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The best independent guide to Lisbon
LisbonLisboaPortugal.com
The best independent guide to Lisbon
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Cost of a holiday to Lisbon; How expensive is Lisbon, and how much spending money to take for 2024?
Lisbon is one of the least expensive cities to visit in Western Europe, but its popularity means it's not as cheap as it once was.
Lisbon offers exceptional value for money in certain aspects, such as public transport and dining out in non-touristy areas; however, nightlife and admission fees for tourist attractions are comparable to other major cities.
The cost of accommodation is reasonably priced, and standards are high, but there can be very high demand during the peak summer season.
Generally, a mid-range tourist should expect to spend €120 per day while in Lisbon. This amount does not include accommodation (around €70 - €150 per room per night), flights, or highly expensive, gimmicky tours. Lisbon takes three days to explore fully, and the suggested spending money needed for these three days is around €377 (a breakdown of these costs is provided at the end of this article).
A budget backpacker could get by on €65 per day (€30 spending money and €35 for a decent hostel), but costs significantly increase when travelling in the peak season or with lots of nightlife partying.
This article will provide details of typical costs for a Lisbon holiday and suggest ways to maximise budgets.
Related articles: 3 days in Lisbon – Where to stay in Lisbon?
Note: All prices in this article are given in Euros (the currency of Portugal). The average conversion rate for 2024 was approximately €1 to $0.90 and €1 to £1.15.
Typical daily costs to visit Lisbon
The following charts provide an estimated budget per person for your holiday to Lisbon.
Note: These estimated costs assume that you are travelling as a couple, so the price of accommodation is divided by two people.
Note: Accommodation is assumed as a dorm room in a hostel.
Typical costs and prices for a holiday to Lisbon
Transport
• A taxi transfer from the airport to central Lisbon (the Baixa district), including the luggage surcharge of €12-€15
• A single metro ticket from the airport to central Lisbon - €1.80
• A single tram ticket (from the Baixa district to the Belem district) - €3.10
• A single bus ticket for the same journey (Baixa to Belem) - €2.00
• An Uber/Bolt ride from Baixa to Belem for 4 people - €5.20
• A 24-hour unlimited public transport ticket is €6.80 - this is exceptional value for money and includes all buses, metro, trams and the Elevador de Santa Justa
• Train from Lisbon to Sintra (the best day trip from Lisbon) - €2.30/€4.60 (single/return)
Insight: The ride-hailing apps of Uber and Bolt are so cheap in Lisbon that for most journeys, this is the easiest way to travel around the city. Fares using Bolt's cars are slightly cheaper (about 15%), but the standard of car and driver is always better with Uber. Before a trip to Lisbon, we recommend having either Uber or Bolt installed and set up on your phone.
Related articles: Travel from Lisbon airport – metro guide - Lisbon day trips
Meals and food
• An evening meal (3 courses) in a tourist-focused restaurant, with a glass of wine or beer - €25 - €30
• An evening meal (3 courses) in an upscale restaurant, with a glass of wine or beer - €40 - €50
• A lunchtime meal in a café (referred to as a 'Prato do Dia') including soup and coffee - €8 - €10
• Expected tip in restaurants and cafes where food is purchased - 10% of the total bill
• A decent meal in a shopping centre food court - €7 - €10 (no tip needed)
• A breakfast of a super strong espresso (€0.60) and a cake (€1.10)
• A bottle of house wine or a beer in a tourist bar - €16 and €5, in a café - €10 and €2.50, or from Pingo Doce supermarket - €4 and €2
Note: Food costs can vary dramatically from visitor to visitor – the above prices are all typical estimates.
Tourist activities and entrance fees
Entrance fees to the most popular tourist attraction have significantly increased over the last 2 years, and a lot of money can be easily spent if you want to visit every tourist attraction. Admission prices for the most famous sights include:
• Entrance fee to Lisbon castle - €25/€7.50 adult/youth (13-25)
• Entrance fee to Jerónimos Monastery - €10
• Entrance fee to the Lisbon Oceanarium - €22/€15 adult/child (3-12)
• Palácio da Pena (in Sintra) - €14/€12.5 adult/youth (6-17)
• Entrance fee to Torre de Belém - €6
• Entrance fee to Museu Nacional do Azulejo - €5
• A 3-hour free walking tour - €10 suggested tip
• A 60-minute tuk-tuk tour of Lisbon for up to three people - €60-€70 (plus tip)
• A 48-hour hop-on-hop-off bus and tram ticket - €36/€27 adult/youth (11-16)
• A full-day tour of Sintra and Cascais - €65
Note: Medicines tend to be very expensive in Portugal; bring all of them from your home country.
