Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: getting around โ Madeira 3 vs Porto 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Madeira | Porto | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฌ 11$12.8 | โฌ 10$11.6 | Porto โ9% |
| Street food1 item | โฌ 5$5.81 | โฌ 5$5.81 | similar |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฌ 22$25.6 | โฌ 23$26.7 | similar |
| Coffeeone cup | โฌ 1.6$1.86 | โฌ 2$2.33 | Madeira โ20% |
| Beerone bottle | โฌ 2.5$2.91 | โฌ 2.7$3.14 | Madeira โ7% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฌ 4.5$5.23 | โฌ 5$5.81 | Madeira โ10% |
| Bottled water | โฌ 0.8$0.93 | โฌ 0.7$0.81 | Porto โ13% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฌ 1.5$1.74 | โฌ 1.5$1.74 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฌ 8.5$9.88 | โฌ 8$9.3 | Porto โ6% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฌ 6$6.98 | โฌ 5$5.81 | Porto โ17% |
| Transitone ride | โฌ 1.95$2.27 | โฌ 1.4$1.63 | Porto โ28% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฌ 25$29.1 | โฌ 25$29.1 | similar |
| Hotel night3-star | โฌ 100$116 | โฌ 100$116 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | โฌ 900$1,047 | โฌ 850$988 | Porto โ6% |
| Laundry | โฌ 3$3.49 | โฌ 3$3.49 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | โฌ 15$17.4 | โฌ 15$17.4 | similar |
| Haircutcut | โฌ 12$14 | โฌ 12$14 | similar |
| Massage1 hour | โฌ 50$58.1 | โฌ 40$46.5 | Porto โ20% |
| Half-day tourper person | โฌ 35$40.7 | โฌ 30$34.9 | Porto โ14% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฌ 12$14 | โฌ 12$14 | similar |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Porto is 8% cheaper than Madeira. Daily budget $213 vs $211; a month $4,261 vs $3,648.
About the same: Madeira 2.0/5, Porto 2.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Madeira is about $4,261 and Porto about $3,648 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.