I initially lived in Lisbon whee I found things much easier. Then I moved to Porto and found an apartment (for which I paid a year upfront) in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Yes, landlords are terrible everywhere. However, when I went to your consumer council, an attorney told me that the law forbade landlords to charge more than 3 months rent upfront. And then she shrugged and said, "But you're a foreigner, so they're just protecting themselves.'

I have never been able to pay 12 months rent upfront in my life. The money was a financial gift from my sister.