# How Much Does Rehab Cost in Portugal? | Sierra Recovery > How much does rehab cost in Portugal? Free public SICAD/CRI treatment, mutual-aid support, private residential price ranges and treatment abroad, compared. [Home](/) / [Cost of rehab guides](/local-treatment-guides/) / Portugal The cost of rehab in Portugal # How Much Does Rehab Cost in Portugal? An honest guide What addiction treatment really costs in Portugal, from the free public health service and mutual-aid support to private residential rehab and treatment abroad, with the real figures and how to access each. [See the options](#options)[+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) Clinically reviewed by[Nerea Encinas Sánchez](/clinical-team/)Director of the centre, MSc General Health PsychologyRegistered psychologist, COPAO AO13857 Checked for accuracy on 28 July 2026. Next review due July 2027. This page is general information about our programme and is not a substitute for advice about your own situation. In Portugal you do not have to pay for addiction treatment. The public health service treats dependence for free through SICAD and the local Centros de Respostas Integradas (CRI), and for most people that is the right first step, whether you are looking at drug rehab, alcohol rehab, or both together. Private residential rehab in Portugal is faster and more intensive but is typically listed from several thousand euros a week, and treatment abroad, in Spain, can cost less than a private residential stay. Below are the real rehab costs and options, side by side. If you may be physically dependent, do not stop suddenlyStopping alcohol or benzodiazepines abruptly can be dangerous if you are physically dependent, and severe withdrawal can cause seizures. Get medical advice first. In a life-threatening emergency in Portugal call 112. For urgent, non-emergency health advice call the SNS 24 line on 808 24 24 24. Any medically supervised detox should be completed in an appropriate medical setting before a residential programme begins, wherever that programme is. Who publishes this, and why it matters. This guide is published by Sierra Recovery. We are not based in Portugal, we are a residential centre in Málaga, Spain, and we are included further down as one option among the local ones, clearly marked, for people who would consider treatment away from home. Unlike a directory, our list is not influenced by anyone paying for placement, and where a local option is better for you than we are, we say so. ## The addiction picture in Portugal Portugal treats drug dependence as a health matter rather than a criminal one. Since 2001, personal possession of drugs has been decriminalised and dealt with through health and social routes instead of the courts, and treatment for drug addiction, alcohol addiction, or a combined drug and alcohol addiction is delivered through the public health service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde). In practice this means the first door for most people is a free, confidential public service, not a private clinic, whatever form the substance use disorder, substance abuse or drug abuse takes. Alcohol, which remains the most common reason people seek treatment, is handled through the same public network of assessment and care, alongside support for the physical and mental health issues, including drug or alcohol addiction and problem drug and alcohol consumption, that often go with it. Every patient is assessed individually, since the right level of care depends on the severity of dependence and on wider mental health needs, not on a single fixed pathway. ## Free and community options in Portugal Start here. These are free, national, and for a great many people they are enough. Service Reach Type Setting Cost Access SICAD / CRI Centros de Respostas Integradas National Public health (SNS) Outpatient Free GP or health-centre referral, or contact your local CRI Linha Vida 1414 SICAD drug & alcohol helpline National Public helpline Phone Free Call 1414, Mon–Fri 10:00–20:00 SNS 24 National health line National Public health Phone, 24h Free advice Call 808 24 24 24 Alcoólicos Anónimos (AA Portugal) National Mutual aid Peer, incl. English meetings Free Helpline 217 162 969, no referral Narcóticos Anónimos (NA Portugal) National Mutual aid Peer Free Helpline 219 477 970, no referral Information checked 25 July 2026. SICAD runs the national network of CRIs that deliver public, mostly outpatient, addiction treatment; Linha Vida 1414 and SNS 24 are free access and advice routes; AA and NA are free mutual-aid fellowships with meetings across the country. ### Who each free service is for Whatever the mix of drugs and alcohol involved, SICAD and your local CRI are the main public route: assessment, counselling, medical support and psychological care, often including individual and group therapy, and, where clinically needed, opioid substitution programmes, therapy sessions, and referral on to a detox or inpatient rehab unit with accommodation. Linha Vida 1414 is a free, anonymous line for anyone with questions about their own or a loved one’s use, and can point you to the nearest service. SNS 24 is the general health line for urgent, non-emergency advice at any hour. AA and NA run free, twelve-step meetings, most days, in person and online, and work alongside any treatment, with English-speaking AA groups in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve for those who prefer them. ## Private residential rehab in Portugal: the honest reality There are private residential clinics in Portugal, most of them around Lisbon and the Algarve, ranging from a straightforward rehab clinic to a luxury rehab retreat by the coast. Names vary, from private