The price of a bola de berlim.
Every August the press asks what a bola de berlim costs on the beach, and every August the answer is one reporter, one beach, one anecdote. No public body records this price, so there has never been a series. This page builds one. Log what you paid and it joins the list below, beach by beach.
The idea was @_miguelferreira's, who asked in public for a national database tracking this price over the years.
Indicative: our 2026 figure is a crowd-sourced median, the 2025 base is a press survey of 14 beaches. Different instruments, so read the direction rather than the decimal.
The price over time
Journalism up to 2025, reader submissions from 2026. 5 years with no published beach price are left out of the chart; they are shown as gaps in the full list below.
The 2026 season is closed
This series stopped taking prices in September 2026 and reopens for the 2027 bathing season. Everything below is the 2026 record as it stands.
What the data says so far
Every price, including bakeries and vans off the sand. A bakery sells the same thing for roughly half, so this is not comparable with the beach series.
Read this as a crowd-sourced sample, not an official statistic.
Beach by beach
The gap between beaches is the finding, and there are two ways to read it. The map shows where. The index shows how much, and on what evidence: the same beaches, row by row, on one fixed scale.
Median price, all locations, euros…
Hover or tap a beach. The price bands are fixed, so the colours mean the same thing on every visit.
- Colour is the median price at that beach, in fixed bands, so a colour means the same thing on every visit.
- Marker size is how many prices are behind that median.
- A hollow ring is a beach with one price: an observation, not a median. 50 of them.
- 2 beaches fall outside the mainland frame. They are in the index, marked ×, with their prices.
- 3.00 € or more9 beaches · 26 prices · 4 on a single report
- 2.50 to 2.99 €49 beaches · 116 prices · 23 on a single report
- 2.00 to 2.49 €46 beaches · 108 prices · 17 on a single report
- under 2.00 €10 beaches · 16 prices · 6 on a single report
By municipality
- Grândola2025: 3.00 € (Tróia, Pego) · 0%21 prices3.00 €
- Figueira da Foz7 prices3.00 €
- Setúbal2025: 2.50 € (Setúbal) · +15%4 prices2.88 €
- Praia da Vitória2 prices2.55 €
- Almada2025: 2.50 € (Costa da Caparica) · 0%28 prices2.50 €
- Odemira6 prices2.50 €
- Albufeira27 prices2.50 €
- Lagoa1 price2.50 €
- Lagos8 prices2.50 €
- Ílhavo10 prices2.50 €
Roaming seller vs beach bar
- Roaming seller255 prices2.50 €
- Beach bar or concession7 prices3.00 €
- Other4 prices1.20 €
Blue Flag beaches vs the rest
- Blue Flag237 prices2.50 €
- No Blue Flag29 prices2.50 €
The series, year by year
One list, from 2012 to 2026, with the source marked on every row. Everything up to 2025 is journalism, because there was nothing else; from there on it is what readers send. Only one year was ever a real survey, and 5 years have no published beach price at all.
- 2026reader submissionsreader submissions2.50 €
- 202514 praias, de Quarteira ao PêgoAsurvey2.00 €
- 2024Burgau, Monte Gordo, Altura, CarvalhalBone-off quote2.00 €
- 2023Burgau e Monte GordoBrecalled a year later1.80 €
- DPraia não identificadapreço anunciado no papel do vendedor1.20 €
- DPraia não identificadapreço realmente cobrado, 30 cêntimos acima do anunciado1.50 €
- DAlgarve, praia não identificada1.50 €
- DPraia não identificadasem creme1.20 €
- DPraia não identificadacom creme1.50 €
- DPraia S. João da Caparica, Almada2.00 €
- DPraia dos Tomatessem água balnear identificada com este nome no registo da APA2.00 €
- DMonte Gordo, Vila Real de Santo Antóniocoincide exatamente com o valor noticiado pelo Observador para Monte Gordo nesse verão1.70 €
- DAlvor, Portimão2.00 €
- DBarlavento algarvio1.80 €
- DBarlavento algarvio2.00 €
- 2022AlgarveBone-off quote1.70 €
- DAlgarve, praia não identificadacontradiz os 1,70 que a CNN Portugal noticiou para o Algarve nesse mesmo verão1.20 €
- 2021no published price-
- 2020Praia da Rocha, PortimãoBone-off quote1.50 €
- 2019Praia da Rocha, PortimãoDderived, not written1.20 €
- 2018NacionalBone-off quote1.50 €
- 2017no published price-
- 2016no published price-
- 2015no published price-
- 2014Praia de Cabanas, TaviraBone-off quote1.20 €
- 2013no published price-
- 2012NacionalBone-off quote1.35 €
Weak evidence, and what was excluded
The grade D rows above come from one Reddit thread. They sit in the series but never set a year: the Monte Gordo report matches the reporting for that summer exactly, while the 2022 report of 1,20 contradicts the 1,70 CNN reported for the Algarve. Both are shown. First-hand purchaser reports, with no photograph of the price. We could not confirm the quotes ourselves: Reddit blocks automated reads. The thread is linked so anyone can check.
