A new study has revealed that Fafe is the most affordable city to visit in Portugal, based on travel factors such as flight and hotel cost, and the price of restaurant meals.
Portugal based travel experts at Porto Travel Guide analyzed online data for 104 Portuguese cities to determine which locations are the most affordable to visit for a short break.
This involved calculating the cost of flights, hotels, local travel, dining out and groceries for each city, then creating an ‘affordability’ score out of 100 for each city.
Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, or simply Porto Airport, is the nearest international airport for all cities in the top 25 list, which means they share the same score of 10 out of 10 for lowest flight costs and 9.01 out of 10 for hire car costs, with the lowest available price being $11.12 a day.
Fafe ranks as the most affordable city to visit in Portugal with an affordability score of 87.91 out of 100. It scored highly for the cost of eating out at an inexpensive restaurant, with the lowest price being $4.35 per person, and offering hotel prices for as little as $13 a night in some locations.
Oliveira de Azeméis came in second place with an affordability score of 87.85 out of 100. It shares the lowest hotel price of $13 a night with Fafe, but offers cheaper one-way local transport tickets at $1.31. However, its lowest prices for taxi tariffs and restaurant meals are a little more expensive.
Vila Nova de Famalicão came in third place with an affordability score of 87.6 out of 100. Whilst it is slightly more expensive to eat out here, it has the lowest price hotel rooms in the top ten at just $9 a night. The city also has the cheapest one-way local transport tickets so far, starting at just $1.04.
Ovar ranks fourth on the list with an affordability score of 87.55 out of 100. The lowest price hotel rooms start at $14 a night and it shares the same one-way transport ticket price as Oliveira de Azeméis at $1.31. Options for eating out or buying local food are both relatively inexpensive.
Amarante ranks in fifth place with an affordability score of 87.33 out of 100. Whilst its lowest hotel room price comes in at $18 a night, it has extremely cheap starting taxi tariffs at $0.95 and all the local food and drink is notably low priced, such as $1.17 for a pint of domestic beer.
Flavio Bastos, Editor at Porto Travel Guide commented on the findings:
“Portugal has proven to be a popular tourist destination over the past year, with 348,000 Google searches for ‘portugal holidays’ worldwide over the past 12 months on average. Affordable travel and accommodation costs for many of these hidden gems mean that tourists can experience the vibrant culture that the country has to offer, all without breaking the bank.
“Shorter breaks are also becoming more appealing among holidaymakers, given the cost-of-living crisis, and many of these Portuguese cities make for an affordable weekend getaway for those on a budget.”
| Rank | City | Cheapest Hotel Price out of 10 | Cheapest Car Hire Price out of 10 | Inexpensive Restaurant Meal Price out of 10 | Taxi Start Price (Normal Tariff) out of 10 | Affordability Score out of 100 |
| 1. | Fafe | 7.64 | 9.01 | 10 | 5.12 | 87.91 |
| 2. | Oliveira de Azeméis | 7.64 | 9.01 | 8.17 | 3.82 | 87.85 |
| 3. | Vila Nova de Famalicão | 8.36 | 9.01 | 5.26 | 2.56 | 87.6 |
| 4. | Ovar | 7.45 | 9.01 | 8.17 | 3.82 | 87.55 |
| 5. | Amarante | 6.73 | 9.01 | 8.84 | 10 | 87.37 |
| 6. | Ermesinde | </d |
