Portugal is one of Western Europe’s poorest countries, with government data showing more than 50% of workers earned less than 1,000 euros ($1,054.60) per month last year. The monthly minimum wage is 760 euros.
House prices in Portugal rose 18.7% in 2022, the biggest increase in three decades, and rents have also increased significantly in part due to a speculative property bubble.
Low wages and high rents make Lisbon the world’s third-least viable city to live in, according to a study by insurance brokers CIA Landlords. Portugal’s 8.3% inflation rate has exacerbated the problem.
At the protest, which was organised by the ‘Fair Life’ movement, Vitor David, a 26-year-old programmer, said he would like to move back to Lisbon one day but had to live further out because of how expensive it was to rent in the city.
“It comes to a point in our lives that we have no hope,” he said, adding that he had already pondered moving to a wealthier European…
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