Everyone knows that Europe is an expensive place to visit, but could Portugal be the secret to an affordable European vacation?
The good news is that Portugal is a relatively affordable country to visit, so you can enjoy your Portuguese vacation without having to worry too much about the credit card bill when you return home. Of course, how much your vacation will cost depends on your personal preferences. Understanding the cost of common travel expenditures such as accommodation, rental cars and eating out, will allow you to estimate the cost of a trip to Portugal.
Naturally it would be impossible for us to calculate exactly how much your trip will cost, because a lot of it comes down to personal preferences. However, the low end of these budget ranges is most definitely achievable, and would still offer you a very comfortable vacation. Of course if you like to travel on an extremely tight budget, and think that a bag of salad with some dressing thrown in is a treat, you could lower this budget significantly. Below we have laid out some of the most common expenditures, to give you an idea of how much a Portuguese vacation will cost you.
Cheapest Time to Visit Portugal
Travelling in the fall or spring, also known as the shoulder season, will not only save you money, but it can also make exploring Portugal more comfortable if you are anything like myself who considers temperatures above 25°C (77°F) to be a heatwave, as the spring and fall temperatures are a little cooler than the summer highs. Whilst cities like Lisbon may not have a big price disparity between the seasons, more tourist centric areas like the Algarve, will be significantly cheaper in May-June, and September-October.
If you want to skip hotels, and rent a camper instead, you can also save up to €500 on a two week vacation, by travelling in the shoulder season.
Accommodation Prices in Portugal
This is a tough category, as you can really spend as much or as little as you want on hotels, depending on how much luxury you need. A well reviewed budget hotel with a private bathroom in central Lisbon during the high season is approximately €75-90 ($81-97). A more mid level hotel is €110-130 ($119-140) per night. For the full blown luxury experience you can expect to pay at least €150-190 ($162-206) per night.
*Assuming 2 people sharing cost
The low end of this budget assumes that you would not be staying in the most expensive areas for the whole two weeks, since hotels in the more rural, and less popular areas, are significantly cheaper.
Heading to Portugal? Check Out These Helpful Travel Resources
Car Rental Cost on a Portugal Trip
This will obviously depend on how big a car you need, and whether you are travelling during the high or low season. During the summer months a small hatchback, like a Ford Fiesta, will set you back around €25 ($27) a day. If you need space for a whole family with luggage, then a large SUV / station wagon will cost you around €60 ($65) in the high season. Although as with clothing, you should expect a European large to be closer to a North American small or medium SUV.
*Assuming 2 people sharing cost
The low end of the budget is based on renting a small hatchback for your trip, whilst the higher end of the budget would be for a larger vehicle, such as an SUV or station wagon.
Camper Rental Cost for a Portugal Road Trip
If you want to have more freedom to explore Portugal, without needing a fixed itinerary, then renting a camper van is a great option. In the summer high season you can expect to pay around €160 ($175) per night for a Class B RV that sleeps two adults. If you need something bigger like a Class C, then you can expect to pay around €180 ($196) per night. If you are able to skip the summer season, and instead travel to Portugal in mid September, there are some savings to be had. In September, the respective prices would be €130 ($142) per night for a Class B, and €139 ($151) a night for a Class C. Most camper rental companies will let you pick up, and drop off your camper in different locations, without an extra charge. I would strongly recommend taking advantage of this, and pick up your camper in Lisbon for example, and then return it in Porto.
*Assuming 2 people sharing cost
The low end of this range is for renting a Class B RV (campervan) for two weeks during the shoulder season, and the high end of the range is for renting a Class C RV (alcove or semi-integrated camper) for two weeks during the high season.
Fuel Prices in Portugal
If you are coming from North America, you will definitely be unpleasantly surprised at how expensive fuel is in Europe. In early 2024, the best price for diesel was around €1.58 (~$6.48 per gallon), and gasoline was around €1.68 (~$6.9 per gallon). However, if you fill up at the bigger international chains, you can expect to pay at least 10-15 Euro cents more per litre. During our time in Portugal we found that the Intermarche grocery store gas stations usually had the cheapest fuel prices by a margin of up to 20 Euro cents, compared to the international chains.
