What is so special about the city of Braga? In recent years, the city in Northern Portugal has been voted by various national and international bodies as one of the best Portuguese cities to live in and also as Portugal's happiest city. For those who work and live there, there are various factors that help to explain this leading role, and above all, real estate has helped Braga to develop and contributed to the city's projection on the international markets. Let's have a closer look at why Braga is special and why so many people are choosing to move there.
What is it like to live in Braga?
First of all, if you're considering moving to Portugal, if you want to avoid the higher prices of Lisbon and Porto, then Braga is a great option. Braga has a great housing offer, prices are affordable, something that has brought many young families to the city, but also pensioners as Braga is one of the best places to retire in the world. It has also attracted a lot of foreing investors, mainly Brazilians, who take advantage of the Golden Visa programme.
Investment in Braga
In recent years, Braga has also attracted many investors who bought properties and transformed them into local accommodation, hotels and other businesses. As well as this boost to the city, several international companies have also come to the city and created jobs.
Growth of tourism in Braga
While many people head straight to Lisbon and Porto for tourism, we're asking is Braga worth visiting? The answer is yes, as Braga is a wonderful tourist destination that combines history and culture without suffering from mass tourism. Another important aspect of the growth of the city of Braga has to do with the growth of Religious Tourism, which attracts both national and international visitors. And the proximity to Porto, which allows it to benefit from its growth at all levels, has also helped to catapult Braga into the limelight.
One of the reasons that generated a large increase in visits to Braga was the fact that the Sanctuary of Bom Jesus de Braga was considered a World Cultural Heritage Site by Unesco in July 2019. The Holy Week celebrations in the city are also a big attraction, and in 2019, the last time the city was able to fully celebrate Holy Week due to the pandemic, the city received around 100,000 tourists. Braga was also voted "best European destination" to visit in 2021.
Is Braga expensive to live in?
Real estate is one of the aspects in the city of Braga that makes it such a great place to live in. Above all, those who live in Braga highlight the greater ease of buying a house and living in the city compared to other countries and other parts of Portugal.
The greater offer of housing, at more accessible average prices, is the main reason why Braga is being chosen by many young couples, but also by investors, to live or start a business.
"The residential sales market in Braga has remained stable and resilient since 2019. The supply of properties for sale has increased and average prices have risen, although there has been a residual adjustment in demand due to the pandemic. The evolution since 2019 is quite positive," states Inês Campaniço, head of idealista/data in Portugal. The average total price for properties for sale in Braga stood at 214,305 euros in April 2021, with an average price per m2 of 1336 euros.
Quality of life in Braga
In a recent study by Deco Proteste, which compared the quality of life in Portugal in this pandemic phase, analysing the 10 largest Portuguese cities, the inhabitants of Braga are most satisfied with the place where they live, along with those of Viseu and Leiria.
In the study, Braga does well in the main indicators and wins several first places in the categories of education, health services, employment and the employment market. Braga also scores well when it comes to housing, culture, sports and leisure, taking second place in this categories, and third in quality of life and cost of living.
These are the main reasons for the city's success and notoriety in international markets, which are also recognised by its inhabitants. They highlight the quality of life, employment, housing, health, among others, as points in favour of the city, making Braga one of the best places to live in Portugal.
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