Tenerife Prices in 2024 - How Expensive Is Tenerife?

Planning your upcoming trip to Tenerife and wondering how much spending money you will need? In this article, we will try to show you and give you some examples of how much things cost in Tenerife and what travel budget you need as a holidaymaker in order to visit this popular Canary Island.

Cost of travel to Tenerife

Tenerife is not expensive and the Canary Islands, in general, are not an expensive destination.

Of course, this depends on where you are coming from and what other places you've visited before, but compared to most other destinations in Europe, Tenerife is an affordable place to visit. This is also true when compared to other popular Spanish destinations, like Barcelona, Mallorca or Ibiza, since Tenerife is generally cheaper to visit. 

Tenerife itinerary: How many days you need to visit Tenerife

It's true that prices in Tenerife have gone up since the pandemic, just like in the rest of Europe due to inflation, but compared to most other tourist destinations in Europe, the Canaries are still an affordable place to visit.

How much does a flight to Tenerife cost?

Your flight to Tenerife might be your biggest expense when it comes to visiting the island.

In fact, the cost of flights to Tenerife has increased in recent times, since people have started travelling again after the pandemic restrictions ended. Flights connecting the Canary Islands to mainland Spain are sometimes even more expensive than international flights, since the discount for Canarian residents is 75% (residents to the Canary Islands get a 75% discount on travel to mainland Spain only). 

If you travel from the UK to Tenerife during the summer holiday or during half-term in October, prices may be extortionate if you don't book ahead of time. So if you plan to come to Tenerife during these busy times, make sure to book your flight early (there are no last-minute deals on flights during these busy times).

During other periods there are still bargains to be had if you can be flexible with your travel dates.

How expensive is food in Tenerife? How much money do you need for restaurants and drinks? 

Eating out doesn't have to be expensive in Tenerife (although you can definitely find some restaurants suitable for fine dining and even Michelin stars restaurants).

• Menu del Dia (Daily Menu) in Tenerife South - starting at 10€, including a starter, main dish, and drink
• Menu del Dia in Santa Cruz de Tenerife - around 10€, including a starter, main dish, and drink. In the capital and places which are not usually touristy, you will find this kind of offer only during weekdays. 
• Cost of lunch/dinner a la carte for two - from 25€ to 50€ in a cheap to a mid-range restaurant
• Cost of a decent cocktail - 5€ to 10€. You can find some promotions during happy hour maybe, but even so, in a nice place, with good atmosphere and/or good views, a cocktail will be at least 5€.
• Cost of beer - 1.5€ to 4€ in most places. You can still find plenty of beachfront bars that serve a 1€ or 1.5€ pint of beer!
• All You Can Eat Buffet meals in Tenerife - 11€ (Rong Cheng in Playa de Las Americas) to 17€ per person (Mongolian BBQ Restaurant in Los Cristianos).

Rong Cheng is a popular Chinese buffet in Playa de Las Americas where you can get an 11€ meal per person (plus IGIC 7% and drinks, usually at least 2€). So with a budget of 30€, you can have dinner sorted for a couple. There are other buffets in Tenerife South at similar prices, so you can look for one in the area where you are staying. The Mongolian BBQ buffet in Los Cristianos already includes the IGIC tax (similar to VAT) in the 17€ price they advertise.

Accommodation in Tenerife 

Of course, it depends on where you decide to stay during your holiday to Tenerife.

The south is the most popular area on the island, as it's almost always sunny and warm. If you want to save money on accommodation you could stay in the north, especially if you are visiting during the summer months when the weather is hot there as well (the north is also the best area to stay in Tenerife if you are mostly interested in hiking and nature walks).

Hotel prices in Tenerife South

Budget - Laguna Park 2 and Apartamentos Tinerfe Garden are popular budget places to stay in Tenerife, ranging around 400€/ week/ 2 people. 

Mid-range - Kn Aparthotel Panorámica and Hotel Best Jacaranda are popular mid-range places to stay in Costa Adeje, with a cost between 700€ and 1000€ per week, for 2 people sharing a room.

