- I've wanted to live in Europe for as long as I can remember. I can apply for a Portuguese passport after 5 years of residency, which unlocks the entire continent.
- I'm from Chicago and can no longer handle the 6 months of no sun and debilitating seasonal depression during the winter.
- I'm at the age where I'm no longer invincible health-wise and the US system is a comically expensive dumpster fire. The Portuguese health system has problems, but it is unlikely to literally bankrupt me like in the US.
- The US has had (on average) multiple mass shootings _per day_ this year [0]. Portugal has had _one_ and is one of the safest countries on the planet.
- Cost of living in Portugal (for an American) is low. This allows me to work less and live more.
- I'm a guy and I've never fit in to the dominant American (particularly midwestern) macho culture. Expectations for men are different in Portugal and Europe in general, so I'm much more comfortable.
- US politics. No further comment.
[0] https://abcnews.go.com/US/mass-shootings-days-2023-database-...