Tenerife or Fuerteventura: nearly half dearer in winter, a few per cent in summer

Tenerife costs more than Fuerteventura all year round. Over the last twelve months the average hotel night was €155 against €125, and in no month of the two-year series did Fuerteventura come out dearer. But the size of the gap depends on the month. In January a night on Tenerife cost 48% more; in July, 3% more. The weather swings the same way: in winter Tenerife's south is warmer by day and by night, while in summer the nights are warmer on Fuerteventura.

This compares our seven places. On Tenerife they are the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the southern resort of Adeje and Puerto de la Cruz on the north coast. On Fuerteventura, the capital Puerto del Rosario and three resorts: Corralejo, Pájara and Antigua. Corralejo is part of the municipality of La Oliva, and its census, housing and winter figures are the municipality's.

Short answers

• A hotel night on Tenerife costs more in every month of both years of the series, by 25% on average. In winter the gap reaches almost half; in July and August it shrinks to a few per cent.
• From October to March Tenerife's south is warmer by day and by night. From May to September the nights are warmer on Fuerteventura.
• The sea off Tenerife's south is warmer in every month, and it stays at the swimming line for 10 months against 8.
• Italians are the first or second foreign group in six of our seven places. Germans come first in Puerto de la Cruz and Pájara, Britons in Antigua.
• The ministry's appraised value per square metre: €3,774/m² in Adeje, €1,958/m² in Puerto del Rosario.
• From Fuerteventura's south to hospital is 39 minutes; from any of our places on Tenerife, no more than 31 minutes.

The price of a night: always dearer, but the month decides by how much

The figures cover September 2025 to August 2026. From December to April Tenerife is a third dearer or more, most of all in January: €171 against €115. Tenerife's hotels are fuller in winter too: in January 73% of rooms were taken against 70%. Summer looks different. In July a night cost €150 and €146, and in August it was Fuerteventura's hotels that were fuller, 85% against 79%.

A year earlier, September 2024 to August 2025, the pattern was the same: Tenerife dearer in every month, most in winter, least in summer. Only the summer gap was wider: 9% in July rather than 3%. Fuerteventura's dearest month was August in both years. Tenerife's was December in the first year and March in the second. Room price, occupancy.

A big island and a small one

Tenerife is home to 961,745 people and Fuerteventura to 129,541, as of 1 January 2025: 7.4 times as many. Yet the big island has only 1.9 times as many hotel beds: 96,339 against 50,399 on average over the year. Per thousand residents that is 100 beds on Tenerife and 389 on Fuerteventura. 77% of Tenerife's hotel beds stand in the tourist zone INE calls "South of Tenerife". Island population.

Guests stay longer on Fuerteventura. A guest from abroad spends 7.8 nights in a hotel on average, against 6.6 nights on Tenerife. A guest resident in Spain spends 4.9 nights against 3.5 nights. That is nights divided by arrivals over the last year. Nights and arrivals.

Weather: winter goes to Tenerife, summer nights to Fuerteventura

Both stations are airports by the sea: Tenerife South at 64 m, next to the southern resorts, and Fuerteventura airport at 25 m. The AEMETAEMETSpain's state meteorological agency. It runs the weather stations and publishes the climate norms.Why it matters. Our sunshine hours and winter temperatures come from observations, not from resort marketing. The gap between the two can be several degrees. normal covers 1981–2010. By day Tenerife's south is warmer in 10 months of 12; Fuerteventura gets ahead only in May and in June. From December to February the gap is 0.8–1.1 °C. At night the islands split the year in half. From October to March the nights are warmer in Tenerife's south, from May to September on Fuerteventura, and in April they are level.

The two airports have almost the same number of rainy days: 15.2 a year at Tenerife South and 15.7 at Fuerteventura. The rain adds up to 132 mm and 98 mm. But Tenerife has a second climate. Its northern airport stands 632 m up, and it gets 520 mm of rain a year, 64 rainy days and a mean of 16.8 °C against 21.4 °C in the south. The city station in Santa Cruz records 226 mm. The weather service does not measure the north coast by the sea, where Puerto de la Cruz lies. AEMET.