High-end - Royal Hideaway Corales Beach - Adults Only, by Barceló Hotel Group is one of the newer 5-star hotels in the south of Tenerife, but also one of the more expensive options, with a week costing around 2500€/ 7 nights /  2 people (breakfast included). Vincci Selección La Plantación del Sur and Hard Rock Hotel Tenerife are also good premium hotel options, sometimes less expensive than the Royal Hideaway Corales, depending on which type of room you choose. Prices range between 1800€ and 3000€ per week for 2 people.

The price of accommodation also varies greatly depending on the time period when you want to travel: Easter, summer holiday, Christmas and New Year will be more expensive than the rest of the year. It also depends on when you book, with how much time in advance and what offers you can find available at that time.

But a holiday to Tenerife does not have to be expensive and you can certainly find some good deals on hotels if you plan your trip in advance.

Sunbed prices on Tenerife beaches

If you're planning to stay in Tenerife South, in the usual tourist areas like Playa Las Americas, Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos, then on most beaches the price for a sunbed will be 6€, so a pair of sunbeds and an umbrella will set you back 18€ per day.

• Playa La Enramada: 6€ per sunbed
• Playa El Camison: 6€ per sunbed
• Playa del Duque: 6€ per sunbed

Sunbeds are usually a bit less expensive on Playa Los Cristianos.

Cost of getting around Tenerife - Taxis, Car Hire and Buses

Bus (Guagua)

TITSA is the bus company operating in Tenerife.

You can pay by cash on the bus or if you plan to do more bus trips you can buy a ten+ card, which will reduce your cost per ride. For example, a bus trip from Costa Adeje to Tenerife South airport should cost 3.7€ if you pay in cash on the bus and 3.15€ if you have a ten+ card.

Car Hire

Car Hire is still cheap in Tenerife and it's the best way to explore the island at your own pace. We also have a list of advice and routes for driving in Tenerife.

However, prices have increased since before the pandemic, so in our experience, it will be difficult to find a car hire for less than 20€ per day from a reputable company like Cicar. Of course, it depends how far ahead you make the booking for the car hire and the period when you plan to visit (during the school holidays the demand is higher to the prices go up).

Taxi

This is a list of taxi prices in Tenerife. We don't usually use taxis, as we always rent a car, so we don't have much experience in this regard.

Fuel prices

Fuel in the Canary Islands is really cheap compared to countries like the UK.

The most popular gas stations are Disa, BP, Cepsa, Repsol and Shell. We usually fueled our car at Repsol, as they usually had the best prices, while we found Disa to be the most expensive overall.

Fuel prices (2024)

• LPG 0.8 €/liter
• Unleaded 1.2 €/liter

Of course, it depends on which gas station you use. We found the best prices at Repsol El Tanque and also a Repsol Gas Station in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

How much spending money do you need in Tenerife?

A comfortable daily budget in Tenerife for a couple would be 100-150€, but you could manage with less. 

This includes food costs, drinks and also activities and the cost of transportation. The budget for cocktails and drinks can make the most significant difference. We are not big drinkers and on most days we only have a small beer in the evening since we're out driving around the island during the day. But the cost of cocktails can add up quickly, so if you have just 2 cocktails per day per person, that can add up to at least 16 - 20€. 

The cost varies greatly if you are staying at an all-inclusive resort and you plan to eat most meals at the hotel restaurant and get your drinks there as well. 

We encourage you to support the local economy and eat and drink in local restaurants and bars. Your business is much needed on the island and you'll be surprised by the quality you can find in some places at very good prices. 

Also, if you plan to do some activities like going to Siam Park or visiting Loro Park you will need to increase your budget for that day. 

So, is Tenerife expensive to visit? 

Tenerife can be as expensive as you wish it to be, although it doesn't have to be. 

Flights are still the biggest issue when it comes to traveling to Tenerife, as prices have increased in recent years. If you manage to find good prices on flights, then the cost of accommodation and food can be quite reasonable.