Should you visit Albufeira or Porto?
Should I visit Albufeira or Porto? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Albufeira
Located in the Algarve region in the south of Portugal, Albufeira was once a small fishing village which has since evolved into a popular destination for tourists attracted by the area's beaches, pleasant climate, and fresh seafood.
Porto
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal. It is also the capital of the Northern Region and a hub for commercial and industrial activity. The city is not as large as you might expect, with a population of only about 300,000 residents, but the metropolitan area has a population of about 2.5 million. This includes nearby cities such as Gaia, Matosinhos, Maia and Gondomar.
Which city is cheaper, Porto or Albufeira?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Albufeira is €118, while the average daily cost in Porto is €94. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Albufeira and Porto in more detail.
Accommodation
If you're traveling alone, you may be able to find a budget hotel or hostel for around €59. But for two people in a standard two-person hotel room in Albufeira the cost is €118 on average.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around €114 in Porto For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
The average traveler spends about €38 per day in Albufeira for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
While meal prices in Porto can vary, the average travelers spends about €22 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Porto should cost around €8.80 per person. Breakfast prices are usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The price of food in sit-down restaurants in Porto is often higher than fast food prices or street food prices.
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Food
Meals for one day
Albufeira €38
Porto €22
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Porto
For Porto, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Traditional Portuguese sweets cooking class:
$30
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Pastel de Nata cooking class in Porto:
$30
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Food Tour:
$61
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Authentic Porto Food Tour & Market Experience for private groups:
$61
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Half-Day Brunch Food Tour in Porto:
$66
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Craft Beer & Food Tour:
$73
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Withlocals The 10 Tastings: Porto Private Food Tour:
$73
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Half-Day Porto Walking Food Tour and Tasting for Small-Group:
$75
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Withlocals Your Way: Porto 100% Personalised Private Food Tour:
$77
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Dinner with Fado Show and Night Lights Tour:
$79
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Porto by Night Tour With Dinner and Fado Show:
$85
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3-Hour Porto by Night Tour with Fado Show & Dinner:
$85
Local Transportation
The average price of local transportation around Albufeira is €27 per person, per day. As this average includes both taxis and public transport, keep in mind that the prices of private drivers and taxis are significantly more expensive than public transportation.
To get around in Porto, the average visitor spends €12 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Albufeira
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Albufeira:
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Transfer Algarve - Up to 7 People:
$871
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Transfer Algarve - Up to 3 People:
$746
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Lisbon Airoport Private Transfer To Algarve ( 8 Seats Van ):
$566
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Private Transfer Algarve-Lisbon (5 to 8 passangers):
$442
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Private Transfer Lisbon - Pine Cliffs Algarve (5 to 8 passangers):
$442
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Sevilha Airoport Private Transfer To Algarve ( 8 Seats Van ):
$417
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Private Transfer Central Algarve - Lisbon:
$398
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Private Transfer Lisbon - Central Algarve:
$398
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Private Transfer Lisbon - Pine Cliffs Algarve (up to 4 passangers):
$360
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Enjoy Three Days in Algarve ( Hotel & Transfers & Tours ):
$330
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Transfer From Albufeira Algarve To Lisboa:
$235
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Safe & Clean Economic Private Transfer Albufeira > Lisbon:
$139
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Porto
Also for Porto, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Aveiro Private Transfer to Oporto Airport:
$35
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Departure Private Transfer from Porto City to Porto Airport OPO by Business Car:
$26
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Departure Private Transfer from Porto City to Porto Airport OPO by Minibus:
$259
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Departure Private Transfer from Porto City to Porto Airport OPO by Minivan:
$52
-
Gaia Private Transfer to Oporto Airport:
$15
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Hassle-Free transfer from Porto to Lisbon:
$504
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Lisbon Private Transfer from Porto with sightseeing in Coimbra and Obidos:
$486
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Lisbon Private Transfer to or from Porto:
$171
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Lisbon to Porto Private Transfer:
$846
-
Matosinhos Private Transfer to Oporto Airport:
$11
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Minivan transfer Lisbon to Porto:
$914
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One Way Private Transfer from Viseu airport to North:
$315
Entertainment
Albufeira's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around €31 per person, per day. This cost can vary widely by the type of activity, however, as this includes admission tickets, day tours, museums, and other things to do.
