Which place is cheaper, Porto or Essaouira?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Essaouira or Porto?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Essaouira and Porto can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Essaouira or Porto?
Essaouira
Essaouira is a beautiful beach town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. The city has a pleasant medina that has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site and is interesting to explore. It's an 18th century fortified town with a lot of character and charm. The city is rich and culture and you'll find a handful of art galleries throughout the town. The city is also a gathering place for artists and musicians, particularly during the Gnaoua Festival of World Music, which takes place the last week of June. This event attracts about 450,000 visitors yearly.
Porto
Porto is the second largest city in Portugal. It is also the capital of the Northern Region and a hub for commercial and industrial activity. The city is not as large as you might expect, with a population of only about 300,000 residents, but the metropolitan area has a population of about 2.5 million. This includes nearby cities such as Gaia, Matosinhos, Maia and Gondomar.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Morocco, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Morocco, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Portugal, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Portugal.
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Essaouira Prices
Morocco PricesPorto Prices
Portugal Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayEssaouira $62Porto $187
The average daily cost (per person) in Essaouira is $62, while the average daily cost in Porto is $187. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Essaouira and Porto in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personEssaouira $29Porto $84
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomEssaouira $58Porto $168
Compare Hotels in Essaouira and Porto
Looking for a hotel in Essaouira or Porto? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Essaouira Hotel Prices and Porto Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Essaouira $2.21Porto $24
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Essaouira
Also for Essaouira, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport transfer from Essaouira to Agadir: $256
- Private transfer Essaouira Ouarzazate.: $240
- Private transfer Essaouira Taroudant.: $203
- Transfer from Essaouira to your Riad or Hotel in Marrakech: $179
- Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $143
- Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $128
- Airport transfer, Departure : Essaouira, Arrival : Agadir: $128
- Transfer from Essaouira to Marrakech city or Marrakech airport: $127
- Private transfer Essaouira to Marrakech or Marrakech / essaouira : $119
- Private transfer Marrakech to Essaouira or Essaouira toMarrakech : $114
- Transfert Marrakech to Essaouira Or Essaouira to Marrakech : $114
- Private transfer Essaouira Safi.: $112
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Porto
Also for Porto, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private transfer between Porto and Algarve with 1 stop: $558
- Private Transfer between Porto and Vigo: $299
- Private Transfer to Lisbon from Tarouca: $293
- Private Geres National Park Tour with Lunch and Transfers: $275
- From Transfer to Lisbon with up to 3 City Stops: $269
- Private transfer from Oporto to Lisbon or Lisbon to Oporto: $269
- From Private transfer to Lisbon with up to 3 Stops: $269
- Private Transfer from/to Porto - Lisbon: $250
- Need a transfer from Porto to Pinhão?: $239
- Private Airport Transfer from Porto to Lamego: $237
- Private Airport Transfer from Porto to Régua: $219
- Private Transfer between Porto and Santiago de Compostela: $209
Is it cheaper to fly into Essaouira or Porto?
Prices for flights to both Porto and Essaouira change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayEssaouira $26Porto $74
Typical Food Prices in Essaouira
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Essaouira:
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Baklava$1.55
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Breakfast Crepes$0.55
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Fish for Lunch$17
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Essaouira
For Essaouira, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Traditional Moroccan Cooking Class: $39
- Essaouira Moroccan Cooking Class Experience: $42
- Essaouira Sunset Experience, Waterfall Walk & Romantic Dinner: $43
- Al Aaila Farm Moroccan Natural And Healthy Cooking Experience: $54
- l'Atelier - Moroccan Cooking Workshop in Essaouira: $72
- Essaouira Food Tour: $88
- Berber Cooking Class at a Farm in the Countryside & shopping at a rural Souk.: $106
- 3 hours Camel Ride in Essaouira with Dinner and Overnight in Berber Camp: $219
- 3 Hours Horse Riding with Dinner and Overnight Berber Camp: $220
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Porto
For Porto, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Pastel de Nata Cooking Class Antero de Quental: $42
- Porto Walking Food Tour: $66
- Bolhão Market Guided Food Tour: $78
- Semi - Private Oporto Food Tour : $83
- Craft Beer & Food Tour in Porto: $83
- Traditional Portuguese Cooking Class in Porto with Chef Maria: $89
- Semi Private Oporto Fado Show with Dinner: $90
- Porto Heritage Night Tour With Fado Show And Dinner Included: $94
- Porto Food & Wine Tasting Tour with Lunch or Dinner Option: $94
- Porto Food Tour of 8 Tastings: Custard Tart, Bifana & Hidden Gems: $95
- Private Walking Food Tour with Tastings: $96
- Fado Show with Dinner in a Traditional Fado House: $102
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Essaouira $13Porto $30
Tours and Activities in Essaouira
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Essaouira.
