Living in Luxembourg with a gross minimum wage of 2,700 euros may seem synonymous with comfort from a distance. However, for some Portuguese emigrants, the end of the month arrives quickly and money does not always keep pace with the cost of living. This was the case of Manuel, a Portuguese worker who left the country three years ago with the hope of saving, paying pensions and, over time, returning safer.
According to the news portal Contacto, the emigrant moved after the end of a 14-year marriage and sought financial stability in the Grand Duchy. He works outside a commercial area, with only Sundays off, in rain, snow or cold. In Portugal he earned minimum wage as a market vendor, but the income was enough for bills and socializing, something that was no longer possible since he emigrated.
When 2,400 euros net is not enough to live on
According to the same source, the salary he receives today is reduced after deductions, leaving around 2,400 euros remaining. Half of this amount is allocated to income and fixed expenses. After months in a rented room, he decided to live outside Luxembourg, in a German city, where housing costs are lower. He eats simply, travels by bicycle after selling his car for 500 euros to avoid a 3,000-euro repair and sends between 100 and 120 euros to each child whenever he can.
The portal writes that trips to Portugal only happen when you find low prices and that Christmas and New Year will once again be spent alone. The family’s next trip is scheduled for January, with a ticket purchased for 53 euros. However, even with sacrifice, the emigrant maintains priority: “giving some money” to his children.
Loneliness, language barriers and little space to start over
The publication adds that the distance from the family weighs more than the value on the receipt. Without command of French, he rarely socializes and says he lives between home and work. Free language training only exists in Wiltz and the hours are not compatible with the working day. He remembers that in Portugal he went to the cafe every day, something that today he considers impossible within the monthly budget.
The same source mentions that the worker admits that he would be happier in Portugal, even though he earns less. However, paying income, expenses and pensions with the national salary would be unfeasible. If the Portuguese minimum reached 1,100 euros, he states that he would return without hesitation, saying that a house equivalent to the current one would cost around 300 euros in his homeland.
Advice for those considering emigrating
Quoted by , the emigrant recommends Luxembourg only to those who have qualifications and command of the language. For those who depend on the minimum wage, it describes a life of permanent containment, away from family and with no room for unforeseen events. He continues out of obligation, not by choice, and plans to stay for another two or three years to guarantee the minimum necessary for his children.
Manuel leaves a sentence that sums up the experience: “It’s so difficult to live on the minimum wage in the richest country in Europe”.
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