In a world where house prices inflate faster than a Portuguese custard tart in a hot oven, hunting for an affordable Iberian bolthole can feel like a challenge. Yet Portugal, with its wildly varied interior, still hides districts where bargains lurk like truffles beneath holm-oak forests.
Average national asking prices hover around €2,475 per m², but in Portugal’s forgotten heartlands you can still pick up a roof (and often a small orchard) for the price of a big city centre parking space. So, if you dream of endless sunny days without auctioning off a vital organ, keep reading. Castelo Branco district might just be the answer to your Portuguese prayers.
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Why buy in Portugal?
Portugal's magnetic appeal to international residents becomes clear when you consider the numbers: the country recently ranked 15th globally for expats in Internations' Expat Insider survey 2024, with an expat population exceeding 700,000 (including nearly 47,000 from the UK alone). This growing allure isn't just statistical—Portugal sits at 7th place worldwide for quality of life, making it an increasingly attractive destination for property buyers considering relocation.
The reasons behind Portugal's siren call are both practical and deeply atmospheric. With 300+ days of sunshine annually and a unique Mediterranean-meets-Atlantic cuisine, the country offers that untranslatable saudade—a melancholic beauty that transforms even mundane daily life into something cinematic. Beyond the romance, the fundamentals are compelling: living costs remain modest outside Lisbon and Porto, public healthcare is excellent, and English is widely spoken throughout the country.
Perhaps most remarkably, Portugal delivers genuine lifestyle diversity within a compact area smaller than England, and the state of Indiana. Whether you're drawn to surf beaches, UNESCO-listed historic cities, rugged mountain ranges, or sleepy schist-stone villages, this small nation contains multitudes—offering expatriates the rare opportunity to completely reinvent their way of life while remaining within easy reach of everything the country has to offer.
Monsanto—“the most Portuguese village”—balances on colossal granite boulders, silhouetted by the last blush of an Estrela sunset
If you’ve never heard of Castelo Branco, you’re in good company. Tucked between the Tagus river gorge and the snow-kissed Serra da Estrela, this inland district has somehow dodged the Instagram spotlight despite serving up story-book villages and the cheapest property in the country. Average asking price? An eye-watering-ly low €52,500.
Castelo Branco’s affordability is no fluke. Like Spain’s Teruel province, the area haemorrhated population in the mid-20th century as locals chased factory wages on the coast. The legacy is thousands of stone cottages, olive-grove quintas and even entire ruins from €10,000 upwards—catnip for adventurous renovators.
Despite its bargain status, the district dazzles: Monsanto’s granite houses melt into giant boulders; Idanha-a-Velha shelters Roman walls; the crystal Zêzere river winds through cherry orchards near Fundão; and the district capital shows off a baroque bishop’s palace garden straight from Versailles.
What’s it like to live in Castelo Branco?
Summer at Serra da Estrela’s lake beaches—cool mountain water framed by pines and granite peaks
Life here ambles at a pace that makes a siesta feel rushed. Expect hot Mediterranean summers (30 °C +) and bright but chilly winters—the district averages five frost days, so you’ll get your log-burner moment without Arctic bills.
Lisbon sits just under three hours away on the inter-city train, while Spain’s Extremadura is a leisurely drive east, making border-hopping tapas weekends entirely feasible. Costs are refreshingly low: locals reckon a monthly food shop for two can slip under €250, and overall living costs are well below coastal cities—music to fixed-income ears.
Gastronomes, rejoice: this is the land of Queijo de Castelo Branco, smoky goat cheeses and honey perfumed by rock-rose. Outdoor types can kayak the Tejo canyon, ski Serra da Estrela in January and pick wild asparagus in April—sometimes all in the same week.
The charming gardens of Castelo Branco city
Life here is local in the best sense of the word. Expect a warm bom dia from neighbours, long chats at the bakery, and invitations to join in the festa whether you’ve been here five weeks or fifty years. Saturdays in Castelo Branco city mean market day—bursting with citrus, olives, and gossip—while the centuries-old Feira de São João in June fills the streets with music, fireworks and vinho.
Property-wise, it’s a land of possibility: you’ll find classic stone country houses, sweet-as-you-like village homes with painted shutters, and plenty of affordable land if you’ve got a project in mind—be it vineyard, veg patch, or a new life from the foundations up.
What types of property are available for sale in Castelo Branco?
Portugal’s highest city sits in the same granite mountains as Castelo Branco and posts an average property price of €65,000—second-lowest nationwide. Expect medieval walls, crisp air and outrageously cheap Serra da Estrela cheese.
The typically Portuguese, impossibly pretty village of Portalegre
Alentejo’s overlooked northern district averages €120,000, buys you cork fields, white-washed castles and access to the São Mamede Natural Park. The wine is excellent, and the wildflower springs unforgettable.
Castro Verde, a charming down in the heart of Portugal's Alentejo region, known for its excellent birdwatching opportunities
Further south, Beja offers Alentejo authenticity without Algarve pricing. Average listings sit around €180,000, with 2-bed cottages from €100k. Here you trade beaches for endless horizons and olive oil tasting rooms.
From Nazaré’s record-breaking surf to fairy-tale Batalha monastery, Leiria blends Atlantic fun with historic towns and good A8 motorway links. – Average property prices are around €250,000, and with a growing British and French community means imported cheddar and yoga classes are easy finds.
The charming town of Tomar, one of Santarém district's most popular destinations for tourists and expats
Known as Portugal’s “bread-basket”, Santarém dishes up fertile Tagus plains, flamboyant Gothic churches and Europe’s oldest bull-running festival. Its low average property price of €125,000 make it popular with bargain-hunting expats.
Portugal’s property market may be heating up, but for buyers willing to swap beach bars for birdsong the dream remains alive—and dirt-cheap. Castelo Branco proves that with a dash of curiosity (and perhaps a Portuguese phrasebook) you can still claim your Mediterranean-meets-Atlantic idyll in 2025 without auctioning off all your prized possessions. Cheers to that—and bom apetite for the next chapter of your life.
Next up:
Our favourite budget properties in Portugal
Find your sunshine for less with our carefully curated list of the latest budget properties for sale in Portugal this month.
From a cosy 3-bedroom apartment with direct pool access in Albufeira, to a small farm with vineyard and guest annexe in the green hills of Paredes de Coura, here are our favourite budget properties for sale in Portugal this month.
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