In Porto, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average €10 per person, per day.
Tours and Activities in Albufeira
Here are a few actual costs in Albufeira for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
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'Leaozinho' Pirate Ship Cruise from Albufeira:
$30
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1.5 Hour Quad Off-Road Tour from Albufeira:
$31
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Albufeira 1.5 hour Off-Road Tour Buggy Adventure Tour:
$40
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Albufeira 1.5-Hour Off-road Quad Tour:
$75
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Albufeira 3-Hour Off-Road Quad Tour:
$137
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Albufeira Beach Tour:
$25
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Albufeira Coast and Countryside Mountain Bike Tour:
$73
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Albufeira Jeep Safari Tour (Full Day):
$65
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Albufeira to Algibre Trails Bike Tour:
$73
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Algarve 4x4 Combi Tours:
$199
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Algarve Coast Full-Day Private Tour:
$93
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Algarve Coastline and Beaches Land Tour:
$622
Tours and Activities in Porto
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Porto.
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Sightseeing Walk- The Perfect Introduction to the City:
$1.24
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Torre dos Clerigos Entrance Ticket:
$4.85
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MMIPO - Museu da Misericórdia do Porto Admission Ticket:
$7.46
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Admission Ticket to Casa São Roque Art Center:
$9.95
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World of Discoveries Skip-the-Line Entry Ticket:
$13
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MagicTrain Tour and Port Wine Cellar Visit & Tasting:
$13
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FC Museum & Stadium Tour:
$15
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Lonely Planet Experience: Highlights and Hidden Gems of Porto:
$15
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Skip the Line: Tour FC Porto - Museum and Stadium Ticket:
$15
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SEA LIFE Porto Entrance Ticket:
$15
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Small Group Arrábida Bridge Climb Tour:
$15
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Night Life Tour Porto:
$16
Alcohol
While the amount that someone spends on alcohol while visiting Albufeira may vary from person to person, on average a person spends €21 per day on alcoholic beverages.
Alcoholic beverages can often be a significant portion of a traveler's budget, and the costs can vary greatly from person to person. In Porto, the average amount that a visitor spends on alcoholic beverages per day is €11.
Sample the Local Flavors in Albufeira
Also in Albufeira, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Small group Wine Tasting Tour from Albufeira:
$61
-
sunset wine tasting from Albufeira:
$87
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Half Day Small Group Premium Wine Tour from Albufeira:
$93
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Wine Tour & Walking 7 Hanging Valleys - Coast Algarve:
$156
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From Algarve: Medieval Évora with Lunch and Wine Tasting:
$319
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Algarve Art and Wine Tour from Albufeira:
$653
Sample the Local Flavors in Porto
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Porto:
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Magic Train Tour and Port Wine Tastings:
$12
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Porto Hop-On Hop-Off Tour with Optional River Cruise and Wine Tasting:
$19
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Porto Pub Crawl with Unlimited beer:
$19
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Private Porto Secrets Walking Tour With free Port Wine Tasting:
$21
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4-hour Guided Porto Pub Crawl including drinks:
$22
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Fun Discovery Walk in Porto's Centre: the most mysterious pub crawl:
$23
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Pub Crawl Porto:
$24
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Authentic Oporto Walking Tour with Wine Tasting:
$30
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Wine Tour:
$30
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Porto Half-Day Tour and Wine Tasting at Caves Croft:
$45
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Wine Tour Porto:
$46
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Port Wine Lodges Tour Including 7 Wine Tastings:
$48
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Albufeira and Porto, we can see that Albufeira is more expensive. And not only is Porto much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Porto would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Porto and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Albufeira would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Albufeira than you might in Porto.
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