That does not offset it at all. Unless you've got a ridiculously strong character, or a group of friends that will force you to do something with them, I wouldn't recommend it. Or at least have a backup plan if you start going crazy by November.
Copenhagen and Amsterdam are incredible places to live, and Amsterdam in particular has the benefit of a population which overwhelmingly speaks English, and is... a little less depressive than the Danish.
Glad you like it, I think it's a fantastic city to be in if you have a good job. Of course, you won't make insane amounts of money like in London or the US but since you're European I guess you already have a similar mindset.
This is what I like over here:
- Big city but you can walk almost everywhere
- Weather is great
- Airport is 20min subway from city centre
- People are friendly, most speak some sort of english
- Tech scene is getting better every year
- No gentrification yet
There are advantages on being on central or northern europe instead, but if I was in my 20s I would definitely come to Lisbon.
Very true. I run my own business and so get the best of both worlds (UK salary, Lisbon cost of living) but it would be a harder choice if I was in my twenties and earning locally. I sincerely hope that will change for the better over the next few years as the Lisbon tech scene continues to mature.
I'm Portuguese and live near Lisbon (and used to work for a startup in Lisbon). If you're looking for high paying jobs, look elsewhere, as developer jobs here are around 1500€-1800€ / month (* 14 months, after taxes), way below what people are getting paid in other countries.
However, if you decide to live outside of Lisbon where rents are very high, that amount of money is enough for you to live well and even save some money if you're somewhat frugal. Also, the weather is usually quite nice here, and if you're into that kind of things, there's a booming tech scene is Lisbon (web summit is here for this week).
Unfortunately, most of the jobs people take here are on outsourcing companies, but there is an increasing number of jobs available on local startups. If you're planning to move here, check jobs in http://landing.jobs/ (mostly startups).