Ena minha infância, cada bola de Berlim custava 1€ A childhood recollection, with no year and no beach. Grade E is excluded from the series by definition.
First, the correction
The claim going round is that a bola de berlim cost 80 cents in 2018 and costs 2 euros today. False: The 80 cents was the price over a bakery counter, never on the sand: on the beach in 2018 it already cost between 1 and 2 euros.
In 2025 the same product ran from 1.50 euros in Quarteira to 3.50 in Pego, Grândola, in the same month. The spread across beaches is a bigger story than the drift across years.
Who is allowed to sell, and at what price
This explains the prices better than inflation does. Selling on the sand needs a municipal licence, councils issue a fixed and often tiny number per beach, and where that number is one the holder has a lawful monopoly. On a concessioned beach the concessionaire can go further and write the shelf price into the contract.
The 15,000 euro condition
A beach concession asked a vendor for 15,000 euros for the right to sell there, on one condition: the bola had to be priced at 3.50 euros. The highest price in the country was not set by a vendor. It was a contract term.
Numa concessão nessa praia, pediram-lhe 15 mil euros para poder vender naquele local e com uma condição: a bola tinha de estar a 3,5 euros.
Beaches where the council issues exactly one licence
At Burgau (Vila do Bispo) the council issues a single licence, for about 100 euros a year. One vendor, no competition, and a price of 2,00 to 2,50 euros.
André Carmo tem o monopólio naquela praia, onde a Câmara de Vila do Bispo só atribui uma licença para a venda (que lhe custa à volta de 100 euros por ano).
Prices agreed between vendors, not competed
- Alagoa-Alturacusta 1,80 euros, por decisão conjunta dos vendedores
- Monte Gordoem Monte Gordo está nos 2 euros, porque a maioria dos vendedores na praia ou fabricantes assim o decidiu
- Geralnuma praia onde se vende a 2 euros, se alguém vender a 1,80 euros por unidade, os concorrentes caem-lhe em cima
Licence counts councils do publish
- Marinha Grandesorteio de 7 licenças especificamente para venda de bolas de berlim nas praias do concelho, por exemplo 2 na Praia Velha
- Vagosprocedimento próprio para bolas de berlim, com 3 licenças para as praias do concelho
- Almadaedital de venda no areal com um número máximo de licenças por zona (Cova do Vapor a São João, Costa da Caparica, Fonte da Telha)
- Figueira da Fozedital com os lugares disponíveis por praia (Buarcos, Cabo Mondego, Costa de Lavos, Cova-Gala, Cabedelo)
- Gondomaredital para venda ambulante de saco às costas na praia do concelho, atribuída por sorteio
What is not published
No Portuguese municipality publishes, as open data or as a systematic annual document, a register of who holds a street-vending licence on each beach. What is published are regulations and notices giving the number of places and the rules of the draw, never the list of holders. That is why prices cannot currently be joined to the people licensed to charge them.
The audit
Every submission is listed here, including the ones the filters threw out, so the filtering can be checked rather than taken on trust.
- 2026-09-10Cabanas - Mar, Tavira1.80 €counted
- 2026-09-08Maria Luísa, Albufeira2.00 €counted
- 2026-09-02Praia Verde, Castro Marim2.20 €counted
- 2026-09-02Rocha, Portimão3.50 €counted
- 2026-08-31Porto de Mós, Lagos2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-30Sereia, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-29Tróia - Mar, Grândola3.00 €counted
- 2026-07-22Galapinhos, Setúbal3.50 €counted
- 2026-08-22Salema, Vila do Bispo2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-22Vau, Portimão2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-22Grande de Porto Covo, Sines2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-22Peniche de Cima, Peniche2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16S. Martinho do Porto Sul, Alcobaça2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-10Tróia - Mar, Grândola3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-11Tarquinio-Paraíso, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-07-31Monte Gordo, Vila Real de Santo António2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-13Fonte da Telha Sul, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-17Vale do Lobo, Loulé2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-17Maria Luísa, Albufeira2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-17Barril, Tavira1.80 €counted
- 2026-08-15Cabeço, Castro Marim2.00 €counted
- 2026-07-20Monte Clérigo, Aljezur2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-17Cabeço, Castro Marim2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-08Tróia - Mar, Grândola3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-10Armação de Pêra, Silves2.00 €counted
- 2026-07-25Comporta, Grândola2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-17Santa Eulália, Albufeira2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-11Comporta, Grândola3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-17Santo Amaro, Oeiras2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Francelos, Vila Nova de Gaia1.50 €counted
- 2026-07-05Barra, Ílhavo2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-12Rocha, Portimão2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Ancão, Loulé2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-17Moinho de Baixo-Meco, Sesimbra2.50 €counted
- 2026-07-22Física-Santa Cruz, Torres Vedras2.20 €counted
- 2026-08-17Navio, Torres Vedras2.20 €counted