Both the car rental and camper rental fuel cost estimate is based on an itinerary of approximately 1,300 km (808 miles). It also assumes that you fill up at the Intermarche gas stations to get the lowest fuel prices. The fuel cost for a car rental will vary depending on the size of vehicle you need to rent, the lower end of this budget would be for a small hatchback, and the higher end for an SUV or station wagon.
The low end the camper rental fuel cost range is based on the average fuel economy of a standard Class B RV (camper van), and the high end of the range is based on the average fuel economy of a Class C RV (alcove or semi-integrated camper).
Tolls When Driving in Portugal
If you take toll roads to drive between Lisbon and Porto, you can expect to pay around €23 ($25) in a car. For a journey of over 400 km (249 miles) that is not terribly expensive. A lot of toll roads are only electronically monitored, so make sure you sign up your licence plate for a billing plan to avoid fines.
How to Pay in Portugal
Portugal uses the Euro as their currency which is very convenient if you plan on visiting Portugal as part of a larger European trip. A lot of businesses in Portugal will accept credit cards – just make sure your credit card has zero foreign transaction fees. However, a lot of smaller shops in the rural areas only take cash. Instead of relying on foreign exchange offices with their misleading, and confusing rates, we recommend setting up a free Wise multiple currency account. This will enable you to easily convert dollars into Euros at some of the best rates. With your Wise card you can then take out Euros from any local ATM so you won’t miss out on any experiences. You can also use your Wise card like a debit card when you’re travelling if you don’t have a credit card.
Eating Out on Your Portugal Vacation
As with hotels, you can spend as much or as little as you like, but if you eat at small local restaurants away from the major tourist sites, you will pay a lot less. A menu of the day at a local restaurant will typically set you back around €10-12 ($11-13), whilst a main course for dinner can range from €12-30 ($13-33), depending on how fancy you want the restaurant to be.
The low end of this range would allow you to eat out every second day (while preparing some of your own meals), and the high end of this number would allow you to eat out every single day. If you want to save money, you could easily reduce this number by eating at more affordable restaurants, or by renting accommodation or a camper that has a kitchen, and cooking some of your own meals.
Travel Insurance Costs for Visiting Portugal
Portugal, like most European countries, has universal health care but it is paid for through social security contributions, and is not free for visitors. So unless you are an EU resident with a blue EU healthcare card, make sure you buy health insurance for your trip. We personally use Genki health insurance, and for a trip duration up to one month, if you are under 40 years old, the cost is only €54.60 (~$59).
Sightseeing in Portugal
If you want to visit the castles in some of the historical villages, you can expect to pay around €1.5-2.0 ($1.6-2.2) per person for entry. However, if you want to visit museums in Lisbon, or go on a wine tasting tour, you can expect to pay a lot more. A several hour tour of different wineries can be purchased for around €50 ($55), whilst most museums in Lisbon cost between €5-8 ($6-9) per person to enter.
Tipping in Portugal
Simply pay the amount on your bill, and you are good to go. Tipping is not common in Portugal, and certainly not the 20% that increasingly seems to be expected in North America.
Portugal Grocery Prices
In general, groceries are pretty affordable in Portugal, especially if you eat a lot of local fruits, and vegetables. If you want to pick up some buns for lunch, fresh buns at a Pastelaria can often be purchased for as little as €0.15 ($0.16) per bun.
*Higher end of range assumes preparing some of own meals
This section will probably be most relevant to you if you are travelling in a camper, or have booked an Airbnb style accommodation for your vacation, so that you can cook some of your own meals. When determining the grocery number we also included buying wine or beer from the grocery store. Even if you do not drink alcohol, and prefer drinking sodas, I would not expect this number to change significantly as both beer and wine are quite affordable in Portugal.
By using the grocery price table you can calculate how much you are likely to spend, depending on the meals you want to cook.
Sales Tax in Portugal
In Portugal, as in all of Europe, the price you see is the price you pay, and all taxes are already included in the price. This applies to every location, whether it is a grocery store or a restaurant. The standard sales tax is 22% with some items having a discounted rate.
Alcohol Prices in Portugal
If you are a wine lover, you will be in heaven as Portugal is a major wine producer, and local wines are very affordable. As you can see in the table above, a bottle of wine can be purchased for as little as €2 ($2). Personally, I found that getting a wine that was on sale for around €4-6 ($4-7) usually resulted in getting a good wine. Beer, and wine can be purchased at any grocery store or mini market. Even hard liquor like whiskey, gin, vodka, are very affordable, especially compared to Canada, for example.
