You can afford to rent a place but... no luck if you don't have a Portuguese guarantor

When I moved here, I was looking for an apartment and could find online a lot of places that fit my budget and had a good location.

To my surprise, whenever I went to a real estate agency I’d be simply refused… Sometimes with no explanation, even if I offered months in advance.

One time an agent told me that it was due to not having a Portuguese guarantor and that even a French girl coming to work to Microsoft and earning a lot had to have her roommate as a guarantor. (He had no idea who I worked for or how much did I earn)

I understand the uncertainty of renting a place for someone with no credit history on the country, but there are many ways a bunch of countries solve this same issue.