GENTRIFICATION, EXPATS & SHIT

This isn’t about one of my paintings (I’m not really into painting houses), but I still need to get it off my chest - it’s been sitting on my tongue like acid.

As a friend of mine with a child scrambles to find a place to live, I can’t hold back this urge to vent my anger. Who in their right mind thinks it’s acceptable to demand 1200€ for an apartment or tiny house in Portugal? Let’s be real: the average income here doesn't come anywhere near supporting that kind of rent. People are already struggling, and with the cost of living skyrocketing, this is pure insanity.

Contrary to what your father-sponsored hipster self or flower-picking, neo-spiritualist friends might think, this isn’t some hipster neighborhood in Berlin or Paris. This is Portugal—a country known for low wages, where families often stretch every euro just to cover essentials. Yet landlords are slapping these insane price tags on apartments, clearly hoping to lure in expats who can afford a few months of European “authenticity” before they move on (if they even move on). And the consequences? The locals are being displaced. Old-established communities with roots, history and identity are declining to make way for freedom-seeking foreigners who can pull off Northern European salaries.

Gentrification isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a slow-burning disaster for locals. It’s a process that hollows out neighborhoods, drives up prices on everything, and leaves the actual residents with nothing but frustration and despair. Families that have lived here for generations find themselves suddenly priced out and forced to either leave the area. The social fabric of these communities? Torn to shreds. Local businesses, culture, and community ties vanish, replaced by Yoga Places and Poke Bowl Bars set up for the perfect Instagram snap.

And who benefits? Certainly not the people actually keeping the country running on low wages. No, it’s the landlords who treat housing as a quick way to make a buck, not as a basic human need.

Sure, demand drives supply—so here’s a special shout-out to everyone who posts “Our budget is 1500€” when looking for that cool place in the Algarve. Try your luck somewhere else. Our home has already been loved to death.