As a realistic 2026 guide, budget roughly £250–350 per person for a week of spending money on an all-inclusive Canaries holiday, £400–550 on bed-and-breakfast, and £600–800 or more if you're self-catering and eating out most days. Those figures cover food, drinks, excursions and extras on top of your flights and hotel — not the holiday itself. How much you actually need depends on your board basis, your resort and your style, so the numbers below break it down by tier and by board type, with sample weekly totals for a couple and a family of four. Use them as a sensible starting point, then adjust.
What "spending money" covers
When we talk about spending money, we mean the cash and card spending you do once you've arrived, on top of the flights and accommodation you've already paid for. That typically includes:
- Meals and snacks not covered by your board basis
- Drinks — coffees, beers, wine, cocktails, soft drinks
- Excursions and attractions (water parks, boat trips, Teide, Siam Park)
- Local transport, taxis and any car hire fuel
- Sunbeds, tips, souvenirs and the odd treat
The single biggest factor is your board basis, because that decides how much of your food and drink is already paid for. An all-inclusive guest needs a fraction of what a self-catering explorer spends. For the underlying costs behind these estimates, our Canary Islands prices guide lists typical prices for meals, drinks and attractions.
Budget by tier and board basis
The table below gives typical 2026 per-person spending money for a week, split by how carefully you spend and by board basis. "Budget" means you're careful — resort meals, local bars, minimal excursions. "Comfortable" means you eat out well, drink freely and do several paid excursions.
| Tier (per person, per week) | All-inclusive (AI) | Bed & breakfast (BB) | Self-catering (SC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget — careful spender | £150–220 | £280–380 | £380–500 |
| Mid-range — the typical holiday | £250–350 | £420–550 | £600–750 |
| Comfortable — eat out, excursions, cocktails | £400–550 | £650–850 | £900–1,200 |
The pattern is clear: all-inclusive slashes your on-the-ground spending because meals, snacks and most drinks are covered, so you're mainly paying for excursions, tips and treats. Self-catering costs the most in spending money precisely because you're buying all your food and eating out — but your accommodation is usually cheaper, so it can still work out well overall. Whether all-inclusive is worth it for your trip is covered in our all-inclusive holidays guide.
Sample "money for a week" totals
Putting the per-person figures together, here's what a typical week of spending money looks like for two common groups, at the mid-range tier:
| Group & board | Rough weekly spending money | What it buys |
|---|---|---|
| Couple, all-inclusive | £500–700 | A few excursions, drinks out, tips, souvenirs |
| Couple, self-catering | £1,200–1,500 | Groceries, eating out most nights, excursions, car hire |
| Family of four, all-inclusive | £800–1,100 | Water park, a boat trip, ice creams, souvenirs |
| Family of four, self-catering | £1,600–2,200 | Weekly shop, meals out, two or three excursions |
These are guides, not guarantees — a family who does Siam Park, Loro Parque and a boat trip in one week will spend well above these, while one that mainly enjoys the pool and beach will spend below. If you're watching every euro, our guide to the Canary Islands on a budget is full of ways to keep the total down.
Where the money actually goes
To sanity-check your own budget, these are typical 2026 resort prices to have in mind:
- A beer in a resort bar: €2.50–4; a cocktail: €7–10
- A coffee: €1.50–2.50; a soft drink: €2–3
- A casual two-course dinner with a drink: €18–30 per person
- A big water park or attraction ticket: €35–45 per adult
- A whale-watching or catamaran trip: €30–50 per adult
- A resort sunbed and parasol: a few euros a day
Excursions are the swing factor for most families — one or two big-ticket days out can add as much as a whole week of everyday spending. For the full breakdown of what things cost and how to keep it under control, see our costs and money guide.
Cash versus card
The Canary Islands use the euro, and cards are accepted almost everywhere — restaurants, supermarkets, attractions and most bars. Contactless is standard, and a fee-free travel card or a debit card that doesn't charge foreign-transaction fees is the cheapest way to pay. That said, carry some cash too:
- Small local bars, market stalls, some taxis and tips are easier with cash
- A few euros for beach kiosks, sunbeds and the odd machine
- Keep cash amounts modest and use the hotel safe
Avoid changing money at the airport where rates are poor, and if a card machine offers to charge you in pounds rather than euros, always choose euros — paying in the local currency avoids a hidden mark-up. Our guide to what currency the Canary Islands use has the full detail on cards, cash and fees.
Set a daily spending target rather than a lump sum for the week — say €40 per person a day on all-inclusive or €90 self-catering. It's far easier to keep the holiday on budget when you're tracking day by day.
The bottom line
For a week in the Canaries in 2026, a couple on all-inclusive should be comfortable on £500–700 of spending money, while a self-catering family of four exploring the island might need £1,600–2,200. Your board basis matters more than anything: all-inclusive front-loads the cost so you carry little cash, self-catering spreads it across the week. Set a realistic daily target, pay in euros by card with some cash in reserve, and budget separately for the big excursions — do that and you'll come home without any nasty surprises on the statement.