Lisbon on a Budget: How to Save in 2026

Lisbon has become pricier, but it’s still easy to have a brilliant trip on a budget: the best views are free, lunch specials are cheap, public transport is good value and many highlights cost nothing. Here’s how to do Lisbon on a budget in 2026.

Quick answer: stay in a hostel private room or a guesthouse slightly outside the centre, eat the prato do dia at lunch, use a navegante card with zapping (or the €7.25 24-hour pass), enjoy the free miradouros, churches, gardens and markets, and pick just one or two paid sights a day. Budget travellers can manage on about €60–90 a day.

Sleep

• Hostels: Lisbon has some of the world’s best, with dorms and private rooms, and often free dinners or sangria. See the best hostels in Lisbon.
• Stay near a metro stop outside the most touristy areas (Arroios, Anjos or Alcântara) for lower prices.
• Visit off-season: November to March (outside the holidays) is much cheaper.
• Remember the tourist tax: a few euros per person per night.

Eat and drink

• Prato do dia: a lunch special, often around €10–15 with a drink.
• Coffee at the counter: about €1 for a bica. See how to order coffee.
• Pastel de nata: about €1.30–1.60.
• Bifanas and tostas: cheap, filling snacks.
• Supermarkets: picnic supplies and great wine for a few euros.
• Send back the couvert if you don’t want it.
• Drink like a local: an imperial (small beer) or a ginjinha. See ginjinha.

Get around

• Navegante card with zapping: cheaper than single tickets. 24-hour pass: €7.25.
• Avoid buying tram tickets on board (€3.30). See Lisbon trams.
• Walk: Lisbon’s centre is compact (if hilly).
• Day trips by train cost just a few euros. See day trips by train.

See and do (for free or cheap)

• Viewpoints, churches, gardens and markets: see free things to do in Lisbon.
• Free walking tours (tip what you can).
• The Jerónimos church is free; only the cloister is paid.
• The Gulbenkian is free on Sunday afternoons.
• The Lisboa Card (from €31 for 24 hours) can save money on busy sightseeing days. See is it worth it?

Sample budget day (about €60–90)

• Hostel bed or share of a private room: €25–50
• Coffee and pastry: €3
• Prato do dia lunch: €12
• Transport day pass: €7.25
• One paid sight: €5–18
• Supermarket dinner and wine, or a cheap tasca: €10–15

More: Portugal on a budget and how much a trip to Portugal costs.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.