A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Zagora vs. Porto for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Zagora or Porto?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Zagora or Porto? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and the data, which all comes from actual travelers.

Where Should I go: Zagora or Porto?

Zagora

A small town in southern Morocco, Zagora is a popular base camp for excursions on foot, by camel, or four wheel drive vehicles into the surrounding desert. One of the most famous and historic treks is the ancient caravan route to Timbuktu, marked by a famous sign at the end of town - indicating a journey of "52 days" by camel.

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 Adventure Tours to Morocco, The Best Cultural Tours in Morocco, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Portugal, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Portugal.


Which place is cheaper, Porto or Zagora?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Zagora is $50, 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 Zagora and Porto in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Zagora $36
    Porto $69
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Zagora $72
    Porto $138
Compare Hotels in Zagora and Porto

Looking for a hotel in Zagora 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.

Hotels in Zagora


Hotels in Porto


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: Zagora Hotel Prices and Porto Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Zagora $1.42
    Porto $22

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zagora

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zagora:

  • Airport Private Transfer: $35

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 Zagora or Porto?

Prices for flights to both Porto and Zagora 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Zagora $13
    Porto $39

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
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Zagora $2.85
    Porto $27

Tours and Activities in Zagora

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Zagora are as follows:

  • 2 Days Tour to Zagora Desert with sunset from Marrakech: $82
  • 2 days tour from Zagora to Erg Chegaga: $136
  • From Agadir 4 Days 3 night Désert Tours to Marrakech: $1,326
  • From Agadir or Taghazout: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour to Zagora: $353
  • From Agadir or Taghazout: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour to Zagora: $356
  • From Agadir or Taghazout: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour to Zagora: $376
  • From 2-Day Desert Tour to Erg Chegaga: $288
  • Marrakech: 2-Day Sahara Desert Tour Zagora & BenHaddou: $111
  • Private Day Camel Trekking Tour in Draa Valley from Zagora: $214
  • Zagora to Erg chigaga desert tour & 4x4 (All-inclusive) 2-Days: $164
  • Zagora to Erg chigaga desert tour & 4x4 (All-inclusive) 2-Days: $164

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
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Zagora -
    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 Zagora and Porto, we can see that Porto is more expensive. And not only is Zagora much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Zagora 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 Zagora would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Zagora 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 Zagora.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Zagora Expensive? and Is Porto Expensive?.


Which is Bigger, Zagora or Porto?

Porto has a larger population, and is about 7 times larger than the population of Zagora. When comparing the sizes of Zagora and Porto, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.