Comparing Costs Portugal vs. Italy
 

I think I know the answer to this question, but I am inquiring with the experts anyway. Considering the following variables, is Italy going to be considerably more expensive than Portgual no matter what? And to what degree?
1) Travel in late May; Nine days; Converting USD
2) If Portugal: Lisbon, Porto, and one small town
3) If Italy: Tuscany, but excluding large cities such as Florence (perhaps Lucca, Sienna)
4) Primarily public transportation, but not averse to renting a car for a portion
5) Eating well at dinner, more modest the rest of the day (self catering breakfasts and pizza/picnics for lunch)
6) Main activities: walking, some museums
7) Hotel preference: small, with private bathroom; or apartment rental
So, basically I have found equal airfares but need to know just how much more I can expect to pay in Italy. Thanks for any input. I have not been to either country but I feel sure I would enjoy either--just need to mind the budget these days.

In my experience Italy is significantly more expensive than Portugal. Especially Tuscany.

We found food/wine in Portugal to be delicious and CHEAP!

I have been to both countries, and they are both fabulous. Generally speaking, Portugal is cheaper than Italy, but you can go on the cheap in Italy as well, just not AS cheap. For example, we rented a beautiful apartment in Evora Portugal a few months ago for about $60 a night. A few years ago we rented an equally beautiful apartment in a Tuscan hill town for about $85 a night - I suspect it would probably be a little more now.
I don't think that price should be your major factor in choosing a destination. The two countries are different in many ways.
If you spend some time in the countryside of either country, I would strongly recommend renting a car for that period. Driving around and exploring could be the highlight of your trip.

Of all of or travels in Europe, Portugal was the most reasonable and best value. Italy ,on the other hand, was one of the most expensive.Both are wonderful, but Portugal will be less expensive.

For equivalent food in Italy expect to pay almost twice as much as food in Portugal. The meals in Portugal were delicious and large and inexpensive. You only need to order one course in Portual to get more than the quantity of two courses in Italy. And the wine in Portugal is dirt cheap - I ordered half bottles every night and usually the price was E3 to E5. Only once was a half bottle more than that. I bought salads or small savory pastries in bars for E1 to E2 for lunch. Bottled water is cheaper. Prices in Lisbon are a bit more than in small towns.

Portugal rental cars are very inexpensive too; the gas is the the same price in both countries. If you have a car you can get to the large supermarkets and stock up on water and snacks very inexpensively.

For another town I would recommend Sintra for a couple of days. Although it's only 30 minutes by train from Lisbon it has such a different feel.

I love Italy much more than Portugal but if you are looking for a European vacation and are on a budget then look no farther than Portugal. Good food & friendly people.

Hello yorkshire, various friends in Italy (all live in the Region of Veneto or Tuscany) love to vacation in Portugal as they enjoy the country, the people, the food etc., and they really enjoy the fact that being in Portugal does not cost them as much as taking a trip in their own Italy.

Thanks everyone--it is as I figured. Heck, we may go for it anyway, as DH seems to be inclined toward Italy, but I am up for either. I have always assumed Italy would be somewhere I visit later in life when I am optimistically more well off. I thought maybe smaller towns would help with Italy, but then it seems renting a car becomes a requirement and that cancels out any savings.

Zootsi, we're thinking of a fall trip to Portugal. Could you provide any more info on your recent apartment rental? Is there a web link?
Thanks
gail

Gailw, the apartment was very nice indeed,a recently refurbished 2 story townhouse in the heart of Evora. The apartment is fully equipped with everything you need except food. There is a public parking lot a few hundred feet away, and the apartment is located on a pedestrian walkway with restaurants and shops right outside the door. The one drawback is the large church a few blocks away which rang it's bells every 15 minutes thru the night. The apartment does have heavy duty double paned windows with shutters which helps.
Evora is a great little town with lots to see and do in the surrounding countryside. It's very tricky driving in to this part of Evora due to the tiny maze like streets, but that's part of the experience! See my Portugal trip report for more info.
here's the link to the apartment:
http://www.casadase.com/en/index.php

Zootsi: thanks so much. I'll check out your trip report and see what I can find out about the apt.
gail

I just checked out the photos of the apt. It looks great!

Zootsi: Despite agreeing that the apt looks fantastic, my S.O refuses to listen to church bells every 15 minutes (I'm afraid he might be right). Was there a particular website where you found this apt. listing or were you just doing a general vacation rental search when you found it? We read your trip report which has inspired us. Thanks very much.
gail

Gail,
The church bells are really not that noticeable with the windows and shutters shut, however if you are very light sleepers it may be a problem. I believe the apartment also has ac, which would also help (we hate ac so we didn't use it).
Actually the worst noise we encountered was on the first night. There was some kind of college initiation going on, and kids were shouting on the street below all night - the noise curfew starts at 4:00 am! The rest of the time we slept fine.
As for searching for apartments - in Portugal, it is VERY difficult finding an apartment in a town - 99% of rentals are rural. Since we live on a farm, we wanted something in town. I just happened to stumble across this apartment after hours and hours of surfing.

Zootsi: We live in rural NH so we also would be interested in staying "in town." We enjoy just walking around the neighborhood, stopping at local grocers, etc., when we're in a new town/city. We get enough "nature" when we're home. We're thinking about going late Oct/early Nov, so I don't think we'd be able to count on the AC drowning out noise, although we are hoping for warm weather. Thanks for your feedback, and also the info about rentals generally being rural. That certainly makes the church bells seem less objectionable!
Regards,
gail

gailw: we are going in early Nov, and since we have been to Portugal many times, we will make a mix of old favorities and new exploring. There is always something new to see..Our favorite part of the country is the north wine country. It feels like nothing much has changed there for the past 200 years, folks are friendly and lots to see..We rented an apartment for a month once on the Algarve, and used our little VW to bump around some of the little villages there abouts. Had a great time, rest on the beach or go exploring, whatever feels right that day, and we did cook some of our meals which helped with the money.