The sea: warmer off Tenerife, and for two months longer

The water off Adeje is warmer than off Pájara in Fuerteventura's south in every month, by 0.4–0.8 °C. The capitals show the same: Santa Cruz de Tenerife is 0.6–1 °C warmer than Puerto del Rosario. The sea is coldest in March: 19.5 °C off Tenerife and 18.7 °C off Fuerteventura.

The water off Adeje stays at the swimming line of 20 °C for 10 months, from April to January, and in April it sits exactly on the line. Only February and March fall below. Off Pájara it is 8 months, from May to December. These are satellite averages for 2015–2024. NOAA OISST.

Neighbours: Italians on both islands

By the 2025 census Italians are among the two largest foreign groups almost everywhere. In Adeje they come first, with 5,501 people; in La Oliva, which includes Corralejo, they come first too, with 5,310. In every one of our places except Pájara, Italians are first or second; in Pájara they are third.

The other groups divide the islands their own way. Germans come first in Puerto de la Cruz in Tenerife's north (1,435) and in Pájara in Fuerteventura's south (1,918). Britons come first only in Antigua, with 1,766; in Adeje they are second, with 2,852. The third group in Adeje is Russian: 1,674 people.

The foreign share runs from 48.1% of residents in Adeje to 7.9% in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In the capitals the largest groups are Latin American: Venezuelans in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Colombians in Puerto del Rosario. Census by nationality.

Where winter flights go

In January of the 2026/27 season, Tenerife South airport has direct flights to 102 cities abroad and Fuerteventura airport to 54. Tenerife's northern airport adds another 6. The widest gaps are to France, 12 destinations against 3, and to the UK, 21 against 13. To Germany the two are almost level: 13 and 12.

No government keeps such a series, so the count is ours: cities with a direct flight at least weekly in January. The table lists countries with three or more such cities from either airport. Checked on 17 September 2026.

Housing: appraised value and rent

Spain's housing ministry publishes an appraised value per square metre for four of our places: the three on Tenerife and Fuerteventura's capital. Adeje at €3,774/m², Puerto de la Cruz at €3,090/m², Santa Cruz de Tenerife at €2,326/m² and Puerto del Rosario at €1,958/m². A square metre in Adeje costs 1.9 times as much as in Puerto del Rosario. Yet income per resident in Adeje is lower than in any of the other six places: €12,060 for 2023. Our database has no appraisal for Fuerteventura's resorts, and asking prices do not mix with appraisals. Ministry bulletin, income.

Rent is more even. The median rent on current leases in 2024 on Tenerife: €633 in Adeje, €599 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and €580 in Puerto de la Cruz a month. On Fuerteventura: €510 in Pájara, €499 in Antigua and €481 in Puerto del Rosario. Every one of our places on Tenerife is dearer than every one on Fuerteventura. Per square metre a month, Tenerife's resorts charge €10–10.2 and Fuerteventura's €8.9–9.2. Our data has no median for La Oliva, which includes Corralejo. SERPAVI.

The drive to hospital

On Tenerife our places split between two public hospitals. Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto de la Cruz are nearest to Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria (Santa Cruz de Tenerife): 6 minutes and 31 minutes. Adeje is nearest to Hospital del Sur (Arona), at 10 minutes. On Fuerteventura there is one hospital for everyone, Hospital General de Fuerteventura. From Puerto del Rosario and Antigua it takes 3 minutes and 21 minutes; from the two ends of the island it takes longer: 35 minutes from Corralejo and 39 minutes from Pájara.

The time is for a car with no traffic, from the centre of each place to a hospital in the health ministry's catalogue. It says nothing about ambulances. Hospital catalogue.

All seven places in one table

Both islands keep working in winter. By Social Security's monthly figures for 2025, our Tenerife places kept at least 99.2% of their best month's cafés, hotels and shops in January, and our Fuerteventura places at least 94.9%; the lowest is Pájara. The residents shown for Corralejo are the whole of La Oliva. Social Security series.

Further

Tenerife month by month is in best time to visit Tenerife. The beaches of both islands by water quality are in Tenerife beaches and Fuerteventura beaches. Each island against Lanzarote: Tenerife or Lanzarote and Lanzarote or Fuerteventura. All seven islands are in which Canary Island to choose. Our places are on the Tenerife and Fuerteventura pages.

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