- 2026-08-17Barra, Ílhavo2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-05Cabedelo, Figueira da Foz3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-13Monte Gordo, Vila Real de Santo António2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-02Fonte da Telha Norte, Almada2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Atlântica, Grândola3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Franquia, Odemira2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-15Atlântica, Grândola2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-14Alagoa - Altura, Castro Marim2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Morena, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-07-17Meia Praia, Lagos2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Falésia Açoteias, Albufeira2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Tróia - Bico das Lulas, Grândola2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16S. Pedro do Estoril, Cascais1.90 €counted
- 2026-07-30Fonte da Telha Centro, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-01Atlântica, Grândola3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Quebrada, Matosinhos2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Francelos, Vila Nova de Gaia1.50 €counted
- 2026-08-08São Torpes, Sines2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-01Barra, Ílhavo2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-08Praia S. João da Caparica, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Mareta, Vila do Bispo2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-01Porto de Mós, Lagos2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-01Meia Praia, Lagos2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Ilha do Farol - Mar Poente, Faro2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Alagoa - Altura, Castro Marim2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Armação de Pêra, Silvesoff the beach1.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Armação de Pêra, Silves2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-11Rocha, Portimão2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Barra, Ílhavo2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Praia Verde, Castro Marim2.20 €counted
- 2026-08-16Galé - Oeste, Albufeira2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-08Buarcos, Figueira da Foz2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-05Califórnia, Sesimbra2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Lagoa de Albufeira, Sesimbra2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Cabanas - Mar, Tavira2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-10Figueirinha, Setúbal3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Praia S. João da Caparica, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Fonte da Telha Sul, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Conceição, Cascais1.90 €counted
- 2026-08-12São Pedro de Maceda, Ovar3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-14Zambujeira do Mar, Odemira2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Barra, Ílhavo2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Cabanas - Mar, Tavira2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-09Ouro, Sesimbra2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Rainha (Almada), Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-16Santo António, Vila Real de Santo António2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Fuseta - Mar, Olhão2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Fonte da Telha Norte, Almada2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-12Vilamoura, Loulé2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-15Cepães, Esposende2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-15S. Martinho do Porto Sul, Alcobaça2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-16Moinho de Baixo-Meco, Sesimbra2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-15Cabanas - Mar, Tavira1.80 €counted
- 2026-08-14Carvalhal, Grândola3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-15Comporta, Grândola4.00 €excluded: over one sender's daily limit
- 2026-08-15Comporta, Grândola3.50 €counted
- 2026-08-15Comporta, Grândola3.00 €counted
- 2026-08-14Foz do Arelho-Lagoa, Caldas da Rainha2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-14Santo Amaro, Oeiras2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-12Grande de Porto Covo, Sines2.50 €counted
- 2026-08-14Praia da Riviera, Praia da Vitória2.60 €counted
- 2026-08-14Ouro, Sesimbra2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-14Ilha de Tavira - Mar, Tavira2.00 €counted
- 2026-08-14Praia Verde, Castro Marim2.20 €counted
Where this data comes from
The beach list is official.
Every beach in the form comes from APA's national registry of identified bathing waters (InfoPraia / SNIRH), published on dados.gov.pt under CC BY 4.0: 755 beaches across mainland Portugal, the Azores and Madeira, from the 2024 bathing season. That registry is also where the Blue Flag and beach-concession flags on this page come from. It is the fixed baseline: we did not invent or edit the list.
Beach list: APA / SNIRH InfoPraia, 755 identified bathing waters, 2024 season, CC BY 4.0.
The prices are not official, because no official price exists.
Nobody records it. INE's price index tracks a pastry category, never one product. ASAE inspects hygiene. APA licenses who may trade on a beach, not what they charge. So every price here was typed in by a member of the public: a crowd-sourced sample, not a statistic.
Sources and method
Prices come from the public and are not verified one by one. Three filters sit on top. Anything outside 0.20 to 15 euros is refused. Between 1 and 5 euros nothing is ever set aside, because real beach prices genuinely range that widely: the 2025 survey found 1,50 in Quarteira and 3,50 at Pego in the same month. Outside that band, a price far from the distribution is kept but left out of the published figures. And one sender can add at most two prices per beach per day, enforced with an anonymous identifier that changes daily: not an address, not reversible, useless for linking anyone across two days. We publish the median, so even a joke that slips through cannot move the headline. Prices dated more than 60 days back are marked as recalled from memory. No address, name or email is stored.
Every figure here comes from official open data.