Prices with sources
Every figure comes from published price lists or real quotes from Portuguese builders and hire companies, collected in September 2026. The sources are listed at the bottom of every page.
All prices
Building work and groundwork in the Algarve
What building work and digging really cost here
Quotes for the same job easily differ by a factor of two here. We list the real rates, with sources, in English, German or Dutch. We do the digging ourselves, machine and operator both.
Groundworkwith operator €45 per hour excl. VATWe dig ourselves
Land clearingstumps, rocks, bambooFire rules 2026
Installationswe do the groundwork firstSolar, air con, pool
Hire it yourself?1 day delivered: €509 – €606Three quotes compared
Building jobstradesperson €150 – €400 a dayRates and the VAT trap
Our work
A selection of our recent groundwork in the Algarve.
How we work
Not a price comparison site that steers you to the most expensive builder. Four commitments that come back on every page.
Also when it is not worth it
Just a few post holes? Then hiring an earth auger is cheaper than hiring us. We simply say so. It costs us a job and saves you money.
ExampleGroundwork done in-house
We do the digging ourselves, machine and operator both, including with a 1-tonne digger for precise work between walls and planting.
GroundworkIn English, German or Dutch
We go through your job with you in English, German or Dutch, so that measurements, materials and what is included in the price do not get lost in translation.
Request a quoteTwo sums that matter more than haggling
Most of the money is not in the discount you negotiate, but in two things that hardly anyone checks beforehand.
With a hired machine, the transport costs more than the machine
Hiring a 2.7-tonne mini digger for one day costs €140 in Loulé. Having it delivered and collected costs €369. Together that is €509 for one day, before fuel and before anything has been dug. With another hire company the same day is €606.
See the three quotes →The VAT trap: 23 or 6 percent
On a €20,000 job the difference is well over €3,400. Swimming pools and saunas are explicitly excluded from the low rate, so if you have a bathroom and a pool done, you get two rates on one invoice. If the builder does not split them, you pay 23 percent on everything.
When 6 percent applies →Bought a ruin or a plot?
Access, land clearing, rubble, water, power, septic tank, drainage, driveway: in what order, and what each step costs. So you don't pay for anything twice.
The whole Algarve
From the west coast to the Spanish border. Groundwork and building jobs in all sixteen municipalities, with set rates for the central Algarve. In the west we mainly take on jobs of one day or more.
Eastern Algarve
Tavira · Vila Real de Santo António · Castro Marim · Alcoutim
All prices at a glance
Price ranges and real quotes, not a price guarantee. Meant to help you judge whether what you are being offered is somewhere near normal.
| What | Price | Notes | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building jobs | |||
| Tradesperson or builder | €150 – €400 per day | Labour; materials +30 to 60% | Details |
| Small repairs, odd jobs | €150 – €280 per day | Labour | Details |
| Tiling | €25 – €60 per m² | Labour | Details |
| Complete bathroom | €3,000 – €8,000 | Excluding sanitaryware and tiles | Details |
| Renovating a house | €300 – €800 per m² | Labour | Details |
| VAT in construction | 23% or 6% | 6% only under conditions | Details |
| Installations | |||
| Solar panels | €0.90 – €1.30 per Wp | Turnkey, excluding battery | Details |
| Air con, single split | €800 – €1,400 | Including installation | Details |
| Pool heat pump 7 – 12 kW | €799 – €1,299 | Unit only, typical home pool | Details |
| Groundwork by us | €45 per hour | Cable trench, pipes, base for the outdoor unit | Details |
| Groundwork | |||
| Mini digger 1.7 tonne hire | €115 per day | Without operator; deposit €2,500 | Details |
| Mini digger 2.5 – 2.7 tonne, 1 day, delivered | €509 – €606 | Two quotes, including transport | Details |
| Mini digger 2.5 – 2.7 tonne, 1 week, delivered | €1,029 – €1,483 | Two Algarve quotes, including transport | Details |
| Digging with operator | €30 – €50 per hour | National average | Details |
| Groundwork by us, with operator | €45 per hour | Excl. VAT; day €340, minimum half a day | Details |
Renovating in the Algarve
Quotes for the same job here can easily differ by a factor of two. That is rarely down to the tradesperson: usually the difference lies in what is and is not included in the price (materials, transport, the permit from the câmara, the town hall) and in the VAT rate that has been applied.
In Portuguese construction, work is more often charged by the day than by the hour. That works in your favour on a week-long job and against you on two hours of work. So for small jobs, ask for a fixed price, and with every quote ask the seven questions that prevent the most hassle later on.
Digging without a middleman
A driveway, a drainage trench, a terrace, foundations or a cable trench: we carry out the groundwork ourselves, machine and operator both. For tight spots we use a 1-tonne digger that fits through an ordinary gate. No waiting until a machine is free somewhere, and no argument afterwards about who hit which pipe.
Having something installed? Ground-mounted solar panels, an EV charger further from the house or a heat pump by the pool all start with a trench. We do that groundwork too, so the installer can finish in one go.
If you would still rather hire yourself: we have put three quotes from hire companies side by side. On a short job, the transport turns out to cost more than the machine itself.
Questions everyone asks
Short answers to the questions we hear most often. All questions
Septic tankHow often does a septic tank need emptying, and who does it?Land clearingDo I have to clear my land in the Algarve, and how far from the house?DrainageWhy is there water against my wall after it rains?RulesDo I need a permit to dig on my own land in Portugal?PricesHow much does a digger with operator cost per hour in the Algarve?Hiring yourselfCan I hire and drive a mini digger myself?
What we are called out for most
Digging work that keeps coming up in the Algarve, each with an explanation and a price.
Septic tank
Replacement, a new drainage field or connection to the mains sewer.
Read moreLand clearing
Tree stumps, rocks and terraces, in time for the spring fire-rule deadline.
Read moreDrainage
Water against the wall or on the driveway after rain.
Read moreTight spaces
Walled garden or narrow gate: the 1-tonne digger fits through.
Read moreOur sister companies
Algarve Comfort does building work, groundwork and the groundwork before installations. Home batteries and EV chargers are sold on a separate site.
voltbase.eu
Volt Base, home batteries in Portugal
Home batteries, inverters and EV chargers with the price on the page, and the sum of whether a battery pays for itself here. Portugal has no net metering, so the answer differs from much of northern Europe.
quintahoekstra.com
Quinta Hoekstra, stay in the Algarve
Holiday accommodation in the Algarve countryside, under the same roof as Algarve Comfort.
You know what needs doing, but not what it should cost?
Describe the job in plain words. You will get an honest estimate, even if the answer is that you are better off doing it yourself.