The question everyone asks before booking: how much is this actually going to cost me?

The honest answer is that Lanzarote can be cheap or expensive depending on three decisions, and none of them is the flight. Here's the real breakdown, with three complete budgets for a week, two people, and the tricks that actually move the needle.

Reference prices: summer 2026. These are indicative and change by season. Always confirm before booking — and if you spot this article is out of date, let us know.
Car driving along a winding road between volcanoes at Timanfaya Park
Car driving along a winding road between volcanoes at Timanfaya Park

The breakdown, item by item

✈️ Flights

The bit that varies most and that you control least. From mainland Spain, return per person: between €80 and €250 depending on how far ahead you book and the dates. From the rest of Europe, it depends on the country and whether there's a direct flight.

What you do control

the dates. Christmas, Easter and August send prices through the roof. May, June and November are a different story altogether.

🚗 The car: not optional

Here's the first big decision: you need a car, and anyone who says otherwise ends up paying for taxis or organised trips and spending more in the end.

  1. Hire: €30-45 a day in mid-season → €200-300 for the week. Book two or three weeks ahead and it's considerably less.
  2. Fuel: the island is small and petrol is cheaper than on the mainland. €40-60 covers a whole week.
  3. Parking: free almost everywhere.
How to get around Lanzarote

🏠 Accommodation: the big-ticket item

Rough guide, per night, for two:

Type Per night Week


Basic apartment€50-80€350-560Mid-range apartment/hotel€80-130€560-910Villa or finca with pool€150-250€1,050-1,750

The trick almost nobody uses

an apartment with a kitchen doesn't save you money on the room — it saves you money on the 21 meals you'll have that week.

Where to stay in Lanzarote

🍽️ Eating

  1. Menú del día (set lunch menu): €10-15 per person. It's the best invention in Spain and works just as well here.
  2. Dinner at a restaurant: €20-35 per person with wine.
  3. A beer or a coffee: €1.50-2.50.
  4. Supermarket: a weekly shop for two, €60-100 (Hiperdino, Spar, Lidl).
The rule

have a proper meal at lunchtime with the menú del día and eat in for dinner. That alone can shift your weekly budget by €200.

Typical dishes of Lanzarote

🎟️ Sightseeing: the surprise

This is where people's budgets fall apart, because the combined CACT ticket no longer exists and every site is paid for separately:

Place Per person


Timanfaya€30 (online booking compulsory)Jameos del Agua~€17Cueva de los Verdes~€15Mirador del Río / Jardín de Cactus~€10-15 each Winery with tasting€10-20Ferry to La Graciosa€25-30 returnPapagayosmall fee per car

Two people seeing the five big sites: around €200. That's why it pays to pick and choose.

Jameos del Agua and the CACT: which ones are worth itHow to visit Timanfaya

The three budgets (7 days, 2 people)

🎒 Tight — around €1,100-1,400

Flights €200 · basic apartment €450 · car + petrol €250 · food (supermarket + the odd menú del día) €250 · sightseeing: Timanfaya only €60 · everything else free.

It can be done. And you'll see almost everything, because the best of the island doesn't cost a thing.

🙂 Balanced — around €2,000-2,400

Flights €300 · mid-range apartment €700 · car + petrol €320 · eating out most days €550 · sightseeing (3 CACT sites + a winery) €200 · one extra (La Graciosa) €60.

This is the standard trip. Around €1,100 per person, all in.

✨ Comfortable — from €3,200

Flights €400 · villa with pool €1,400 · upgraded car €400 · restaurants €800 · sightseeing and experiences €400 (submarine, catamaran, tastings).

Villa, finca or apartment: how to choose

What costs nothing (and is the best bit)

This is the list that's the whole reason Lanzarote can be cheap if you want it to be:

  1. Every single beach. Papagayo (bar the parking fee), Famara, Caletón Blanco, Playa Dorada.
  2. El Golfo and the Charco de los Clicos, Los Hervideros, the Janubio salt flats. The three most spectacular viewpoints in the south. El Golfo
  3. Caldera Blanca and the El Cuervo volcano: walking over the lava fields, for free. And from Caldera Blanca you get the best view of Timanfaya without paying the €30. Hiking routes
  4. The Mancha Blanca Visitor Centre: free.
  5. La Geria: driving through the valley costs nothing; only the tasting does. La Geria wineries
  6. Teguise market on Sundays. Teguise
  7. The villages: Haría, Yaiza, Órzola, Punta Mujeres.

Eight ways to spend less

  1. Go in May, June, October or November. Flights and accommodation drop sharply and the sea is better than in August. Best time to visit
  2. Book your car in advance. It's one of the cheapest destinations in Spain to hire a car, as long as you don't leave it till the last minute.
  3. Get an apartment with a kitchen. Breakfast and dinner at home: €200 difference over the week.
  4. Menú del día at lunchtime. Same cooking, half the price of dinner.
  5. Pick 2 or 3 CACT sites, not all five. With no combined ticket, seeing them all costs around €200 for a couple.
  6. Move away from the seafront. In Puerto del Carmen and Playa Blanca, the front row costs double and the food is worse.
  7. Make the most of the IGIC. In the Canary Islands the general tax rate is 7%, not 21% like on the mainland: electronics, alcohol, perfume and tobacco are noticeably cheaper. If you were planning to buy something anyway, buy it here.
  8. Book directly with the owner when you can: you'll dodge the platform's commission.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a week in Lanzarote cost?
For two people: from €1,100-1,400 on a tight budget, around €2,000-2,400 for a standard trip, and €3,200 or more with a villa and restaurants. Flights, car, accommodation, food and sightseeing all included.
Is Lanzarote an expensive destination?
No more and no less than any Spanish beach destination. And it has two things going for it: 7% IGIC tax and the fact that almost everything spectacular is free (beaches, volcanoes, viewpoints).
How much does car hire cost?
€30-45 a day in mid-season, less if you book ahead. Budget €200-300 for the week, plus €40-60 for petrol.
How much does food cost?
Menú del día €10-15; restaurant dinner €20-35 per person. Weekly shop for two, €60-100.
What's the expense that catches people out most?
Entrance fees. Timanfaya is €30 per person and there's no longer a combined CACT ticket: every site is paid for separately. Two people seeing the five big sites comes to around €200.
Can you see Lanzarote for free?
Almost the whole island. Beaches, El Golfo, Los Hervideros, Janubio, La Geria, the villages and the hiking routes cost nothing. The only thing you really pay for is the CACT sites.
Is half board at a hotel worth it?
Almost never. Having a menú del día at lunch and something simple for dinner means you eat better and spend less.

In the end, your Lanzarote budget comes down to three decisions: when you come, where you sleep, and how many tickets you buy. The flight barely matters.

And here's something you'll forget while you're doing the sums: what you'll actually remember from this trip doesn't come with an entrance fee. The lava fields, the green Charco, sunset over Janubio, that empty cove nobody else found. All of that is free. Everything else is extras.