While Fuerteventura is not an expensive destination, it’s still easy to pay too much for many things if you don’t know your way around. Here I will attempt to give you a few pointers on how to make your visit kinder on your wallet.

Euro coins and notes

Taxis and Transfers

Fuerteventura is a much bigger and longer island than many first-time visitors realise: it takes well over two hours to drive from Corralejo in the north to Morro Jable in the south – and these are connected by good roads – much of which is motorway. For this reason, it is often a lot cheaper to pre-book a transfer to get to your hotel, especially if you are staying in the far south, as a taxi would cost around €100. A transfer for the same journey will cost about €12 (though it will be slower).

Taxis are usually quite cheap for short distances within an urban area, however they will get expensive very quickly if you leave that urban area (tarifa urbana). Taxi users should also be aware that taxis cannot pick up passengers from outside their municipality, so a driver may be forced to drive an empty taxi back to their base.

Transfers from Fuerteventura Airport to your Accommodation

Car Hire

Don’t be fooled by cheap rent-a-car deals on the comparison websites: Firstly, these websites make their money by earning commission from the car hire companies – and not all car hire companies pay that commission. Secondly, the deals listed often advertise a very low headline price designed to suck you in, but with hidden costs. Typically these hidden costs include extra insurance or the obligatory purchase of a full tank of fuel (at a very high price), which the renter will be asked to bring back empty. Be aware that many rent-a-car companies pay their staff a bonus if they find defects or scratches on the returned vehicle – so taking photos when collecting the car is often wise.


My recommendation to avoid these issues is to use either Cicar or AutoReisen – both of these companies have great reputations with repeat visitors to the island – and I am not being paid to recommend them! Insurance is included in the price, they will just tell you to bring the car back with the same level of fuel as when you received it, and they are usually not too picky about tiny scratches.
Click here for a car hire price comparison search.

Petrol and Diesel

The price of petrol can vary massively from place to place in Fuerteventura – sometimes up to €0.30 per litre! Morro Jable generally has the most expensive fuel on the island, and Tuineje the cheapest. Though the petrol stations near the Airport usually offer good value. Be aware that the petrol stations near the airport do not open until 6am, so if you have a very early flight you might need to top up at one of the 24 hour stations that are located far from the airport.
For up-to-date price comparisons between the petrol stations on the island, visit the following link:
https://mas.laprovincia.es/gasolineras-canarias/fuerteventura/precio-gasoleo-a.html

Duty Free

The Canary Islands are not part of the same VAT zone (sales tax) that Spain and the rest of the EU belong to, and also have exemptions on other EU import duties and excise taxes. For these reasons, Alcohol, Tobacco and Perfumes are cheaper than elsewhere in Spain, and often described as ‘duty free’. With this in mind, visitors don’t need to think about buying products in the duty free section at the airport, since the prices in most large Fuerteventura supermarkets are actually lower. You may still see some good offers though, and it is worth remembering that your airline may stock brands that are popular in your country, but not in Spain.

Supermarkets

The biggest supermarkets on the island are Hiperdino, Mercadona and Padilla Spar, though there are now a couple of Lidl supermarkets and Aldi are about to open their first stores (autumn 2022).

Visitors should be aware of the difference between the various types of Hiperdino supermarkets: the larger ‘Hiperdino’ supermarkets offer the best value and are found away from the main tourist streets, ‘Superdino’ are medium-sized supermarkets with slightly higher prices, and finally ‘Hiperdino Express’ are expensive convenience supermarkets located in tourist areas.

Mercadona are a Spain-wide chain of large supermarkets that offer mainly their own branded products (which are well-regarded for quality and value), and some well-known international brands.

Click here for some sample supermarket prices in Fuerteventura

Bars

Drinks prices in bars vary considerably – and not always due to great locations or plush decor. In general though, Irish Bars tend to be expensive with British bars less so. Many bars offer cheap beer deals in Corralejo and Caleta de Fuste (sometime less than €2 per large beer), though you are less likely to find these types of deals in other resort towns. These deals can sometimes be misleading though – and may only exist to disguise the fact that a Gin & Tonic or Coca Cola is very expensive!

Some chiringuitos (the small ramshackle places on the beach) can be eye-wateringly expensive even for a simple Coca-cola or small beer. Check the price lists first in these places, and remember that if you are in a resort town, there is likely a front-line cafe-bar nearby that charges very reasonable prices.

Sunscreen

The famous brands of sunscreen are often much more expensive than in Northern Europe and can quickly become expensive – especially if you have children that are constantly in and out of the water. Mercadona offers much more reasonable prices for their own brand of sunscreen, and have plenty of strong family-friendly factor 50 to protect you are your loved ones from that strong Fuerteventura sunshine.

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