When I’m planning a trip, I often find it difficult to budget for travel expenses before the trip starts. Flight costs and hotels are the easiest to estimate since those are usually paid for up-front, but a breakdown of other costs such as food, transportation, shopping, and incidental expenses can be more difficult to estimate. The Portugal budget that I had in mind for 8 days was between $1500-$2000, with $2000 being the maximum that I wanted to spend.
Recently, I went on a trip to Portugal for 8 days and 8 nights and I kept track of all of my expenses. I wouldn’t consider myself to be a budget traveler, but I do have a budget that I need to stick to. I like to stay in clean and comfortable accommodations, enjoy good food and drinks, take advantage of local activities, and do a little bit of shopping.
But I am willing to save when possible by doing things such as taking public transportation, traveling off-season, and looking for some free activities. If this sounds like you, keep reading for the detailed budget breakdown of what I spent during this trip to help you plan your trip to Portugal.
Portugal Budget Breakdown for 8 Days of Travel
Hotels
Surprisingly, my trip’s largest expense was the accommodation (I thought it would be the flight!). I stayed at two nice hotels located in central, walkable areas, with easy access to public transportation in Lisbon and Porto. For the first 6 nights, I was sharing the hotel with a friend so the cost was split two ways. The last two nights were spent on my own in Lisbon.
Lisbon
I spent 6 nights total in Lisbon. All 6 nights were spent at the MeraPrime Gold Hotel. This hotel was located centrally and was within walking distance of many restaurants, activities, and a metro station. 4/6 nights were split for a total cost of $181.21 for an average of $60.40 per person per night with double occupancy.
After I returned from Porto, I stayed for one night in a double room, which cost $55.46 when split in half. For the last two nights, I spent $204.13 for a single room which comes to a total of $102.07 per night. There was also an additional 2 euro city tax per person per night which brings the total spent on hotels in Lisbon to $453.88 for six nights.
The rooms were comfortable, the staff were very friendly and helpful, and the location was perfect! It was less than a 5-minute walk from the Rua Agusta Arch, which is surrounded by restaurants and shops. I would recommend staying here for your first visit to Lisbon!
Porto
I spent two nights in Porto at the Turim Oporto Hotel. This hotel was clean, located in a nice area, and felt luxurious. It was about a 10-minute walk from the Sao Bento Train Station, and within walking distance of many attractions and restaurants. In Porto, the hotel cost was split between two people, and I spent $92.43 for two nights before the city tax which is $46.22 per person per night. Including the city tax, I spent a total of $96.78 for two nights in Porto.
This hotel was awesome. The beds were comfortable, and the location felt safe. I was very lucky with the hotels in Portugal, and I would also recommend staying here if you are visiting Porto!
Hotel total: $550.66
Flights
I booked my flight through Delta. It was a basic economy ticket and I didn’t get to pick my seat, but I only paid $525.80 round trip (without using any miles or points!). My flight was to/ from Detroit (DTW) with one layover each way. This flight was a good deal, and they are usually more expensive. Going in the off-season (when it wasn’t particularly warm) is how I saved money and was able to put that money toward things that were more important to me.
Flight total: $525.80
Food
toast in Porto
Honestly, I spent a lot more than I expected on food during this trip. But that isn’t necessarily because food was more expensive than I thought it would be. I ate a lot of good food, had some drinks, and didn’t try to limit my spending in this area. I ate at some restaurants that appeared to cater to tourists and also some local spots. The local spots were significantly cheaper than the ‘touristy’ restaurants where I ate.
in Lisbon
For example, brunch at The Folks with a lemon pie latte and a turkey bacon benedict was around 20 dollars whereas a Bifana (pork sandwich) and a small beer from As Bifanas Do Afonso was 4.5 euros (a little less than $5). Food costs can be highly variable depending on what kind of food you like to eat, how often you drink, and the restaurants you choose. I ate at several nice brunch spots, enjoyed many Pasteis de Nata, tried many drinks, and also ate at a few local spots. For my time in Portugal, I spent a total of $386.99 for 8 days. I also spent more than I would have liked on food, drinks, and snacks at the airport which came to $56.66 for there and back. This brings the food spending to $443.65.
Food total: $443.65
Ground Transportation
During this trip, I used a variety of different methods of transportation. I took trains between cities, public transportation, airport transfers, and specialty transportation which I will outline below.
Trains
I took two round-trip train rides during my trip. Trains are a convenient way to travel around Portugal and are readily available between many cities. The first train I took was between Lisbon and Porto. This train took about 3.5 hours each way and cost a total of $47 round-trip. The second train I took was between Lisbon and Evora. This train was over an hour each way and cost $22.80 round-trip. This brings the train spending to $69.80.
