Should you visit Lisbon or Porto?
Should I visit Lisbon 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.
Lisbon
Portugal's capital city of Lisbon continues to grow in popularity as a travel destination. The cultural scene has come to life in recent years and the city itself is stunningly beautiful. It sits on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and is made up of hills that create a dramatic and scenic layout. The city has many white-bleached limestone buildings, narrow alleyways, and a laidback charm that appeals to visitors.
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 Lisbon?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Lisbon is €103, 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 Lisbon and Porto in more detail.
Accommodation
An average hotel room with basic furnishings costs about €92 in Lisbon For the most convenient locations and nicer amenities you can expect to pay a bit more.
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
In Lisbon travelers spend around €33 a day on food. You can save money by choosing casual restaurants or food stalls, or you can spend plenty more by dining in nicer restaurants at every meal.
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
Lisbon €33
Porto €29
Typical Food prices in Lisbon
For Lisbon, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Lisbon
For Lisbon, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
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Wine & Dine Food Tour:
$22
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History and Flavors Half-Day Food Tour:
$29
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Virtual Portuguese Cooking Lesson:
$31
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Live Online Cooking Class from Pastel de Nata with Filipa:
$39
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Live Fado & Alfama Tour with Traditional Dinner:
$40
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Bohemian dinner party on a beautiful rooftop near the coast:
$42
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3-Hour Self-Guided Locals' Food Tour:
$48
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The magic of Pasteis de Nata cooking class in Lisbon:
$53
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Bitemojo Self Guided Food Tour New To Lisbon:
$54
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2-Hour Pastel de Nata Cooking Class:
$55
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Zero-Waste Cooking Workshop:
$56
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Withlocals Your Way: Lisbon Personalised Private Food Tour:
$56
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
Lisbon's transportation costs can vary by the type of transport chosen by visitors. Naturally, taxis and private drivers cost much more than public transportation options. On average, visitors spend €19 per person, per day on transportation in Lisbon.
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.
Typical Local Transportation prices in Lisbon
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Lisbon:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Lisbon
Also for Lisbon, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Transfer To or From Paris:
$1,709
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Private Lisbon route: Transfers, city tour and full day Sintra w/ driver & guide:
$1,680
-
Transfer 3 legs: Lisbon - Algarve - Porto - Lisbon:
$1,443
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Transfer Lisboa - Barcelona:
$1,354
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Transfer from Lisbon to Madrid (And Vice Versa):
$1,300
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Private ONE WAY transfer from Lisbon to Seville with private pick up & drop off:
$1,151
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Transfer from Lisbon to Sevilha (And Vice Versa):
$1,013
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Transfer To or From Barcelona:
$989
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Seville PRIVATE Transfer from Lisbon with 1 Optional stop in Évora:
$886
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Chauffeur LISBON Private Transfer to SEVILLE (5 to 8 passengers):
$886
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Lisbon to Sevile Transfer:
$832
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Full Day Transfer from Lisbon to Oporto:
$809
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
Is it cheaper to fly into Lisbon or Porto?
Prices for flights to both Porto and Lisbon 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
Sightseeing, admission tickets, things to do, and other entertainment expenses in Lisbon can vary widely by price. On average, visitors spend around €19 per person, per day on entertainment and sightseeing here.
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 Lisbon
For Lisbon, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Évora Private Tour from Lisbon:
$326
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Évora and Arraiolos - 8 Hour Private Tour:
$54
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Évora and Estremoz: Private Full-Day Tour from Lisbon:
$388
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Évora and Megaliths Full-Day Private Tour from Lisbon:
$315
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Óbidos Experience:
$40
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Óbidos, Alcobaça, Batalha & Nazare Private Tour:
$121
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10 Days Private Tour in Portugal from Lisbon:
$2,476
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10 Hour Private Tour: Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais and Estoril Highlights:
$213
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12-Day Portugal and Andalucia Tour from Madrid:
$1,595
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2 Day Street Art Private Tour from Lisbon:
$933
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2 Days Private Tour In the Algarve from Lisbon:
$682
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2 Days Tour to Heart of Serra da Estrela from Lisbon:
$398
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 Lisbon spend on average €14 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 €15.
Sample the Local Flavors in Lisbon
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Lisbon:
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Lisbon Pub Crawl:
$17
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Lisbon Pub Crawl with Free Drinks:
$18
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Lisbon Pub Crawl:
$18
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Lisbon 4-Hour Pub Crawl:
$18
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Alternative Pub Crawl with a Local Guide:
$28
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3-Hour Portuguese History & Flavors Food & Wine Tour:
$30
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Portuguese Wine Tasting and Cheese Lunch:
$44
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From Half-Day Wine Tasting Tour:
$50
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Christ the King and Arrábida Small-Group Tour with Wine Tasting from Lisbon:
$58
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From Private Wine Tour with Setúbal & Arrábida:
$61
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Sintra: Full-Day Tour from Lisbon with Wine Tasting:
$64
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Private Full-Day Arrábida Park and Wine Tour:
$67
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 comparing the travel costs between Lisbon and Porto, we can see that Lisbon is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Europe, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.
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