The article came about due to frequent questions from tourists about how much money to take on a trip. I’ll talk about travel budgets and the Canary Islands travel cost the today. Prices will be “middle-of-the-road.” If desired, everyone can find not only where to save but also where to spend more. Some expense items may surprise you as prices over the years, especially in tourism, have greatly increased in the Canary Islands.

General information about the Canary Islands travel cost

It’s important to know:

The Canary Islands are a special economic zone of Spain. There are many preferences and a reduced tax base compared to mainland Europe. As a result, prices for goods in the main consumer basket are among the lowest in Europe, even though delivering goods is much more difficult and expensive. The Canary Archipelago is over 1000 km from Europe. But even gasoline is 20% cheaper here than on the mainland of Spain.

Yes, food, alcohol, and gasoline are relatively inexpensive in the Canary Islands, but when it comes to tourism, prices in some areas are not low and have increased 2-3 times over the years.

In this article, I won’t write about the cost of bread, meat, or beer; you can read about that through the link: prices in the Canaries for all categories of goods and services that interest tourists.

canary islands travel cost
Food prices in the Canary Islands are quite low compared to mainland Europe. Fresh seafood is reasonably priced.

Next, let’s consider the average expenses for a 10-day vacation in the Canary Islands for two people. I’ll break down everything by expense items so you understand the approximate prices. All prices will be estimated with a margin, meaning if desired, you can find where to save and find something a little cheaper.

How much does a vacation in the Canary Islands cost: expense items

  • Airplane tickets. It’s both simple and difficult. Low-cost airlines fly from all over Europe to the main islands of the archipelago. With citizenship of an EU (UK, US) country or residence permits, visas from Britain or the USA, as well as a Schengen visa, you can fly directly to Tenerife even from Warsaw. And you can sometimes catch round-trip tickets for as low as 100 euros per person. Therefore, we don’t consider travel expenses in the calculation, as everyone comes here from different countries, and for some, it’s 100 euros, while for others, it’s a minimum of 700 euros.
    • Useful article: how to travel to the Canaries today. I’ll talk about the optimal routes, which cities in Europe have direct flights, where to find tickets, and more.
  • One of the main expense items is accommodation. Today, prices have increased significantly. Finding a hotel room or apartment with a kitchen at a resort for less than 70-90 euros per day is not easy. Decent hotels at resorts cost 120-150 euros per room per day. Roughly, renting accommodation for 10 days will cost around 1000 euros. Details about Canary accommodation, what to pay attention to, and what drawbacks exist, can be found here.
Canary vacation cost
If you have a rental car, you can look for accommodation farther from the beach with views like these. Good apartments with a kitchen and such views can be found for 60-70 euros per day. And similar apartments right by the beach will cost from 100-120 euros. And with the saved difference, you can rent a car 🙂

Interesting to know:

According to statistics from the local tourism ministry, about 80% of all tourists visiting the islands rent a car for at least 1 day. If you want to explore any island, visit its attractions, mountains, gorges, caves, and wild beaches, you can’t do it without a car. Only those who want to spend their entire vacation on one beach will be comfortable without a car.
  • The car rental market is very well developed on the islands. On average, one day of car rental on any island costs around 35 euros. Since the islands are small and gasoline is cheap here, the expenses for gasoline during a typical travel rhythm average around 10 euros per day. So, a total of 45 euros per day, or 450 euros for 10 days.
canary islands travel budget
50% of the vacation budget in the Canary Islands consists of accommodation and car rental. You can rent a car like the one in the photo for 35-40 euros per day.
  • Food. It’s simple: if you have apartments with a kitchen and you cook yourself, it’s not difficult to spend around 20 euros per day on meals. Prices for groceries in stores are affordable. If you prefer to dine only in restaurants, there are options: dinner for two with alcohol in a restaurant is about 50 euros, while dinner in a local cafeteria is around 20 euros. If you prepare breakfasts and lunches yourself and dine in restaurants and cafeterias for locals, alternating between them, you’ll spend an average of about 50 euros per day on meals with alcohol. This is without any special restrictions or savings.
how much travel to canaries cost
These are the dishes served in cafeterias for locals: it’s traditional Canarian cuisine. On the left is Estofado (braised goat meat with potatoes and beans), and on the right is Papas Arrugadas (boiled potatoes in seawater with mojo rojo sauce). It’s much tastier than pizza and pasta 🙂
  • Sightseeing and entrance tickets. There’s a huge difference in the budget here. There are many cool free locations on the islands, but there are also paid ones. Just for example and general understanding: a cool botanical garden on the island of Gran Canaria is free, while entry to Loro Park (a mega-cool zoo) on Tenerife is 42 euros per person. There are free lookout points, and there are those where entry is 8 euros.
    • Total: the budget for entrance tickets to cool attractions, if you’re moderately active tourists and don’t aim to see every corner of the island, is about 250 euros for two for the entire vacation.
    • Top attractions in the Canaries: map, prices, tips.
travel budget to canaries
The vacation budget in the Canary Islands is greatly influenced by the prices of entrance tickets to attractions. There are many free ones, but there are also paid ones, like this. In the photo is El Diablo restaurant in the Timanfaya National Park on the island of Lanzarote. The uniqueness of the restaurant is that it’s located on a volcano where geothermal activity continues today. You can order barbecue cooked right above the volcano. But to get to the restaurant, you need to pay the entrance fee to the national park of 20 euros per person, and a portion of chicken barbecue costs 18 euros + 5 euros for a drink. Do the math yourself.
  • Souvenirs and gifts to take home – just plan around 100 euros. Here’s a list of interesting souvenirs you can bring from the Canary Islands.
  • Excursions. There’s a wide choice: from sea tours to dolphins and whales to trips to national parks. If you don’t take an expensive excursion to the summit of Mount Teide on Tenerife, you can plan around 200 euros for two for all standard excursions. And to read about the types of excursions, what to choose, and make a list of excursions that interest you, this article will help: the best excursions and tours in the Canaries.