Public transportation
During this trip, I used public transportation many times. I purchased a few one-way tickets, two day passes in Lisbon, round-trip tickets to Sintra, and round-trip tickets from the Campanha Station in Porto to the Sao Bento Station. This all comes to a total of $42.28 spent on public transportation over 8 days.
Airport Transfers
On the way to the airport in Detroit, I paid for a shuttle service and a Lyft which cost a total of $26.84. Once I arrived in Lisbon, I took the metro to the hotel so this cost is included in the previous ‘public transport’ section. My departing flight from Lisbon left at 5 am, so I arranged a cab in advance from the hotel at 2 am which cost 30 euros (about $33 at the time). I was lucky to have someone pick me up from the airport on the way home. So, without including public transportation, I spent a total of $59.84 on airport transfers.
Other Transportation
Aside from the previously mentioned transportation methods, two other forms of transportation don’t fit into another category. I spent $23.85 on a hop-on-and-off bus around Sintra and about $3 to go up to Pena Palace (and avoid having to walk uphill for 30 minutes!).
Ground transportation total: $198.77
Activities
During this trip, I did many paid and free activities. Some of the activities I did include visiting the Saint Jerenomis Monastery in Belem, going into Pena Palace in Sintra, learning how to make Pasteis de Nata in Porto, and visiting the Evora cathedral. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but between all of the activities I did, I spent a total of $127.42.
Activities Total: $127.42
Shopping
I did a bit of shopping in Portugal. As I travel more, I focus on mostly getting things that I can use in my everyday life. I’ve also stopped buying souvenirs for my friends and family unless there is something specific that I’m asked to get, or I see something that makes me think of someone. I bought some clothing, new sunglasses, a sunglasses case, a necklace, two magnets, and a souvenir photo. I also got a souvenir glass by mistake, when I purchased a glass of Port wine and a codfish cake (Pastéis de Bacalhau) from Pastel de Bacalhau, and they told me that I could keep the glass! This has already been rolled into the food spending, and I am not including it here. For everything else, I spent a total of $82.99.
Shopping total: $82.99
Miscellaneous
Some expenses don’t fit into any of the other categories that I would consider miscellaneous expenses. One expense is the ATM fee and surcharge/markup for withdrawing money from the ATM at the airport. This cost me about $37, and after I paid it, I learned that you can decline this markup and withdraw directly in euros. Lesson learned for next time! I also paid $5 as a fee for using an ATM outside of my bank.
Another miscellaneous expense was a haircut which cost about $50 with the tip. Finally, there are a couple of dollars unaccounted for from my cash spending which brings the total miscellaneous spending to around $94.
Miscellaneous total: $94
Total Spending: $2023.29
Summary of Portugal Budget Breakdown:
- Hotels: $550.66
- Flight: $525.80
- Food: $443.65
- Ground Transportation: $198.77
- Activities: $127.42
- Shopping: $82.99
- Miscellaneous: $94
Total: $2023.29
*8 days & 8 nights in Lisbon and Porto in late February to early March 2024
Expenses Not Included in this Portugal Budget Breakdown
If this list of expenses seems incomplete, that’s because it is. There are a few expenses that I didn’t include that I will explain. Usually, I purchase travel insurance before an international trip, but this time… I forgot to purchase it before I left. Fortunately, nothing happened so I wasn’t negatively impacted by not having it, but this is important to note and include in your budget. Another cost that wasn’t included is international phone coverage. I am still on my parents’ phone plan (thank you, Dad!) so this is one expense that was taken care of for me. Finally, I had a mini spa day during my time in Lisbon. I used my ClassPass subscription that I pay every month to pay for the facial and pedicure, so I did not include this expense in my calculation.
Summary & Conclusion
During my 8-day and 8-night trip to Portugal, I spend a total of just over $2000. This includes all expenses that are associated with taking this trip except for those that I noted were omitted. This trip was more of a “vacation style” trip than an “adventure style” trip, and I did spend more freely than I usually do.
This total is more than I anticipated spending, but it is just around the maximum budget that I allocated which was $2000. Considering I got a haircut and bought some new clothing, I would say it was right on par!
While planning and during this trip, I did several things to save money. I also did a few things that caused me to spend extra money. In the end, I am happy with what I spent and I had a nice somewhat luxurious vacation without breaking the bank.
I hope this Portugal budget breakdown is helpful in planning your own trip to Portugal! If you have any questions, please comment below and I will try to help.
Is this more or less than you would have expected this trip to cost? Let me know what you think!
