Dealing with chronic illness in the US was depressing. Since moving to Portugal, I feel healthier overall — and I’m saving money.

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Christina Kantzavelos, 37, a therapist and chronic illness advocate based in Óbidos, Portugal, a town about 52 miles north of Lisbon. She left California at the end of 2022 and lived nomadically in Europe until settling in Portugal in 2024. She still rents a home in California and has clients in the US. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

It was early summer of 2024 that I first decided that I wanted to make Portugal my permanent home.

I’ve been to a lot of different countries in Europe, and I’ve had the privilege of visiting and spending longer periods of time in them. For me, Portugal just feels the most comfortable. There’s a lot happening where you feel like you can be involved or contribute to the community very easily. There’s an openness, and I like that there’s a mixture of locals as well as foreigners. I have felt very welcomed here so far.

It’s nice to know things are happening and going on. I’m not that far from Lisbon, where a lot of bands come to play. And I love the access to nature and the good weather — it’s reminiscent of California, where I grew up. It’s a very nice balance.

I love the fact that sunshine is just a drive away, even if it seems like it’s raining somewhere. You can be at the beach and in the snow, theoretically, on the same day. There are just so many rivers and beautiful hikes, and the air just seems so clear. Those are the aspects of the lifestyle I enjoy.

Overall, my nervous system just feels safer here. For me, it really comes down to my health and the fact that I feel better overall. I just feel less inflamed, more energized, more vibrant overall.

My work-life balance is better in Portugal

I work mostly Pacific Standard Time; however, I coach clients from the Midwest to the East Coast and also internationally.

It’s pretty ideal. Generally speaking, I wrap up around 10 p.m., so I’m in bed at a reasonable hour.

It’s been great to have slow mornings. It’s nice that I can go see doctors, or go get treatments, or go do things that are related and helpful to my health during the day, and get that over with, and then work. I actually really like that switch of workflow.

People here seem to work to live versus live to work in the US.

I feel like in the US it is shifting in a healthier direction, but the lifestyle in Portugal seems more conducive to living, and I really enjoy that.

It’s also more affordable overall. I try to eat mostly organic, and I can do that here more affordably versus in the US, where I’d be left with very little money at the end of the month.

For two people, between the grocery store and the farmer’s market, a week’s worth of groceries costs 125 euros, or about $145. Eating mostly organic food, that would’ve easily cost me closer to $300.

I rent my house in Joshua Tree, California, which is a little bit more affordable than big cities where I was before, like San Diego and Los Angeles. For point of reference, my three-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot apartment in Portugal is 1,300 euros a month.

For something like this in San Diego, this would probably be at least $5,000 a month for a location where I am walking distance to town and for what I have access to.

Where I am, I feel like there’s a lot around community and families: they’re doing family dinners on Sunday, where everyone gets together, or group lunches. There are a lot of festivals, and there are a lot of community events.

America’s expensive healthcare system was a huge reason I moved overseas

I’m a European citizen and I’m now a resident of Portugal; however, I still don’t have access to their healthcare, so everything is out of pocket.

It’s still less expensive: I went to the osteopath, and I paid 40 euros for an hour of treatment. Seeing an osteopath out of pocket in California was quite expensive — it was $275 for 30 minutes.

I have to get weekly lymphatic massages for one of my health conditions. And for an hour and a half, I pay 40 euros. To receive that in California, I think it was closer to $175 for an hour and a half.

When I was living in Greece, I needed a small emergency surgery, and I was charged 50 euros for that — and that was at a private institution. If I’d gone to an ER in the US, that would’ve probably cost me $5,000.

I know folks who’ve had to open a GoFundMe for their healthcare. That just doesn’t make sense that we need to crowdfund to get our healthcare covered when we pay so much for health insurance in the US. I see it almost every day in my work, insurance denying someone’s health treatment.

It’s depressing. It breaks my heart. I’m so grateful that I have this privilege, but it doesn’t make sense that we should have to leave our own country to be able to afford to be healthy.

Nervous system dysregulation is tied so closely to our health — the mind-body component is huge. If we’re not feeling comfortable or safe in the environment we’re living in, it can impact our health big time. I’ve noticed a really huge difference in my overall health, even without the treatments here.

I’ve received only love, support, and curiosity from my clients thus far. I feel so much better. I do feel like I’m fully able to take care of my health and feel confident, safe, and secure in where I am.

It’s not rare that we go overseas or to different states or places for our health. If we go somewhere and we realize, “Wow, I see a difference,” it’s worthwhile for us to make the move.

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