Useful to know:

For those travelers who don’t want to stay on just one island but want to see neighboring islands as well, plan for ferry tickets of about 100-150 euros for two for the round trip. For example, sailing from Tenerife to the island of La Gomera and back.

Travel Tips, or how much money to take to the Canaries

Total: how much money to take to the Canaries

For a 10-day vacation for two (excluding flights), for a normal vacation without savings, around 2500 euros should be enough. But this figure is very individual and will depend greatly on your preferences.

Our friends, however, spend much less than this amount on vacation. Yes, saving on accommodation won’t work as prices have increased significantly on all the islands. But here are some tips that can help reduce the budget for your vacation in the Canary Islands without compromising its quality:

  • You can rent a car for 5 days and explore the entire island during this time, then spend the remaining 5 days relaxing on the beach at your resort.
  • Often, breakfast is included in the room rate at hotels. Pay attention to this when booking. A good breakfast not only saves money but also time.
  • If you plan to vacation without a car, look for accommodation in infrastructure-rich areas where everything is at hand: the beach, shops, and close to cool attractions. And if you’re renting a car, then on the contrary, the farther from the beach, the cheaper the accommodation, and here you can save.
  • I don’t like eating in classic restaurants where prices and menus are for tourists. In 95% of establishments: pizza, pasta, risotto, burgers – all the things I can eat at home. Choose cafeterias, they are places for locals, and it’s here that you’ll find traditional Canarian cuisine, large portions, always delicious, and twice as cheap.
how much money to tenerife
For a general understanding, the average prices for street snacks to grab on the go: for 8.5 euros, you’ll get something similar Kumpir in Istanbul. Potatoes are very popular in the Canaries.

In conclusion: I hope you’ve learned how much a vacation in the Canary Islands costs and what the vacation budget is. All these figures can be easily adapted to your needs; study the attractions of the islands you’re flying to. If you know what you want to see, plan your route and decide how many days you need a car for, then you’ll be able to accurately calculate how much money to take to the Canary Islands for vacation.

And for those who need just a beach vacation, without excursions, car rentals, island trips, and are willing to cook for themselves, the vacation will be very budget-friendly. The beaches in the Canaries are all free, and ham, cheese, and sangria in the store are cheap.

Useful links to help you plan your dream trip to Canary Islands:

  • Car Rental: LocalRent or DiscoverCars – the most popular car rental platforms.

  • Accommodation:
    • Trip.com – the largest accommodation booking platform.

    • or TripAdvisor – to compare prices among other platforms and choose the best one.

  • Budget-friendly vacation packages to Spain and Canary Islands: CheapOair.

  • Tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator – hundreds of offers, whales and dolphins, entrance tickets with discounts.

  • eSIM and internet: Airalo.

  • Flights: WayAway compares prices among dozens of companies.

  • Travel Insurance: EKTA.