In Portugal they are very fond of small beers, with the most common size being around 25cl (~9oz), and you can normally find good deals on a 25, 30 or 35 pack of these beers. The best deal we found when travelling in Portugal was a 35 pack of 25cl bottles for €13.80 ($15). The minimum drinking age in Portugal is 18, but if you are eating at a restaurant with your 17 year old, I doubt anyone will bat an eyelid if you order them a glass of wine.
Ordering Coffee in Portugal
Most bigger grocery stores will have a small cafe by the entrance, which is probably the cheapest place to get a coffee that is actually palatable, as you can often get a pastry and a coffee for just €1.20 ($1.30). I would recommend skipping the grocery store pastries though, as they are universally terrible.
If you want something more charming then you should visit a Pastelaria, which strictly speaking translates to pastry shop, but they are often more of a cafe / baker / restaurant / local hang out. Regardless of which cafe you get your coffee at, expect to be greeted with great confusion if you attempt to order a coffee the way you would at Starbucks. Portuguese coffee is very simple, and more similar to what most North Americans would think of as an espresso.
Cell Phone / Mobile Internet Prices for Travelling Around Portugal
For €20 ($22) you can get 15 days of unlimited internet from Vodafone, which has great coverage in most of Portugal. Because it is an eSim you can buy it ahead of time, and then activate it once you arrive in Portugal. Do note that you need wifi to activate it. Here is the link to buy the eSIM, where you can also choose the duration. This plan does not include any voice or text service, although you can get plans that include it, they are a lot more expensive, and only include a small amount of data.
Total Cost of a Portugal Vacation
Each Portugal budget category is based on two people sharing the costs for a 14 day trip, to see how we came up with these prices, you can read the relevant categories above. The summary tables below will help you create your own budget, as you can easily determine which sections are relevant to your travel style, and adjust your budget accordingly. For example, if you think museums are a snoozefest, and only want to visit castles, then you could visit a castle every day of your 14 day trip, and only spend 28 Eur per person for sightseeing on your entire trip, instead of the 140 Eur we budgeted. We did not include flight costs, check flight prices here.
Portugal Vacation Cost: Staying in Hotels with a Rental Car
| Portugal Vacation Cost: Hotels & Rental Car | Cost Per Person Per Day |
|---|---|
| Fuel | €5-7 ($6-8) |
| Car Rental | €13-30 ($14-33) |
| Hotels | €40-100 ($44-109) |
| Eating Out | €35-50 ($38-55) |
| Groceries | €5-10 ($6-11) |
| Sightseeing | €10 ($11) |
| TOTAL PER DAY | €108-207 ($119-227) |
| TOTAL 2 WEEKS | €1512-2898 ($1666-3178) |
*Calculated with 2 people travelling
Portugal Vacation Cost: Camper Rental
| Portugal Vacation Cost: Camper Rental | Cost Per Person Per Day |
|---|---|
| Fuel | €13-16 ($14-17) |
| Camper Rental | €70-100 ($76-109) |
| Hotels | €0 |
| Eating Out | €15-30 ($16-33) |
| Groceries | €10-20 ($11-22) |
| Sightseeing | €10 ($11) |
| TOTAL PER DAY | €118-176 ($128-192) |
| TOTAL 2 WEEKS | €1652-2464 ($1792-2688) |
*Calculated with 2 people travelling
Use These Travel Expenses to Budget Your Trip and Travel Cheap in Portugal
Hopefully these categories have given you the information you need to plan and budget for your vacation to Portugal. Although certainly not the cheapest country in the world to visit, a Portuguese vacation gives you a wonderful chance to explore an ancient country with 1,000 year old castles, quaint historical villages, and more culture than you can soak up in a two week vacation. If your schedule is flexible, and you can travel outside of the peak summer months, you can save money on accommodation, and camper rentals. If you want more tips on travelling in Portugal, you can read the first article in our series, where we give you helpful tips for a successful trip to Portugal. We greatly enjoyed our time in Portugal, and are positive that you will fall for its charm as well.
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