Should you visit Helsinki or Porto?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel cost comparison between Helsinki and Porto can help. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital of Finland and dates back to 1550. Helsinki is an international metropolis with a diverse population, but also a small town vibe. The city itself has a population of just over 600,000 but the metropolitan area, including Espoo and Vantaa, has a population of more than 1.3 million. There are many outdoor bars and cafes that take advantage of the warmer summer months. During this time there are long days, and the population floods into the street after a long and cold winter, so visiting during the summer is a fun and lively experience.
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 Helsinki?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Helsinki is €112, 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 Helsinki and Porto in more detail.
Accommodation
Travelers usually pay around €118 for a double occupancy room in Helsinki If you want to be in a premiere location or have high end amenities, you can expect to pay a bit more.
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 €27 per day in Helsinki 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
Helsinki €27
Porto €22
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Helsinki
For Helsinki, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Helsinki Food Tour Including Tastings:
$137
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
Public transportation tends to be much less expensive in Helsinki than paying for a taxi or private car service, as is expected. Typically, people spend €18 on transportation in Helsinki on average per day.
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 Helsinki
Also for Helsinki, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Transfer: Helsinki to Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport (HEL):
$622
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Private Transfer: Helsinki-Malmi Airpor (HEM) to Helsinki:
$622
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Private Transfer: Helsinki to Helsinki-Malmi Airpor (HEM):
$622
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Helsinki Private Panoramic Tour with Airport Transfer:
$375
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Helsinki Private Departure Airport Transfer:
$203
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Airport Private transfer via Marimekko & Iittala with Japanese Speaking Driver:
$195
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Private arrival OR departure transfer in Helsinki (airport or hotel pick up):
$185
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Helsinki airport transfer to all Helsinki area hotels:
$166
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Helsinki Airport Transfers: Helsinki City to Helsinki Airport HEL in Luxury Van:
$113
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Helsinki Departure Private Transfer from Helsinki City to Helsinki Airport HEL:
$110
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Helsinki Private Transfer : Port of Helsinki to Helsinki City in Luxury Van:
$104
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Private Airport Transfer in Helsinki region:
$102
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Porto
Also for Porto, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Transfer to Lisbon from Porto with stop in Fátima or Coimbra (1hour):
$348
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Transfer to Lisbon from Porto:
$311
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Transfer from Porto to Vigo or Vigo to Porto:
$398
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Transfer from Porto to Lisbon with 2 Touristic Stops (Óbidos, Fátima or Coimbra):
$425
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Transfer from Oporto to Lisbon with stops:
$373
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Transfer between Oporto and the Airport:
$16
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Transfer Tour Between Lisbon and Porto:
$743
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Transfer Service:
$34
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Transfer Porto | Lisbon or Lisbon | Porto:
$597
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Transfer Porto to Vigo:
$173
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Transfer Porto to São Tiago de Compostela:
$281
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Transfer Porto to Régua or to Pinhão:
$148
Entertainment
Sightseeing expenses in Helsinki, including the cost of admission tickets for day tours, museums, and attractions, usually cost an average of €22 per day, per person.
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 Helsinki
For Helsinki, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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2 Days tour to Moominworld and Turku Castle from Helsinki:
$955
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2-Hour Guided Tuk Tuk Tour in Helsinki:
$274
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2-Hours Helsinki Professional Photography Walking Tour:
$70
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2-Hours Photogenic Helsinki Walking Tour with a Local:
$67
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3.5 Hour Helsinki Highlights Private Tour:
$350
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5-hour sightseeing in Helsinki and Winterworld:
$199
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Architecture Tour of Helsinki with a city planner:
$68
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Artificial Intelligence City Tour of Helsinki:
$37
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City Sightseeing Helsinki Hop On Hop Off Tour:
$37
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City Sightseeing Helsinki Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour:
$37
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Classic style boating & Island experience with BBQ:
$187
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Daily Small Group Porvoo Tour:
$153
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
Typically, people visiting Helsinki spend on average €13 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
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 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 Helsinki and Porto, we can see that Helsinki 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 Helsinki would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Helsinki than you might in Porto.
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