💰 Trip to Portugal Cost: My Budget Breakdown (2024)

💰 Trip Cost	Average
💵 Typical Budget	$60-$120/day
🍀 My Budget	$116/day
✈️ Trip Total	$1,341
🗓️ Trip Length	1 week

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Is Portugal Affordable To Travel To?

Portugal is a moderately priced destination worldwide and semi-affordable compared to other popular European countries.

• The country has cost-effective public transportation.
• Budget accommodations are available.
• Food can be inexpensive.

For comparison, here’s my daily budget for destinations in Europe:

Country	My Budget
🇮🇸 Iceland	$307
🇪🇸 Spain	$155
🇮🇹 Italy	$131
🇵🇹 Portugal	$116

See all my daily budgets.

About My Trip

To give context to the expenses below, here’s what you need to know about my trip:

• I spent a week in Portugal, visiting Lisbon, Sintra, and Porto.
• My trip was in July, during the low season, when things are cheaper.
• I traveled with two other people, which allowed us to split costs like housing.
• I’m a mid-range budget traveler. I don’t aim to travel on a budget, but I’m intentional about my spending.
• I finance my trips and don’t receive sponsorship.
• All expenses are per person and in US dollars, converted from the euro.

The exchange rate was $1 USD = €0.92 at the time of writing.

Total Cost

• $1,341
• $813
• $116

A mid-range budget traveler can expect to spend about $120 per day in Portugal. This budget generally means:

• Staying at accommodations that cost about $65 per night
• Eating at $ to $$ restaurants that cost about $25 per day
• Taking advantage of Portugal’s metros and trains
• Booking group tours for top attractions

Budget Breakdown

Here’s a breakdown of my expenses by travel category:

Category	Cost	% of Total	Daily Budget
✈️ Flights	$528	39%	–
🏠 Accommodation	$420	31%	$60
🍛 Food	$170	13%	$24
🚇 Transportation	$105	8%	$15
⭐ Entertainment	$117	9%	$17
Total	$1,341	100%	$116

Flight Cost

• $528 ($130 from Barcelona to Lisbon and $398 from Lisbon to the US)

A round-trip flight between the US and Portugal costing under $400 is considered cheap, as international flights typically cost over $600.

Accommodation Cost

• $420
• $60

The accommodations I stayed at:

Accommodation	Total	Cost/Night
Lisbon hotel & Airbnb	$258	$52 (inc. tax)
Porto Airbnb	$162	$81 (inc. tax)
Lisbon City tourist tax	$2	–
Porto City tourist tax	$3	–

My accommodation budgeting tips:

• The cheapest options are $20 a night – For affordable options, stay in hostels for about $20 per night in major cities like Lisbon and Porto.
• The high season adds a premium – On average, a mid-range hotel room starts at around $60 per night. During peak season, it increases to about $80 per night.

Food Cost

• $170
• $24

My most affordable meals:

Meal	Location	Cost
Momos (dumplings)	Hole-in-the-wall restaurant (Lisbon)	$6
Sandwich and coffee	Sintra Castle Cafe (Sintra)	$13
Pizza	Pizzaria (Porto)	$13

My most expensive meals:

Meal	Location	Cost
Wine and seafood dishes	Bartolomeu Bistro & Wine (Porto)	$25
Vegan dishes	The Food Temple (Lisbon)	$24
Middle Eastern dishes	Farès (Lisbon)	$23

My food budgeting tips:

• Get snacks for $2 – Some of Portugal’s unique foods include pastéis de nata (custard tarts), sardines, and francesinha (Portuguese sandwiches). Custard tarts and wine can be less than $2.
• You can save $5 to $10 a day – Dining out is generally not very expensive in Portugal if you avoid popular or high-end restaurants. But you can still save $5 to $10 daily by buying groceries or eating at “tascas,” which are Portuguese eateries.

You can learn about and eat Portuguese food with a five-star food tour.

Transportation Cost

• $105
• $15

The transportation I used:

Transportation	Total Cost	Cost/Ride
Metro	$9	$1.50
Uber	$10	$3.33
Train	$86	$43

My transportation budgeting tips:

• Metros are inexpensive – Lisbon and Porto have well-maintained metros that cost less than $2 per ride (€1.80 for the Lisbon metro and €1.20 for the Porto Metro).
• Take the CP trail between cities – Train tickets between Lisbon and Porto range from $30 to $45.
• Take an Uber before calling a taxi – Uber is generally cheaper than a taxi in Portugal. A 10-minute ride can be as cheap as $5.

Entertainment Cost 

• $117
• $17

The activities/attractions I did:

Experience	Location	Cost
🏰 Sintra Day Trip	Sintra	$120
📚 Livraria Lello	Porto	$5
🌸 Rua das Flores	Porto	Free
🍷 Vila Nova de Gaia Cable Car	Porto	$6
🌇 Lisbon Miradouros	Lisbon	Free
🦚 Gardens of the Crystal Palace	Porto	Free
🏭 LX Factory	Lisbon	$19
💧 Ribeira Riverfront	Porto	Free
🔔 Clérigos Tower	Porto	$6
🎨 Belém Street Art Murals	Lisbon	Free
🚉 São Bento Station	Porto	Free

My entertainment budgeting tips:

• Plan attractions on your own to save money – For example, a typical day tour to Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, starts at $60. But visiting it on your own cuts the cost in half if you take public transportation and limit visits to attractions with entrance fees.
• Take advantage of free entertainment – Many of Portugal’s tourist attractions will have an entrance fee and an optional guided tour fee. Instead, explore walkable neighborhoods, charming narrow streets, and outdoor spaces to save money.

See my ratings for Portugal’s experiences.

Cost Breakdown by Destination

Below are my trip expense breakdowns for the places I visited during my trip.

Lisbon

• 5 days
• $538
• $108

Lisbon is Portugal’s most visited city and one of the most expensive areas. The influx of expats in recent years has driven its cost up, so Porto is more affordable. One of my favorite activities was to take a day trip to Sintra.

Porto

• 2 days
• $272
• $136

Porto is Portugal’s second most popular destination. I enjoyed seeing the free-roaming peacocks at the Crystal Palace and visiting Livraria Lello, which is considered one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.

Do You Need Cash?

• Like many European cities, Portugal has a great credit card infrastructure, but a few places still rely on cash transactions, so make sure to bring some cash.

My tips on using cash:

• USD is not widely accepted, so withdraw cash in euros.
• Carry about $20 worth of cash. I spent about $20 ($11 per day) in cash during my trip, mostly to tip tour guides, buy small souvenirs, and pay the Airbnb city tax.
• Tipping is not customary in Portugal, but it’s appreciated and generally only done for exceptional service (e.g., 5%-10% for excellent service when dining out).

Multibanco is a Portuguese banking network that can be trusted and won’t charge you an ATM fee (although your bank might still have foreign transaction fees).

Portugal Trip Planner 2024