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Raphaela Wedel
Travel expert for Portugal
Updated on 08/25/2025
The cost of a Portugal vacation starts at around $1600 per week (excluding flights). For this price you can stay in 4* hotels, eat meals in good restaurants and do popular activities. Renting a mid-range car is also included in the budget. The cost per day is therefore around $230.
However, Portugal is also a wonderful place to travel on a smaller budget. Because there are many cheaper options. If you stay in simple 2-3* hotels, eat in inexpensive local restaurants, travel with a small rental car and take part in free activities, you will pay an average of around $100 per person per day.
However, luxurious resorts and 5* hotels are also common in Portugal - especially in the Algarve. The cost of a luxury vacation starts at $420 per person per day, with no upper limit of course. With this daily budget, you can then relax in 5* hotels, enjoy sumptuous 3-course meals, hire an off-road vehicle and take part in private guided tours.
Travel Costs for Portugal | Low Budget | Mid Budget | High Budget |
---|---|---|---|
Flights | Starting at $600 | Starting at $1200 | Starting at $2500 |
Accommodations | Starting at $75 | Starting at $120 | Starting at $200 |
Activities | Free | Starting at $44 | Starting at $110 |
Transportation | Starting at $5 | Starting at $40 | Starting at $60 |
Meals | $10 |
All prices and costs quoted have been checked by our travel experts on site and are based on a trip in 2024. The costs are per person and travel day. The total cost of a trip to Portugal may be lower if there are more travelers.
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Raphaela Wedel
Travel expert for Portugal
Raphaela Wedel
Travel expert for Portugal
Raphaela Wedel
Travel expert for Portugal
Raphaela Wedel
Travel expert for Portugal
Prices for a return flight with Lufthansa from Frankfurt (FRA) to Lisbon (LIS) start at $600 per person in Economy Class. This already includes meals and drinks as well as a free baggage allowance of 23 kg and one piece of hand baggage.
In general, prices vary depending on how early you book, which season you choose and whether you are flying to the mainland or the Azores/Madeira Islands. In the winter months, excluding Christmas and New Year's Eve, it is cheaper. However, it is worth checking the prices as there are always good deals, especially with the budget airlines, and even in the low season. In addition, flights are usually cheapest early in the morning or late in the evening.
Round-Trip Flight from JFK to LIS | Average Price per Person |
---|---|
Economy Class | Starting at $600 |
Premium Economy | Starting at $1200 |
Business Class | Starting at $2500 |
The above fares are taken from major US airline websites and refer to 2-week trips with a maximum departure date of one year in advance.
For a basic 2-3* hotel in Portugal, you will pay at least around $75 per night. If you want to stay in a 4* hotel, you should expect to pay at least $120 per night.
In Portugal, there is accommodation for every taste. From simple B&Bs or guesthouses to eco-lodges and city hotels to 5-star luxury. The price level is lower than in Central Europe, so you get very good accommodation at a good price-performance ratio. You can also save money here in the low season.
Basically, the Algarve is the most expensive beach destination. In the cities of Lisbon and Porto, there is accommodation to suit everyone. In the smaller cities such as Braga, Coimbra or Viana do Castelo it is even cheaper. The Azores are also inexpensive.
Hotel Category | Average Price per Person/Night |
---|---|
2-3* | Starting at $75 |
4* | Starting at $120 |
5* + Resorts | Starting at $200 |
Please note that the costs shown are average prices for overnight stays in a single or double room for one person. All prices come from one of the leading booking platforms and refer to accommodation with a good rating (at least 8/10).
The most popular guided tours and excursions in Portugal cost around $50. These are usually sightseeing tours or tours with a guide. For this price, you can get to know Portugal's famous port wine cellars or cork plantations up close, for example.
Cheaper ways to discover the beauty of the country are, of course, hiking and walking through the historic towns or visiting the beautiful beaches of the Algarve.
More exclusive activities such as helicopter tours over Lisbon or a boat or train trip through the Douro Valley are unforgettable experiences that start at prices of $110.
Activity | Average Price per Person | Low Budget | Mid Budget | High Budget |
---|---|---|---|---|
Visit the beaches of the Algarve | Free | |||
Boat or train ride through the Douro Valley | $110 | |||
Helicopter tour over historic Lisbon | $480 | |||
Levada hikes in Madeira | Free |
The average price for a rental car in Portugal is currently around $40 per day if you choose a mid-range car. On top of this, there are around $8.30 per gallon. A car is essential in the Azores and Madeira. In the Algarve, it depends on whether you want to explore the surrounding area.
If you are traveling along the coast on your Portugal trip, it is ideal to take the train . A trip from Porto to Lisbon, for example, costs around $44.
In the cities, you can actually do everything on foot. If you want to use public transport, you can of course do that too. In Porto it is mostly buses, in Lisbon the metro or streetcar. A one-way ticket costs $1.75. Instead of cabs , we recommend the apps Uber or Bolt, as the prices and service are better.
Vehicle Type | Rental Price per Day |
---|---|
Small Car | $30 |
Mid-Size Car | $40 |
Large Vehicle/SUV | $60 |
The cost of a meal in a good restaurant in Portugal is between $16.50 and $22 per person. There is a large selection of savory and sweet dishes. Very well-known and special dishes are the seafood or monkfish rice, which costs around $35 and is enough for 2-3 people. Meat fans are also well catered for. Steaks of all kinds and huge pork chops cost around $18 per person.
Also try the originally Brazilian dish picanha (boiled beef) and secretos de porco from black pork from the Alentejo. It is therefore wonderful to have a snack in one of the thousands of cafés. The rissol or pasteis de nata, which cost around $1.10 each, are very tasty. Madeira has special drinks: Poncha (high-proof spirit with passion fruit juice and Nikita (ice cream, wine and beer mixed like a milkshake).
Meal/Product | Average Price |
---|---|
Dish at Local or Fast Food Restaurant | $8.80 – $11.00 |
Dish at Inexpensive Tourist Restaurant | $16.50 – $22.00 |
Three-Course Meal at a Mid-range Restaurant | $24.20 – $44.00 |
Domestic Draft Beer (1 pint) | $2.20 |
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | $2.20 |
Cappuccino | $1.54 |
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | $1.54 |
Picanha (Brazilian beef) | $14.30 – $19.80 |
$25 |
$50 |
Madeira: Private island tour | $252 |
Port wine cellar tours in Porto | $44 |
Horseback riding on the beach in Equitur | $55 |
Walk through Lisbon or Porto | Free |
Whale & dolphin watching in the Azores | $44 |
Vinho Verde (bottle) | $9.90 – $16.50 |
Rissol (pastry pocket) | $1.10 |
White bread (500g) | $1.21 |
Milk (1 gallon) | $0.77 |
Bananas (1 lb) | $1.21 |
Water (1.5 liter) | $0.55 |
Oranges (1lb) | $1.43 |
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Do you need inspiration for your trip to Portugal? Here you will find the most popular activities and tours from our local travel experts.