Dear Uli
Welcome to the forum! I afraid I can't help with information about Portugal, but I thought I'd tell you about where I live, Málaga in the Costa del Sol of AndalucÃa.
Our climate here on the coast is almost guaranteed to be frost-free: it has snowed only once in living memory, in February 1954. We are categorised as zone 10b in the USDA system or H2 in the new RHS system.The annual average temperature is 18C, with the average winter low about 7C and average summer high about 30C. On the coast, the sea gives us cool breezes and keeps the summer months from getting too hot.
Obviously, mediterranean plants thrive here but so do subtropical ones: the Parque of Málaga is considered one of the most important subtropical gardens in Europe and both mangoes and avocados are important local crops. As regards Ficus spp., there are many fine specimens of at least 12 different species in the city, including the 150-year-old F. retusa L. trees on the Alameda, a central avenue (
https://ixquick-proxy.com/do/spg/show_picture.pl?l=english_uk&rais=1&oiu=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fd%2Fd2%2FAlameda_Principal.jpg&sp=528990b97ef83748b2d01f32c8b8021d). There are several botanical gardens of interest in the area, including a cactus and succulents garden inland.
Although water has not (yet?) been a problem, it is a precious resource. There were some very wet years a while ago but 2014 and 2015 have been very dry and very warm. However, there have not been any restrictions and none have been mentioned even with such low rainfall for the second year running. The reservoirs are slightly down now so we'll see what happens. Rain is forecast for this evening, fingers crossed!
Málaga itself is a very liveable city with lots of museums, restaurants and bars, a theatre/opera house and a first-division football club
. The airport is very well-connected. Further eastwards along the coast towards Nerja are smaller villages and an area called the AxarquÃa, which is very beautiful and popular. There are many German, English and other northern European people living there, which is a consideration to help you settle in if you don't speak Spanish yet. House prices may be starting to pick up a little, but it is still a good time to find value.
I should add, for complete honesty, that since my husband is from Gibraltar, we did not do comparisons or research like you are doing, because we knew we would settle here -- but we have never regretted it.
Anyway, that's the end of the advertisement!
I wish you lots of fun in your search: it is a nice "problem" to have and I hope you enjoy finding your paradise.