Which place is cheaper, Porto or Merzouga?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Merzouga or Porto?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Merzouga or Porto, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Where Should I go: Merzouga or Porto?
Merzouga
Let's say you want to truly get away. I don't mean putting your ear buds in on some beach with a stronger on the next chair over. I mean really get away, and find yourself deserted. Merzouga, Morocco lets you do just that. This land of sand dune after sand dune is ideal for anyone yearning to ride a camel to the ends of civilization. And you'll find plenty of options to get here with a tour, or even on your own.
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.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Tours to Morocco, The Best Luxury Tours to Morocco, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Portugal, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Portugal.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMerzouga $17Porto $135
The average daily cost (per person) in Merzouga is $17, while the average daily cost in Porto is $135. 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 destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Merzouga and Porto in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMerzouga $10Porto $69
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMerzouga $20Porto $138
Compare Hotels in Merzouga and Porto
Looking for a hotel in Merzouga or Porto? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Merzouga Hotel Prices and Porto Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Merzouga -Porto $22
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Merzouga
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Merzouga:
- 1 way transfer: $62
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Porto
Also for Porto, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- From Porto Bus Station: Transfer to/from Lisbon Oriente: $4.22
- Porto Airport Transfer from/to Porto Center: $9.62
- Porto Airport Transfer (to/from Porto City Center): $11
- Oporto Airport Shared Departure Transfer: $13
- Porto Airport: Shared One-Way Arrival or Departure Transfer: $13
- Bus Transfer to/from Madrid South: $13
- Private transfer from Porto Airport to Porto City Hotels: $15
- Porto Airport Private Departure Transfer: $15
- Porto Airport Private Arrival Transfer: $15
- Porto Private Airport Departure Transfer: $17
- Gaia Private Transfer to Porto: $18
- Oporto Airport Private Transfer to Matosinhos: $19
Is it cheaper to fly into Merzouga or Porto?
Prices for flights to both Porto and Merzouga 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.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayMerzouga $5.92Porto $39
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Merzouga
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Merzouga.
- One Night in Private Camp in the Sahara Desert in Merzouga with Dinner: $65
- Sunset With Dinner And Berber Music in Merzouga Desert With 4WD : $65
- Merzouga Orange Dunes ATV Sandsurf Camels with 5 Stars Dinner: $85
- Camel trek with 1 Night in Luxury camp with Dinner+ Sundbording: $87
- Visit The Nomads, Gnawa Music, Rally In Dunes, Berber Pizza : $98
- Magical Dinner and Camel Trek with 1 Night In Merzouga Luxury Desert Camp: $105
- Overnight in Luxury Camp With camel Trek & Dinner: $107
- From Fes: 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip(Luxury Tent & Dinner): $124
- From Fes: 2-Day Merzouga Desert Trip w/Luxury Tent & Dinner: $127
- 2 Nights Private Camp in Merzouga with Dinner and Camel Ride: $200
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Porto
For Porto, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Pastel de Nata Cooking Class in Downtown Porto: $37
- Tastiest Calories Food Tour: $48
- Bolhão Market and Codfish Tasting Guided Food Tour: $52
- Porto Food Tour: Full Meal & Drinks: $56
- Porto Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience: $57
- 3-Hour Food Tour: $68
- Half-Day Food Tour: $68
- Portuguese Craft Beer and Food Tour: $74
- Semi - Private Oporto Food Tour: $74
- Craft Beer & Food Tour in Porto: $75
- Secret Food Tour: $77
- Semi Private Oporto Fado Show with Dinner: $80
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Merzouga -Porto $27
Tours and Activities in Merzouga
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Merzouga are as follows:
- Overnight in Desert Camp Berber Experience in Merzouga Desert & Camel Ride: $82
- Private Adventure to Merzouga Risani from Erfoud : $142
- Private Desert Tour and Visit to Nomadic Families: $98
- 1 Hour Merzouga Desert Buggy Experience: $140
- 1 Hour Merzouga Desert Quad Biking Tour & Sandboarding: $64
- 1 Night Camel Trekking Tour in Merzouga Desert Camp : $60
- 1/2 day 4x4 tour of Erg Chebbi: $82
- 2 Hours Merzouga Desert Quad Bike Adventure: $113
- 2 hours Merzouga Dunes ATV Rental - Desert Quad Biking Tour: $112
- 2-Day Desert Tour with Return to Marrakech: $182
- 3 Days Tour from Fes to Marrakech via Merzouga with Luxury Camp: $218
- 3 Days Tour to Merzouga Dunes and Camel Trek: $87
Tours and Activities in Porto
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Porto.
- City Highlights Guided Walking Tour: $1.07
- Porto Walking Tour - The Perfect Introduction to the City: $1.09
- Ultimate Ribeira Walking Tour: $2.60
- First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.21
- The Unvanquished Tour in Porto City Center: $3.26
- From Portugal eSIM Tourist Data Plan: $4.81
- Highlights Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt and City Tour: $5.35
- City Exploration Game and Tour on your Phone: $6.41
- Porto (Gaia) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.65
- Scavenger Hunt and City Highlights Walking Tour: $7.65
- Porto (Gaia) Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.82
- Casa São Roque Direct Entry Ticket: $8.56
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMerzouga -Porto $20
Sample the Local Flavors in Porto
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Porto:
- Museu do Vitral Entry Ticket and Wine Tasting: $8.56
- Guided City Pub Crawl with Club Entry: $13
- Magic Train Tour and Port Wine Tastings: $15
- Mysterious Pub Crawl Interactive City Discovery Game: $19
- Pub Crawl with 5 Drinks: $19
- Porto Pub Crawl With Unlimited Beer: $20
- Pub Crawl with Shots and Drinking Games: $21
- Poças: Guided Tour & Port Wine Tasting with Pastel de Nata: $21
- Poças Guided Visit and Port Wine Tasting with Pastel de Nata: $21
- Rooftop Fado concert, Port wine tasting, Portuguese tart: $21
- Classic Wine Tasting with GUIDED TOUR: $22
- Pub Crawl Porto: $23
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Merzouga and Porto, we can see that Porto is more expensive. And not only is Merzouga much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Merzouga is in Africa and Porto is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Merzouga would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Merzouga 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 Porto would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Porto than you might in Merzouga.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Merzouga Expensive? and Is Porto Expensive?.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.