Should you visit Faro or Porto?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Faro or Porto, this travel cost comparison can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Faro
Faro (or sometimes Faros) is the capital city of the scenic Algarve Region of Portugal, located at the edge of the Ria Formosa National Park. This is a fantastic place to experience the beauty, culture, and traditions of Portugal in laid back atmosphere, away from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities. Faro offers everything from ancient architecture to beautiful beaches all while being surrounded by the natural beauty of the Algarve Region.
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 Faro?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Faro is €130, while the average daily cost in Porto is €100. 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 Faro and Porto in more detail.
Accommodation
The prices for places to stay in Faro can vary by date, location, and type. Generally, the average cost for accommodation per person is €59, while a typical double-occupancy hotel room for two people will cost around €118.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around €104 in Porto For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
Faro food costs typically run travelers around €41 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
While meal prices in Porto can vary, the average travelers spends about €29 per day on food. Based on the spending habits of previous travelers, when dining out, an average meal in Porto should cost around €12 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
Faro €41
Porto €29
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
To get around in Faro, the average visitor spends €6.90 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.
To get around in Porto, the average visitor spends €16 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 Faro
Also for Faro, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Transfer from Faro (FAO) Airport to Braga:
$1,769
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Private Transfer from Faro (FAO) Airport to Madrid:
$1,407
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Private Transfer from Faro (FAO) Airport to Sierra Nevada:
$1,061
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Private Transfer from Faro (FAO) Airport to Málaga:
$909
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Private Transfer from Faro (FAO) Airport to Cádiz:
$761
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Chauffeur ALGARVE ALL CITIES Private Transfer to LISBON (1 to 8 passengers):
$498
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Chauffeur ALGARVE ALL CITIES Private Transfer to SEVILLE (5 to 8 passengers):
$498
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Private Transfer Lisbon - Eastern Algarve:
$460
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Faro Airport Private Transfer to SEVILLE (5 to 8 passengers):
$440
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Chauffeur ALGARVE ALL CITIES Private Transfer to SEVILLE (1 to 4 passengers):
$435
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Private Transfer Lisbon - Pine Cliffs Algarve (5 to 8 passangers):
$435
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Private Transfer from Faro (FAO) Airport to Lisbon:
$424
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Porto
Also for Porto, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private and exclusive transfer Porto to Faro (vice versa):
$1,148
-
Minivan transfer Lisbon to Porto:
$914
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Transfer Porto - Up to 7 People:
$871
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Lisbon to Porto Private Transfer:
$846
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Transfer Porto - Up to 3 People:
$746
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Transfer Tour Between Lisbon and Porto:
$743
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Porto to/from Lisbon Private Transfer With Stops Aveiro, Coimbra, Fátima, Óbidos:
$709
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Private and exclusive transfer Porto to Lisboa (vice versa):
$641
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Transfer Porto / Lisboa or Lisboa / Porto with Tour:
$608
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Transfer Porto | Lisbon or Lisbon | Porto:
$597
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Private and exclusive transfer Porto to Compostela (vice versa):
$574
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Hassle-Free transfer from Porto to Lisbon:
$504
Is it cheaper to fly into Faro or Porto?
Prices for flights to both Porto and Faro change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
In Faro, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average €56 per person, per day.
In Porto, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average €20 per person, per day.
Tours and Activities in Faro
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Faro.
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3 Days in BMW R nineT Scrambler Tour:
$523
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7 Fountains Walking Tour from Faro:
$118
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7-Day Off The Beaten Track Algarve Walk Tour:
$2,687
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8 Days Tour - North & South of Portugal:
$1,896
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Algarve Beauties cave Tour - Benagil cave and Marinha beach from Faro:
$64
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Algarve Dolphin Watching & Marine Life Eco Tour:
$56
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Algarve Private & CustomTour:
$93
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Algarve Tour:
$435
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Algarve: Animaris Desert Island & Ria Formosa Day Tour:
$36
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Amoreira River Kayak Tour:
$50
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Amoreira River Stand Up Paddle Tour:
$50
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Barranco Grottos & Caves Stand Up Paddle Tour:
$62
Tours and Activities in Porto
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Porto.
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2-Hours of Porto Sunset Segway Tour - Guided Experience:
$58
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3-Hour Best of Porto Segway Tour - Guided Experience:
$61
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3-Hour Electric Porto Bike Tour:
$51
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3-Hour Embrace Porto Private Tour:
$33
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3-Hour Guided Walking Tour of Porto:
$31
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3-Hour Porto Bike Tour:
$44
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3-Hour Walking Tour: Tiles of Porto:
$34
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3-Hour of Porto Highlights on a Electric Bike - Guided Tour:
$45
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4 hour Cultural Walking Tour and Fado Show:
$51
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5 Food & Wine Houses Walking Tour:
$80
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6-Day North Portugal Tour: Porto, Braga, Fátima, Coimbra, Guimaraes, Aveiro and Batalha, from Lisbon:
$1,157
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7-Day The Way of St James Bike Tour- The Coast Path - Camino to Santiago:
$2,011
Alcohol
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 €15.
Sample the Local Flavors in Faro
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Faro:
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Traditional Portuguese Guitar performance with Exhibition Museum & Wine Tasting:
$21
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 Faro and Porto, we can see that Faro 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 Faro would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Faro than you might in Porto.
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