Kaitlin Wichmann, originally from the United States, decided to move to Portugal in 2021 to pursue a career as a freelance digital marketer. She now works 20 hours a week, setting her own schedule, earning around six thousand euros a month in a typical month.
Wichmann was born in Kansas, Texas, and studied in Los Angeles, where she also worked in marketing with the traditional nine-to-five schedule. However, the monotony started to affect her.
“Every day going to the same job, parking in the same spot, sitting at the same desk, and staring at the same wall,” she told CNBC Make It. “I thought there had to be more to life than just that.”
This was ten years ago. Before arriving in Portugal, she traveled to Bali, Indonesia, then moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, spent a few weeks in Vietnam, and another two months in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Tired of constant moving, she began searching for a long-term base and remembered a trip she took to Madeira. The island left enough of an impression to convince her to settle in the European mainland, specifically in Lisbon.
Arriving was straightforward, even during a time when pandemic restrictions were tighter. She applied for a D7 visa (available for those with regular passive income).
She only needed to send her fingerprints, open a bank account in Portugal with ten thousand euros, obtain a tax identification number, and sign a lease for an apartment.
Now, she has been living in Lisbon for four years, working as a freelancer, assisting both American and Portuguese clients with online ads. She sets her own schedule (consistently at 20 hours per week) and regularly works in co-working spaces with friends.
Income Around Six Thousand Euros; Expenses at Three Thousand
Wichmann typically earns seven thousand dollars monthly, approximately 5,971 euros. However, as a freelancer, her income is not fixed and can vary from 2,400 to 12,000 dollars a month (between two thousand and ten thousand euros).
Her biggest expenses are her rent and household expenses, which amount to approximately 1,100 euros each month. Nearly matching this are Wichmann’s personal expenses, particularly on travel, shopping, and entertainment which reach 966 euros monthly.
She spends around 400 euros on food, another 170 euros on subscriptions, 160 euros on student loans (from her education in the United States), nearly 100 euros on transportation, and 12 euros for mobile phone services monthly.
Overall, Wichmann spends nearly three thousand euros every month to live in Portugal.
She aims to maintain a salary of 2,500 euros each month for herself, despite the income instability. The rest goes into savings and investments. Wichmann has an emergency fund for six months and over 200,000 euros saved for retirement and other investment accounts.
In Her Free Time, Wichmann Plays Tennis and Padel
The American mentioned that many people are surprised by the amount of free time she has each week, but Wichmann noted that it is not truly free, as she fills it with various hobbies.
She recently resumed playing tennis (a sport she played when younger) and discovered padel as a new activity and an opportunity to meet new people.
“When I moved to Lisbon, my plan was to stay here for at least five years and then decide where I wanted to go next,” said Wichmann. “But now, I don’t see myself going anywhere else, at least not out of Portugal. I love this country.”
Regarding financial goals, Wichmann describes them as “modest”: she simply wants to cover her expenses and perhaps one day buy a house in Portugal.
