We spent two full weeks in Portugal (plus one travel day on either side) in early to mid-June. Portugal is often touted as a budget-friendly destination, and though it is certainly affordable by Western European standards, I have to admit: we experienced a bit of sticker shock after living so well for so little in Colombia! We also splurged on quite a few items in Portugal, including two car rentals, tickets to two soccer matches, and an all-day wine tour in the Douro Valley.
Spoiler alert: We totally busted our budget in Portugal! It is one of the most expensive countries we plan on visiting, though, so we hope to make up for it in future months. 😉 And we were under budget the past two months, so we’re still looking good overall. Here’s a detailed breakdown of every dollar we spent.
Portugal: $3,362.68
Transportation: $961.75
Almost all of this cost was our rental cars. We did two one-way car rentals in Portugal, so not only did we pay for the car rental itself, but we paid tolls (more than $100 total!), fuel, and two one-way car rental fees (80 euros each). It’s definitely more affordable to travel by bus or train. In hindsight, we would not have rented a car to get from Lisbon to Porto (more on that here–look under our “biggest oops”), but it was nice to have a car in the Algarve so we could visit smaller towns like Sagres and Olhão with more flexibility. Then again, it is possible to bus or catch a taxi between most of the towns in the Algarve. We also bought a few metro tickets in Lisbon and Porto, as well as train tickets to Sintra from Lisbon, but these costs were minimal. Average: $68.69/day.
Lodging: $622.81
We moved accommodations every few days in Portugal, and our rooms ranged from $35 to $51 each night. This is also where we discovered the magic of “private rooms” on Airbnb. Previously, we always searched for “entire apartments,” but they were just too expensive in Portugal. All but one of the private rooms we stayed in were a guesthouse setting anyway, similar to what we would find on Hostelworld or Booking.com (our other main resources for lodging). The only time we ended up staying in someone’s home with them was in Lagos, and our host was a very sweet and friendly woman. Luckily, Jonathan speaks Portuguese! Average: $41.52/night.
Eating out: $786.93
Because we were moving accommodations so frequently in Portugal, we didn’t buy many groceries. We ate out for almost every meal, but breakfast was typically just a pastel de nata and a cafesinha, and we shared many lunches and dinners. We also drank a bit of alcohol. 😉 Average: $56.21/day.
Groceries/household items: $56.71
Told you we didn’t buy many groceries! Most of this amount was sunscreen and beer/cider. Average: $4.05/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $877.88
We did a lot of paid activities in Portugal. Our day trip to the Douro Valley (including wine and food) was $252 for both of us, but it was well worth it. We also spent $336 on tickets to watch Portugal play in the UEFA Nations League Finals. (The semifinal was actually more expensive than the final; go figure!) Other entertainment expenses included a kayaking tour in Lagos ($83); tips for free walking tours in Porto and Faro; a short riverboat cruise in Porto; and entrance fees for several attractions, including Livraria Lello in Porto, the slave market museum in Lagos, the oceanarium and Museu da Água in Lisbon, and multiple castles in Sintra. Average: $62.70/day.
Gifts & souvenirs: $38.03
In addition to our regular postcards, Megan bought a tile magnet in Porto and Jonathan got a souvenir T-shirt from the UEFA Nations League Finals and a cork bracelet. Average: $2.76/day.
Travel insurance: $18.57
For the first part of our RTW trip (Latin America), we depended on our credit card for travel insurance. But, our card only covers trips up to 60 days in length, so we plan to purchase our own third-party travel insurance through World Nomads for the rest of the trip. Our current plan costs $6.19/day for two people, but our coverage didn’t start until June 16 (so we only paid for three days in Portugal). Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, countries, etc.
Total: $240.19/day = $120.10/person* per day
*Did you know we have a new page on the blog completely dedicated to Money & Budgeting? Check it out! We also list our country-specific costs on this page, but those numbers might differ a bit from the numbers shown here. The numbers in our detailed budgeting posts (like this one) are a true reflection of what we personally spent on our trip. The numbers on the Money & Budgeting page are meant to reflect what a typical tourist traveling at our comfort level can expect to spend.
For example, I’ve deducted the UEFA soccer tickets from this total (as that was a rare opportunity) and replaced the car rental expenses with a public transportation cost estimate for our trip. Likewise, if we had received any free lodging, meals or attractions during this trip, I would have added the estimated cost to our actual spending to include in the total on the Money & Budgeting page.
Of course, you can always spend far less (or far more) than the numbers listed here or on our Money & Budgeting page. These figures are provided as a loose guide to help you plan travels within your budget range.
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