I left the US to live in Europe — now I work 20 hours a week, live off $3500 a month and am so much happier

She said “olá” to a low-cost, no-stress life successful Lisbon.

An American expat who near Los Angeles to unrecorded successful Portugal says she’s happier than ever since moving overseas 4 years ago.

Kaitlin Wichmann says she felt unfulfilled astatine her trading gig successful La La Land and took a leap of religion by quitting her full-time occupation to spell freelance.

“Every time going into my job, parking successful nan aforesaid spot, going to nan aforesaid desk, staring astatine nan aforesaid wall — I was conscionable like, ‘There has to beryllium much to life than this,'” nan now 31-year-old told CNBC.

Wichmann relocated to Lisbon successful 2021, enticed by nan city’s lukewarm upwind and attraction connected patient activity.

The Kansas autochthonal now useful nary much than 20 hours per week arsenic a freelance integer marketer “helping American and Portuguese clients pinch their online advertising.”

The millennial makes astir $7,000 USD astir months, which is much than capable to support her comparatively affordable life successful Lisbon.

“I decidedly consciousness happier and much astatine bid here,” Wichmann told CNBC, saying she now has acold much clip to pursure her hobbies.

“When I was surviving successful Los Angeles, beautiful overmuch my life revolved astir work,” she added. “[Now] my life revolves astir my life pinch activity scattered in.”

Wichmann collapsed down her spending for nan period of June, revealing she spent $3457 — little than half of her mean earnings.

Rent and utilities were conscionable just $1296, while nutrient costs were conscionable $500 for nan month. It gave nan millennial ample spending money for things specified arsenic travel, tennis lessons and shopping.

Indeed, galore expats person been lured to Portugal since nan onset of nan Covid pandemic, pinch its debased costs and easy entree to visas.

In 2022, Portugal unveiled a D8 Digital Nomad Visa for non-EU citizens moving for a overseas company. The influx of expats has driven up costs and near immoderate Portuguese citizens disillusioned.

But dissimilar astir integer nomads who scheme to yet time off Portugal, Wichmann says she’s invested successful staying successful nan state long-term.

“When I moved to Lisbon, my scheme was to unrecorded present astatine slightest 5 years and past determine wherever I wanted to spell aft that,” she stated. “[Now] I don’t spot myself moving anyplace else, astatine slightest extracurricular of Portugal. I conscionable really for illustration it here.”