Before we moved to Portugal we had to visit my parents who were already travelling around Europe in their RV so had vast knowledge of Spain and Portugal. I remember just before we went to meet up with my mum and dad I went to visit my Grandad. He told me that I should listen to everything they had to say because they are very experienced in the country we wanted to move to.

However instead of telling us everything that we needed to know we were told we were making a huge mistake and they little nuggets of information we craved were never forthcoming!

A couple of months into our new life in Portugal we soon realised what information we had craved the most and this was how different things cost and the best ways to save money. Now that we have all this information ourselves we are in a position to be able to shop for less than what we spent in England yet enjoy better food but it’s all about been savvy. So this is our run through on our price comparisons so that you can bring with you certain things and plan your future spending money.

First of all the weekly shop can compare greatly based on what level of quality the food that you buy is. For example I buy mainly supermarket own brand with the odd premium brand thrown in for a bit of luxury so these prices are based upon this!

Nobody had told us because we left England that a can of beans from the local Portuguese supermarket would cost us one Euro and if they had we would have taken lots of cans with us. So make sure you remember this but if you shop around you will find the cheap beans been sold at English supermarkets for 0.65 cent giving you a little bit of a saving.

Though it is all about cutting out lots of English things and replacing them with good quality local produce. For example if you had a lot of ready meals in England they are very expensive in Portugal but local produce is cheap so make the Lasagne yourself!!!

Through changing my shopping habits very slightly my shopping bill in Portugal is now less than what I paid in the UK. We did our weekly shop today at our local supermarket and spent 68 Euros. This is for a family of three so if there is just two of you it will be even less. When we were in England which was more than 18 months ago our weekly cost was £75.00 so we have dropped quite a bit.

Here is a run through though of how much things will cost you in Portugal (all prices are in Euros):

1 loaf of sliced bread (it is 25% bigger than in England) 0.67

6 fresh bread rolls 1.20

1 bag of grated quality cheese (unless you are in the summer season blocks of cheddar is very expensive so this is a fantastic alternative) 2.09. If you enjoy Philadelphia you will be pleased to know it is not expensive in Portugal and a nice sized tub of it will cost just 1.99. Or you can grab some of the supermarket’s own brand for 0.75 a tub.

6 free range eggs 1.49

1 1L carton of UHT milk 0.54 (the fresh milk is available but is rather expensive and goes off quickly)

1 bag of sugar 0.69

1 jar of coffeee 1.75 (Nestcafe is freely available but carries a very high price tag)

1 bar of local nestle chocolate 2.12 (similar in quality to Dairy Milk with a similar price)

1 pack of 4 medium sized Mars Bars 2.04 (around the same price as what you would pay in England)

Herbs can be of a similar price to the UK and the best part is they love recycling so for one Euro you can refill your previous jar which can save you quite a bit of money. Otherwise a usual branded jar of herbs will cost you 1.75 or 2.10 for a huge jar that will last you months.

1 large can of Sweetcorn 0.54

1 large can of garden peas 0.49

1 tub of Bisto gravy granules 2.59

1 small jar of Marmite 4.34 (better for your wallet if you are one of those that hate it!)

Uncle Bens Sauces 2.50

1 large jar of mayonnaise 1.84

1 large bottle of salad cream 1.99

1 large bottle of Ketchup 1.11

1L cooking oil 0.69

1 pack of plain flour 0.57

1 pack of self raising flour 0.64

500g pack of pasta shells 0.33

1L Robinson’s fruit squash 2.89 (or grab the local dilute of 750ml for 1.99)

2L bottle of fizzy water 0.29 (locals love this as an alternative to lemonade)

canned drinks 0.33 a can or pay 0.42 a can for some 7UP. (you can also seperate a six pack too so don’t worry if you want less than six)

Supermarket’s own brand strawberry jam 2.34

1 large tube of Pringles 1.78

1 can of Tuna in oil 0.37

1 can of sardine pate 0.16 (this is a local favourite and can be found across Portugal at a very low price)

1kg frozen chips 1.99

1kg tub of icecream 2.19

750g frozen vegetables 0.93

1kg margarine 3.29 (this is the mid-range margarine which is similar to I can’t believe it is not butter)

pack of 4 fruit yoghurts 1.04

Alcohol is also low in price and if you are a beer or larger drinker then you have it made! I also generally pay about 1.20 a bottle for a very nice white wine. Many people consider these as the expensive bottles so you can get it even cheaper than this! For the beer they have a local brand called Sagres which is very popular and will cost 0.40. However if you buy it in bulk by the crate of 54 bottles it will cost just 0.06 each. Which is perfect for summer parties!

If you are a pet owner you will be pleased to know that pet food is also reasonably priced. It will cost you around 0.39 a can for quality cat food. However if you have a dog a 5kg sack of dog food will set up back around 8.49.

Cleaning produce and toilettries will often cost you more in Portugal as they class these goods as luxuries. I often buy premium goods on eBay and have them shipped over as even with postage costs it still works out much cheaper.

Here is what you should expect to pay in Portugal:

750ml bottle of bleach 1.91

250ml bottle of Pantene shampoo/conditioner in one 3.59

10 Bic razors pack 2.49

Johnsons baby wipes 2.79 (though like with England they are often on offer)

Huggies pack of 64 nappies 9.99

Supermarket’s own brand of 88 nappies 9.99

Supermarket’s own shower gel 1.69

300ml polish 2.81

Persil 4.4kg of washing powder 12.99 (or 2.8kg for 7.99)

All purpose cleaner (similar to Flash) 1.5L for 2.49

Sensodyne toothpaste 75ml 3.79 (or Colgate for 3.29)

Supermarket’s own brand toothpaste 0.99

Supermarket’s own brand mouth wash 1.69

Supermarket’s own brand handwash 1.39

12 pack of toilet rollls 1.74 (Andrex style will cost 5.99 for 24)

If you stick with brands that come from America you will pay a similar amount rather than just looking for goods that you would buy in England. For example Ben & Jerry’s Icecream isn’t that expensive compared to UK branded goods.

They also have weekly leaflets distributed in the area with the best offers similar to what you would expect through Asda. So that you can plan your shopping in advance. The best shop that matches Asda on price has to Modelo in Portugal and the customer service is also very good. They also have a rewards card and you can get a lot of money on your card via the special offers that they have. Like with the Tesco’s clubcard you can get cash back at a later date!

We also visit the English supermarket about once a month to stock up on a couple of things. So visit 2 or 3 English supermarkets until you find the one that has the right offers for you. For example I notice that chocolate is very good value after Christmas and Easter when they are getting rid of their old stock.

They are also great for providing you with British birthday cards for when it is friends or families birthdays in England and you want to send a card through.

If you are planning a new life in the sun and want your food shop to be the same price or less think about the above in more detail. If you eat a lot of processed food swap it for fresh and eat lots of the local food as I can highly recommend it!

Thanks for reading

Samantha

X