As someone who was born on Earth, I will give you some facts:
Capital gains tax in Portugal: Flat 28%. Spain: Progressive up to 23%.
Income tax brackets: Portugal, progressive up to 48%. Spain, progressive up to 47%.
Population density in Portugal: 112 per km2. Spain: 93 per km2.
Life expectancy in Portugal: 80 years. Spain: 82 years.
For housing, go to idealista and compare the prices in similar cities. Spain has much better housing and at better prices. The Portuguese housing market is completely broken; this is not only constantly reported but you can also see it by yourself in the major real estate portals like idealista.
Feel free to prove me wrong with actual numbers, such as tax rates, healthcare statistics, etc.
I understand that you've done the typical google search, and you have come to the conclusion that Spain is better in pretty much everything when you compare it to Portugal.
I strongly suggest that you come to live to Spain, to any small coastal city, and then go to Portugal to any small coastal city, at the end of the year your cost of living, your expenses, your direct an especially indirect taxes will make you want to live in Portugal (I paid 5.50€ for a kilo of avocados this morning, it used to cost me 2.50€-3€ just before the pandemic started. I paid 2.75€ for a kilo of avocados in Portimao two months ago.)
And I suggest that you drive let's say from Málaga to Gibraltar, and then you go to Portugal and you dirve from Vila Real de San Antonio to Lagos, and you will see a massive difference, meaning that the southern coast of Portugal will look empty compared to the southern Spanish coast, and I'm not exaggerating, just take that drive (and I won't get into traffic, it's crazy how busy this Spanish coast has gotten during the last few years.)
And I'm sure you know there is no NHR program in Spain.
Spain is the capital of burglaries, you can't sleep with your windows opened. I live in a gated community of just 6 houses, all other 5 houses have been burglarized, some of them twice while the owners were sleeping. Don't worry about calling the police, they won't do anything, just give you the report so you can at least try to get some money back from your home insurance, but the home insurance agent will come to your home and tell you that it was all your fault for sleeping with the windows opened, and that's the end of it.
And try going to a Spanish hospital at the moment when there are so many people with the flu and this viral thing that is going on, hospitals have collapsed, it was all over the news today. You got to have Private insurance, my mom wouldn't have lived more than 2 years when she was diagnosed with Cancer if she didn't have Private insurance, trust me is very chaotic how terrible the health care system is these days. But yes it used to be pretty good, the lack of personal, nurses and doctors, is a massive problem (the government can't afford to have more health care workers, that's just a fact).
Having said that, and if I could choose, I wouldn't live in Spain (this is hopefully my last year in Communist Spain), and I wouldn't live in Portugal. People stay in Europe because of the familiarity, or let's just say that people very often don't go outside of Europe for fear of unknown. I personally think the good days of Europe are gone, and that 100% true for Spain. All that you can expect if you stay in Europe is more taxes (unless you go to Portugal under the NHR, which won't last that much longer, or Cyprus with no capital gains tax, no tax on dividends, etc...), less freedom, and a number of other issues that to be honest there's no point in mentioning, it is what it is.
But hey, come to Spain and ignore everything I've said, ignorance is bliss.
If you have any other suggestions I'm all ears.
I'm currently leaning towards Thailand as I might do some occasional consulting and that could be kept non-remitted, i.e tax-free. I should be able to live off pre-2024 savings that can be brought in tax free, at least for a couple of years.
I think Thailand is a great choice. I lived there for two years, talking about quality of life!
