Albufeira, Portugal

Living costs in this crowded Algarve hotspot surge 300% during peak tourist seasons, when the population balloons from 44,000 to around 300,000 visitors. That's the raw reality for anyone considering a move to Portugal's second-most-visited destination.

This former fishing village turned mass tourism machine sprawls across 140 square kilometers of southern Portugal's coast, 250km from Lisbon. While the historic center retains fragments of its Roman and Moorish past, including parts of ancient aqueducts, modern Albufeira is dominated by hotels, golf courses, and two distinct tourist zones - the raucous "Strip" along Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro and the more atmospheric Old Town. The 1755 earthquake devastated the original settlement, with 10-meter waves destroying most coastal buildings and leaving just 27 homes standing.

What began as a 1960s tourism experiment has morphed into an expat-heavy resort town where English often drowns out Portuguese. The economy now lives and dies by tourism, with most jobs tied to hospitality. While winter brings relative calm, summer transforms Albufeira into a heaving mass of sun-seekers, straining infrastructure and sending rental costs skyward. For potential residents, timing is everything - your experience (and expenses) will vary dramatically between seasons.