Warning: Always have travel insurance, as emergency and hospital costs are very expensive in Portugal.
Accommodation costs for Lisbon
Accommodation will always be the single largest cost for any trip to Lisbon, and prices are highly variable depending on the season you're visiting. June to September will always have the highest prices, and often the best places are fully sold-out.
The cost of accommodation always increases closer to the date of travel, and it is always best to book accommodation as far in advance as possible.
Insight: It is also recommended to book a place that has no deposit, so that you can easily change your plans if needed.
If you are seriously considering a trip to Lisbon, book your accommodation now to secure the lowest price. The flexibility of having no deposit enables you to continue browsing up until your trip, but provides the security of the initial inexpensive room.
The map below displays the current prices for hotels and accommodation in Lisbon. If you adjust it to your dates of travel, it will display the latest availability and prices.
Booking.comHotel or rental apartment in Lisbon?
It is often a dilemma for visitors whether to book a conventional hotel or a short-stay rental apartment (such as from Airbnb or Vrbo).
Both have their advantages and different hidden costs, making them suitable for different types of visitors to Lisbon.
Rental apartments were fashionable during the 2010s. However, standards have generally lowered since then, the amount of hidden fees have increased, and the social impacts have become much more apparent (increasing housing costs for locals and the loss of local communities such as in the Alfama district).
Equally, standards have increased in hotels, driven by review websites and genuine ratings (such as Booking.com scores). Hotels will always offer services not found in rental accommodation, such as pools, gyms and room cleaning, and will often have better locations.
Rental apartments are typically better for families or if you wish to save money by doing your own cooking. For couples and older visitors, hotels are a better choice.
Hints and tips for keeping budgets and costs low
Always book flights as far in advance as possible. This is something that is especially true for the low-cost airlines, whose prices increase closer to the departure date.
Accommodation should be booked well in advance, as the best locations sell out and last-minute deals are very rare. Lisbon is a year-round holiday and city break destination, and demand for accommodation during the peak season outstrips supply.
Unfortunately, a solo visitor will encounter much higher accommodation costs. Most hotels have single rooms, but these are rarely at half the price of a double room.
A meal in the popular tourist districts or with a waiter outside will always be much more expensive than in a restaurant down a side street. Always look at a menu before sitting down and try to assess the standard of food that other patrons are eating.
A great way to reduce meal costs is to have your main meal at lunchtime, as many restaurants and cafes offer fixed-price menus, called the Prato do Dia (menu of the day). These often include a soup, main meal, dessert, drink and coffee for around €8.
Shopping centre food courts have a large selection of sensibly priced restaurants, which serve good food and are ideal for quick lunches and dinners.
The typical cost for a 3-day trip to Lisbon
We suggest a spending money budget of €377 (per person) for a three-day stay in Lisbon, when following our three-day tour of the city. The following is our suggested cost breakdown for the trip, reflecting that of a mid-price tourist. Costs will quickly escalate if you wish to enter every tourist attraction, eat at the finest restaurants, or party the night away. The cost breakdown is:
Discover more of Lisbon with our most popular guides
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A complete list of all of our Lisbon articles
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If you've enjoyed our content, we'd like to ask for your support.
The internet landscape has changed, and small independent publishers like us face increasing challenges. Search engines now prioritize advertising over organic content, reducing our traffic, while AI systems increasingly copy our original work without attribution.
To help support us, please consider bookmarking our website for easy access. If you find an article useful, we encourage you to share it with friends or on social media. Equally, if you notice anything outdated or incorrect, please let us know so we can promptly address it.
We're always open to collaborating with brands, bloggers, and SEO/PR agencies who value independent creators. If you'd like to work with us or offer support, please reach out at: [email protected]
Thank you for being part of our community and helping us continue to provide valuable content in an increasingly challenging digital environment.