- Big Cap Sim dunes and forest 3 hours tour.: $76
- 1 Day Horseback Riding Tour with Overnight Stay in Berber Tent: $298
- 1 Hour Quad Bike Adventure in Essaouira Forest Beach: $42
- 1-Day Quad Adventure in Essaouira near Marrakech: $211
- 2 Hour Quad & ATV Experience: $59
- 2 Hours Dromedary Ride Tour in Essaouira Morocco: $54
- 3-Days Desert Tour From Fes to Marrakech : $227
- 3-Hour Quad Biking Adventure in Essaouira: $89
- Authentic Berber Tour near Essaouira – Fishing,Tagine & Waterfall: $72
- Big dunes and atlantic coast tour 2 HOURS: $62
- Day Tour on Dromedary and Overnight Stay Near Essaouira Morocco: $298
- Discovery Tour around Essaouira by Electric Motorcycle: $116
Tours and Activities in Porto
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Porto.
- Douro Valley private tour full day : $263
- Self Guided Tour in Porto with 100 Captivating Audio Stories: $3.58
- Self-Guided Tour Adventure Discovering Porto: $1.17
- Walking Tour - History of Tiles in Porto: $57
- 1 Day Tour to Douro Valley from Porto: $227
- 1 Day Tour to Passages and Bridge 516 Arouca: $111
- 3 Hour Complete Porto City Tour: $237
- 3 Hour Porto Essential Private Tour: $54
- 3 Hour Tuk tuk Tour in Porto: $215
- 3-Hour Cano-Rafting Tour on the Paiva River: $48
- 3-Hour Guided Walking Tour of Porto: $36
- 3-Hour Porto Highlights on a Electric Bike Guided Tour: $53
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayEssaouira $10Porto $22
Sample the Local Flavors in Porto
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Porto:
- Wine Experience Museum with 3 Wine Tastings: $24
- Private visit with wine tasting in Alijó Douro: $24
- Pub Crawl Porto: $26
- Flavours of Portugal – Wine Tastings at WOW Wine School: $30
- Taylor's Port Cellars Visit & Port Wine Tasting: $30
- Halloween Pub Crawl 4 bars, 1 club, Scary Games & 7 Drinks: $30
- Authentic Oporto Walking Tour with Wine Tasting: $33
- Porto Wine Tasting with GUIDED TOUR: $36
- Porto City Tour with Wine Tasting: $41
- 5 Port Wine Tasting with pairings: $42
- Luxury Yacht Cruise with Wine Tasting & Snacks: $54
- Port and Douro Wine Walking Tour With 10 Wine Tastings: $54
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Essaouira and Porto, we can see that Porto is more expensive. And not only is Essaouira much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Essaouira is in Africa and Porto is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Essaouira would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Essaouira and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Porto would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Porto than you might in Essaouira.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Essaouira Expensive? and Is Porto Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Essaouira or Porto?
Porto has a larger population, and is about 4 times larger than the population of Essaouira. When comparing the sizes of Essaouira and Porto, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.