pico (52%), both on the island of Pico.
The only municipality situated on mainland territory that has greater international demand than national demand when it comes to buying property is Alcoutim, in the district of Faro, Algarve. Here 57% of the visits to buy houses were from abroad. Completing the list of 10 municipalities with less than 5.000 inhabitants where there are more foreigners than Portuguese looking for houses to buy is Porto Moniz, on the island of Madeira (68%).
Which Portuguese towns and villages are the cheapest and most expensive for buying property?
Taking into account the offer of property for sale on idealista, the municipality with less than 5,000 inhabitants that has attracted more foreigners to look for houses for sale and which has the highest unit price, and is therefore the most expensive village, is Porto Moniz, on the island of Madeira, where buying a house costs, on average, 1,586 euros per square meter (euros/m2).
In second place is the municipality of Calheta, on the island of São Jorge, with average prices of 1,258 euros/m2. In third position is São Roque do Pico, with 1,039 euros/m2, snd in fourth place is Santa Cruz das Flores, where purchasing a home costs an average of 993 euros/m2.
The cheapest municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants include Corvo (385 euros/m2), Santa Cruz da Graciosa (705 euros/m2) and Lajes das Flores (744 euros/m2). Alongside these and at an intermediate level is the municipality Lajes do Pico, with 795 euros/m2.
According to the idealista price report, Alcoutim, in Faro, has average property prices of 799 euros/m2, while Nordeste, on the island of São Miguel sees its average prices stand at 778 euros/m2.
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