rehab and rehab centre to drug and alcohol rehab centres or alcohol and drug rehab, offering alcohol rehab treatment, residential rehab, or dedicated alcohol rehabilitation programmes, but the underlying rehab services should be broadly comparable: a clear assessment, an evidence-based treatment plan that may include cognitive behavioural therapy, and a level of care matched to the severity of the substance dependence involved. One name families often ask about is Heritage, in the Algarve, which publishes rates from around €6,000 a month, although at that price the room is usually shared rather than private, so compare like for like. We take no placement fees and are not paid to rank anyone, so before you commit to any centre, confirm two things directly: that it is registered with the Portuguese health regulator, the Entidade Reguladora da Saúde (ERS), and that the price it quotes you matches its own published figures. Finding the right rehab, or the right rehab centre for a loved one, usually means comparing a handful of rehab facilities, whether badged as a treatment and rehabilitation centre or a residential treatment centre in the wider international sense, on this basis rather than on branding alone. For most people the free public route above is the right first step, and residential care, in Portugal or abroad, almost always means travelling away from home, which is worth knowing when you weigh up treatment and rehabilitation in another country, whatever type of rehab you eventually choose. ## Indicative cost of rehab in Portugal Here is how the real rehab costs break down, and roughly how much rehab costs at each level. Costs vary by length of stay, whether admission into rehab includes a medically supervised detox, whether private accommodation is included and where the centre is, and the same applies whether you are pricing up the cost of alcohol rehab, the cost of drug and alcohol rehab treatment, or a purely outpatient rehab programme. - Public treatment (SICAD / CRI): free, funded through the SNS. This includes outpatient assessment, counselling and rehab treatment, and referral to a public detox or inpatient rehab unit where clinically indicated. - Private residential rehab in Portugal: published directories list a wide band, commonly from around €2,000 to €6,000 a week, so roughly €8,000 to €24,000 for a 28-day stay, with luxury coastal clinics well above that. These are indicative directory ranges for a residential rehab programme of this kind, not quotations. - Detox on its own: where a private medically supervised detox is needed first, it is usually billed separately from the residential fee. Funding routes. The public system is free at the point of use. Private care is met from savings, by private health insurance where a policy covers residential treatment, or through a centre’s own payment plan. It is worth asking any private provider, in Portugal or abroad, exactly what its headline price does and does not include, what is included in the cost of treatment, and what admission into rehab actually involves, whether that is called a rehab programme, an inpatient rehab stay, or a treatment programme. Cost ranges checked 25 July 2026. Typical published ranges, not quotations, and every centre sets its own fees. Please verify before you decide. Services, waiting times and prices change, and every centre sets its own fees. The figures here are drawn from public directory listings and each provider’s own published information, dated above. Always confirm directly with the service or centre, and check its registration with the relevant health authority. Considering residential treatment abroad? ## Sierra Recovery, Málaga, Spain We are a registered health centre in Humilladero, Málaga, treating in English, with a clinical model adapted from the one used by PROMIS in the UK since 1986 and aftercare that continues when you get home. £9,900 for the published 28-day residential programme, private room included; any hospital detox is arranged and billed separately. We are a rehabilitation centre, not a hospital or detox unit, so where a medically supervised detox is needed it is completed first, in an appropriate medical setting, with qualified nurses on the team during your stay. Our director is Nerea Encinas Sánchez, and we charge no referral fees. Our methodology is the Regulation Model. [See exactly what is included](/pricing/) · [our regulation and licensing](/regulation-and-licensing/). ## Which option is right for you Start with the free public service (SICAD / CRI) if you are unsure, if cost is the barrier, if you are looking for free rehab or rehab for alcohol without charge, or if you want to stay near family and work; it is also the right starting point if a previous relapse means you are dealing with alcohol or drug problems again. Call Linha Vida 1414 or SNS 24 if you just need to talk it through or find the nearest service today. Private residential in Portugal if you want a faster, more intensive stay close to home and can meet the cost, whichever of the treatment options or rehab options suits you best. Treatment abroad, in Spain, only if a private residential stay is out of reach at home, distance from your usual surroundings would help, and you can travel and do not need an immediate hospital detox. Use AA or NA alongside whatever you choose to help you stay sober and support long-term recovery once a treatment programme ends. If you are also comparing this against rehab cost in the UK, including whether rehab through the NHS is available free at the point of use in principle like Portugal’s SNS route, or rehab in the UK more generally, our [UK vs Spain guide](/rehab-uk-vs-spain/) sets both out side by side. If treatment