Hi everybody.

I am looking for any advice on what it is like to live in Italy or Portugal at the moment. Initially I had hoped to speak to Pepsi as he is in Portugal, but he appears to have disappeared!

Anyway if anybody wants to chime in with what they know, I would appreciate it.

I am looking for advice on moving from UK to Portugal or Italy, specifically on:

1. Cost of living regarding annual property taxes, eg. like our council tax etc..tax paid when buying a home.
2. Costs regarding health insurance or state health insurance mandatory payments.
3. Cost of registering as self employed etc.
4. How hard it is to import your bike from UK, get the MOT equivalent etc..costs of insurance.
5. Any other stuff you might like to tell me about!

Language is not a problem for me as I love learning new languages and can speak a little Italian.

All advice is welcome, except telling me to stay put in UK!

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idler

Goodness Idler, good plan!!! I have lived in Italy for many years now so I guess that I can answer some of your questions. In general Italy has awful public services and very very high car and bike insurance, for this reason I keep my bikes on UK plates with UK insurance and then change them after 3 years, to avoid having to come back for the MOT. Importing a bike and getting Italian plates is a nightmare and I would seriously NOT recommend it.

I would also be looking to rent a place to live initially and then buying later if all works out. Drop me a line on simon.f@spirometry.com if I can offer you some help. Simon

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(Now sold on, sob) 2011 Blue XT660X with gold wheels, was 26,500 km.
Engine mods: K&N Stage 1 filter, DNA Stage 2 filter, snorkel removed, Kev fuel mod fitted.
Plus: smoked Puig screen, Yam aluminium sump guard, Yamaha / Acerbis handguards, Givi Trekker aluminium side cases, Leo Vince X3 cans plus Kev front fork mod and Fender Xtender. Just fitted Michelin Road Pilot 3 tyres.

SOLD the XTX for a Super Ten 1200. And just bought a Raptor 700 so staying on here for some tips....

Well in Portugal you can get bike insurance for less than 100�/year .. you can rent a flat for something like 800�/month or less, depending on location and everything else, you can even buy a nice T3 flat for around 80.000 �

As to cost of living, well i'm Portuguese, i don't earn that much and still i don't think it's high, i still get to enjoy a good life... for instance, tv,internet 30�/month
gas,electricity, water and other expenses another 100� +/-
monthly supermarket 250� +/-

Now, from a riders view, it's heaven, you are free to ride your bike pretty much everywhere you like, and you got everything from sunny beaches 850km coastline, rivers, mountains, sand, gravel, mud..

Oh and by the way, the say our food is great!!


Whatever you choose, good luck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCBFvie-QOo

Oh yes... Love the salted fish, and them little chicken hearts (at least thats what we thought they were!).

Not too keen on the big dogs that roam freely in the mountains though!

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>-------<

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Thanks for your thoughts. It is always good to get some perspective from those who know!

LeiriaPitbull, Averio certainly looks very nice. Pepsi has also told me that Portugal is a bikers paradise with great roads and no yearly MOT tests for bikes.

The best bit about food in the UK is that it has taught me to cook for myself!

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idler

I live "overseas" and loving it, does not know any other country
Our South African rand is weak against other currencies, so, if you earn in pounds or dollars, it's a great country
Good luck with your choice
We also have great weather and lovely roads