I understand that you've done the︂ typical google search, and you have come to the conclusion that Spain is better in︃ pretty much everything when you compare it to Portugal.
I strongly suggest that you come︄ to live to Spain, to any small coastal city, and then go to Portugal to︅ any small coastal city, at the end of the year your cost of living, your︆ expenses, your direct an especially indirect taxes will make you want to live in Portugal︇ (I paid 5.50€ for a kilo of avocados this morning, it used to cost me︈ 2.50€-3€ just before the pandemic started. I paid 2.75€ for a kilo of avocados in︉ Portimao two months ago.)
And I suggest that you drive let's say from Málaga to︊ Gibraltar, and then you go to Portugal and you dirve from Vila Real de San︋ Antonio to Lagos, and you will see a massive difference, meaning that the southern coast︌ 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 this︎ Spanish coast has gotten during the last few years.)
And I'm sure you know there️ 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 of︀ it.
And try going to a Spanish hospital at the moment when there are so︁ many people with the flu and this viral thing that is going on, hospitals have︂ collapsed, it was all over the news today. You got to have Private insurance, my︃ mom wouldn't have lived more than 2 years when she was diagnosed with Cancer if︄ she didn't have Private insurance, trust me is very chaotic how terrible the health care︅ system is these days. But yes it used to be pretty good, the lack of︆ personal, nurses and doctors, is a massive problem (the government can't afford to have more︇ 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), and︉ I wouldn't live in Portugal. People stay in Europe because of the familiarity, or let's︊ 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 for︌ Spain. All that you can expect if you stay in Europe is more taxes (unless︍ you go to Portugal under the NHR, which won't last that much longer, or Cyprus︎ with no capital gains tax, no tax on dividends, etc...), less freedom, and a number️ 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.
I think Thailand is a great choice. I lived there for two years, talking about quality of life!︀