away from home is worth considering, you can [read how admission to Sierra works](/admissions/) and speak to a clinician before you decide anything, wherever your recovery journey and addiction recovery ultimately take you. + ### Talk to a clinician today You will speak to our admissions team, all of them clinicians. Confidential and no obligation. We will tell you honestly whether this is the right place, or point you to a better one. [Speak to a clinician](/contact/) Or call us directly at [+44 1202 653136](tel:+441202653136) Registered health centre, N.I.C.A. 67331, entered in the Registro Andaluz de Centros, Servicios y Establecimientos Sanitarios (the Andalusian register of health centres, services and establishments). [Look us up](https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud/oficinavirtual/consulta/index.jsp). ## Sources and verification - [SICAD](https://sicad.pt/), Serviço de Intervenção nos Comportamentos Aditivos e nas Dependências, and the network of Centros de Respostas Integradas (CRI) - [Linha Vida 1414](https://sicad.pt/PT/Cidadao/LinhaVida/O_que_e/Paginas/default.aspx), free SICAD drug & alcohol helpline (Mon–Fri 10:00–20:00) - [SNS 24](https://www.sns24.gov.pt/), national health line, 808 24 24 24 - [Alcoólicos Anónimos Portugal](https://aaportugal.org/en/) (217 162 969) · [English-speaking AA meetings](https://aaunityportugal.org/) - [Narcóticos Anónimos Portugal](https://na-pt.org/) (219 477 970), meeting finder - [Entidade Reguladora da Saúde (ERS)](https://www.ers.pt/), verify a Portuguese private centre’s registration - Private residential price ranges compiled from published directory listings (indicative, not endorsements) - [Junta de Andalucía register](https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud/oficinavirtual/consulta/index.jsp), Sierra Recovery, N.I.C.A. 67331 · [Sierra pricing](/pricing/) All figures dated 25 July 2026. Each price should be confirmed on the provider’s own page before you rely on it. ## Questions people ask How much does rehab cost in Portugal? Public addiction treatment through SICAD and the local Centros de Respostas Integradas (CRI) is free, funded by the national health service, and is the right first step for most people. Private residential rehab is charged separately: published directories list a wide band, commonly from around €2,000 to €6,000 a week, so roughly €8,000 to €24,000 for a 28-day stay, with luxury coastal clinics well above that. These are indicative ranges, not quotations, and every centre sets its own fees. Is there free addiction treatment in Portugal? Yes. Portugal treats dependence as a health matter, and the public health service provides free assessment, counselling and outpatient treatment through SICAD and the CRI network. You can also call the free Linha Vida helpline on 1414 or the SNS 24 health line on 808 24 24 24, and Alcoólicos Anónimos and Narcóticos Anónimos run free meetings across the country, including English-speaking AA groups. Does private health insurance cover rehab in Portugal? Sometimes. Some private policies cover residential or psychiatric treatment, but many limit or exclude addiction care, so check your policy wording and confirm cover with both the insurer and the centre before you commit. The public route through SICAD and the CRIs is free regardless of whether you hold private insurance. How do I check a private rehab centre in Portugal is legitimate? Confirm that the centre is registered with the Portuguese health regulator, the Entidade Reguladora da Saúde (ERS), and ask to see its own published prices and what they include. Be cautious of any centre that will not put its registration or its fees in writing. No specific private centre is endorsed here. Is treatment abroad in Spain cheaper than private rehab in Portugal? It can be. Sierra Recovery’s published 28-day residential programme in Málaga is £9,900 with a private room included, which sits at or below many private residential ranges, and any hospital detox is arranged and billed separately. Treatment abroad only makes sense if a private stay at home is out of reach, distance would help, and you can travel and do not need an immediate hospital detox. If you are dependent on alcohol or benzodiazepines, do not stop suddenly, and call 112 in an emergency. + ## Talk to a clinician today You will speak to our admissions team, English-speaking clinicians who know the programme and the people in it. Callback within 24 hours. Step 1 of 3 Confidential, and no obligation Registered health centre. Authorised by the Junta de Andalucía, N.I.C.A. 67331. ### What rehab costs elsewhere - [Spain](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-spain/) - [France](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-france/) - [Germany](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-germany/) - [Belgium](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-belgium/) - [the Netherlands](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-the-netherlands/) - [Austria](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-austria/) Or read what a stay actually costs, [country by country](/what-does-rehab-actually-cost/), and what [Sierra Recovery charges](/pricing/). ### Related pages [Pricing](/pricing/)[Our programme](/our-programme-at-sierra-recovery/)[Regulation & licensing](/regulation-and-licensing/)[Rehab: UK vs Spain](/rehab-uk-vs-spain/)[Cost of rehab in Spain](/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-spain/)[Admissions](/admissions/) --- Source: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-portugal/ Retrieved: 2026-08-27 Canonical HTML version of this page: https://sierrarecoveryspain.com/how-much-does-rehab-cost-in-portugal/