How much we spent: 2 weeks in Portugal 🇵🇹

Calvin Chan
Jul 6, 2024
4 min read

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Thumbnail of our short video on How much we spent for 2 weeks in Portugal — ⬆️ Click this to see what our 2 weeks looked like

🇵🇹 Portugal | 📅 14 days in Apr 2024 | 🌷 Spring

This is how much we (2 people) spent during 2 weeks in Portugal, in April 2024 (Spring). We hit up Lisbon, Madeira and Porto in 14 days.

For reference, we're nature-loving, value-seeking 20-something year olds from Australia who think with their stomachs. Hopefully this helps you plan and budget your trip to Portugal! Three money saving tips for Portugal below!

💲How much we spent

Total spend*: 2,909 AUD | 1,949 USD | 1,745 EUR

Daily spend: 201 AUD | 135 USD | 121 EUR

* The above prices are without international travel costs (i.e. arriving in country)

🛏️ Accomodation: 76 AUD /day 1,063 AUD | 712 USD | 638 EUR

For those thinking Portugal is one of the cheapest countries to travel to in Europe... you're not wrong! Though prices were comparable to Spain, we got much nicer rooms and even had a nice private room in Madeira with amazing views, check out Hospedaria Por Do Sol for a great value stay on the island. Lisbon and Porto though were a little more exxy, but still better value than Spain, which got us old hostels for similar prices.

Screenshot from our KimnCal Travel Budget Tracker, showing our Portugal Accom expenses.

🍽️ Food: 67 AUD /day 944 AUD | 633 USD | 567 EUR

Kimmi and I both had no idea what to expect when it came to Portuguese food, all we knew were Portuguese tarts, Port wine and canned sardines. But Portuguese food really blew us away. It felt lighter and healthier than Spanish food, and something we could eat for every meal without feeling like we needed a siesta. For the best Pastel de natas (Portuguest tarts), and for head to Castro, and for one of the best chocolate cakes we've ever had, check out Cafetaria Landeau Chocolate in Lisbon.

Screenshot from our KimnCal Travel Budget Tracker, showing our Portugal Food expenses.

🚶🏻‍♂️ Activities: 8 AUD /day 109 AUD | 73 USD | 65 EUR

For activities, you really don't have to spend much money in Portugal to have a good time. We did visit a few cultural sights, which are easier to book and cheaper to pay for than France and Spain, but we had the most fun just roaming the streets, trying different foods and mingling with the locals. Madeira is also a nature and hiker's paradise and we highly recommend exploring as much of the island as you can. They have a very interesting traditional form of transport.

Screenshot from our KimnCal Travel Budget Tracker, showing our Portugal Activities expenses.

🚌 Local transport: 48 AUD /day 673 AUD | 451 USD | 404 EUR

When it comes to transport in Portugal, buses and trains are reliable and highly affordable. Flights to Madeira and back from either Lisbon or Porto are also reasonable, considering it's one of the more difficult airports to land in - and the island is well worth the flight (one of our favourite places in the world). Once on Madeira, we cannot recommend hiring a scooter more - it's affordable, you can skip the parking lines all car hires go through, and you get free parking across the whole island! We hired from BlitzRent Madeira who were highly professional and provided helmets, gloves and a phone-holder for free! Just make sure you're experienced, Madeira has steep, windy roads with strong winds!

Screenshot from our KimnCal Travel Budget Tracker, showing our Portugal Local Transport expenses.

🧺 Misc: 2 AUD /day 25 AUD | 17 USD | 15 EUR

This category encompasses anything and everything outside of the other categories, and the "Shopping" category below. Typically this includes laundry, pharmaceuticals, buying replacement for things. We ended up paying quite a bit for laundry on Madeira, but they were the closest option to us, and we had a packed schedule for the day, so we copped the fee for a fun day.

Screenshot from our KimnCal Travel Budget Tracker, showing our Portugal Misc expenses.

🛍️ Shopping: 0 AUD /day 0 AUD | 0 USD | 0 EUR

Again, we did no shopping during our 14-day trip in Portugal. I know, but we got a whole year of travel ahead of us and only one bag each - we gotta keep light! For shopping deals, Portugal is famous for Porto wine, canned sardines and cork! They are one of the world's biggest producers of cork!

🧠 Tips on saving money in Portugal 🇵🇹

Avoid Euronet ATM machines! Though they're convenient, they charge huge (up to 20%) ATM withdrawal fees, and if you accept their currency exchange rate, they are much worse than market rates. Instead look for Portuguese banks as they are legally not allowed to charge ATM withdrawal fees and have much fairer exchange rates.
Look for restaurants with no English menus! If a restaurant has an English menu, pictures of food and waiters beckoning you in - it's most assuredly a tourist trap, with tourist prices. Instead look for local joints with often no English menus. You get local tastes, for local prices.
Buy bathroom goods at grocery stores rather than pharmacies! For some reason toothpaste and sunscreen at pharmacies in Portugal are EXPENSIVE. We found them to be much cheaper in grocery stores, so lookout for the closest Pingo Doce or Lidl supermarkets for affordable bathroom goods.