Latest news and stories about cost of living in daily life in Porto, Portugal for expats and residents.
Porto has become the first Portuguese city to implement a free public transport system for its residents.
The Porto Municipal Assembly has approved a proposal to provide free public transport for residents across the entire metropolitan area, with implementation scheduled for January 2027 at an estimated annual cost of 20.5 million euros.
The energy company Plenergy has expanded its network by opening a new service station in Penafiel, bringing its total number of stations in Portugal to 16.
Over a hundred people, mostly elderly and immigrants, waited all morning on Monday, July 13, for a ticket at the Porto Municipal Office to apply for the 'Porto Card', which grants free access to public transport. Many residents were unaware that the card could be requested online or at ten other locations across the city. While citizens praised the measure as a necessary financial relief, many elderly residents expressed difficulty with the digital application process due to a lack of internet access or technical skills. The Porto City Council estimates that nearly 60,000 residents will benefit from the initiative.
Public transport for those with a tax address in Porto has been free since Friday, provided the resident holds a Porto Card.
The measure, which allows residents with a Porto card to travel at no cost throughout the metropolitan area, has an estimated annual cost of 20.5 million euros.
The proposal was discussed this Tuesday at a Porto city council meeting. The budget allocation will reach 30.75 million, covering expenses from this year through 2027 inclusive. In Lisbon, the city executive says it is not possible.
In four years, making soup at home has come to cost almost double. Even so, it remains one of the most affordable and common options on the Portuguese table.
The economic impacts of the war continue to hit the fish trade in markets, and for merchants, the trend “is not good at all.” In Matosinhos, CNN Portugal reporter Joana Almeida Carvalho takes the pulse of the situation.
The price has risen, but only slightly. At least in local shops, sellers prefer to accept a smaller profit margin to retain customers.
Maria sells fruit and vegetables and told CMTV that “people are only buying what is necessary”.
The project has evolved to now reach higher education, where the costs of these products can end up weighing on the budgets of students living away from home.
Óscar Afonso, director of the Faculty of Economics at the University of Porto, analyses the forecasts for fuel price fluctuations for the coming week.
Sonae CEO Cláudia Azevedo and CFO João Dolores addressed the potential impact of the Middle East conflict on food prices, noting that while inflation is currently controlled, the geopolitical situation remains a major uncertainty. The group reported a strong 2025 performance with a 14% increase in turnover, while highlighting a shift in consumer behaviour towards private-label products, which now account for one-third of Continente's sales. Additionally, the company announced a €100 million investment in built-to-rent housing projects in Portugal and Spain.
Consumers told CMTV at the weekly market in Póvoa de Varzim that they fear the constant rise in fuel and food prices.
!["If I don't have [money], I don't eat": Public reacts to consecutive food price hikes](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.cmjornal.pt%2Fimages%2F2026-03%2Fimg_1280x721uu2026-03-24-12-27-00-2274472.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
At the Matosinhos market, fruit, fish, and vegetables are beginning to reflect the widespread rise in prices.
Home News Porto Rising: Why Londoners Are Turning Their Eyes North Porto Rising: Why Londoners Are Turning Their Eyes North By Christina Hippisley, General Manager, Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK in News, Business · 9 hours ago · 0 Comments Credits: envato elements;Author: Image-Source;
Campanhã station and the new stop at São João Hospital were the most sought-after points on a line that will still take time to transport people to Matosinhos.
A real estate company in Rebordosa, Paredes, will give €1,000 to each employee who has a child.
The Municipal Social Housing Observatory of Porto reports that 28,180 residents live in the city's public housing stock, spread across 12,409 dwellings, and that the average rent is €77.06.
Presidential candidate Catarina Martins today held a housing debate in Porto and listened to the frustrations of several residents who attended the 'Laboratory of Happiness', voicing complaints about house prices and the city's gentrification.
The municipal executive of Porto City Council ratified the update to the water tariff for 2026, representing a 2.8% increase in price. Vice-president Catarina Araújo explained to councillors that the proposal is to ‘ratify’ and not to approve the tariff for 2026, because it results from ...
In 2025, the tariff adjustment had been 3.1%.
The AMP (Porto Metropolitan Area) occasional (single-use) Andante ticket fares will increase in 2026, with the changes applying from the Z3 ticket upward (i.e. Z3 and higher fare zones).
Andante occasional ticket prices will increase in 2026, but only from the Z3 fare upwards; the Z2 price (€1.40) and monthly passes will remain unchanged, Transportes Metropolitanos do Porto (TMP) announced.
Transportes Metropolitanos do Porto announced on its website that the price of monthly passes will remain unchanged; however, the prices of occasional tickets will rise next year.
The association's building has been sold, and the new landlord has refused to renew contracts with tenants, some of whom have lived there for 40 years. Casa da Horta is looking for a new space, leaving residents with an uncertain future.
