A Benidorm holiday then and now: 1976 to 2026
Fifty years of Benidorm prices from old adverts and brochures, turned into today's money.
A week in Benidorm, by year
| Year | What it was | Today's money | Weeks of wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | £87, Orange Park, spring (The Times advert) The Times archive; ONS; ONS | £921 | 1.32 |
| 1985 | £195 a week, La Perla, peak summer (Club 18-30) Club 18-30 brochure, 1985; ONS; ONS | £869 | 1.19 |
| 1996 | £219, 3-star half board, spring (Evergreen) The Times archive; ONS; ONS | £605 | 0.73 |
| 2007 | £482, Don Pancho 4-star half board, August (Thomson) Telegraph, 2007; ONS; ONS | £984 | 1.05 |
| 2026 | £864, Costa Blanca average, August (Which?) Which?, Dec 2025; ONS | £864 | 1.13 |
Dated examples, not a like-for-like series: board, season and airport differ. Today's money uses the ONS retail price index; wages are the ONS median full-time weekly pay for that year.
In 1976 you could only take £300 abroad
Exchange controls limited what you could spend abroad until October 1979. The limit was £300 a trip from 1970, not the £50 often remembered. TIME, 1970 A pound bought 120 pesetas.
More on what Benidorm really costs
Where you'll overspend in Benidorm, and by how much
An honest check: answer six questions and see where your money really goes.
What the package price doesn't tell you
Flights, transfer and hotel are in. Half the holiday isn't.
Why every family overspends in Benidorm, and by how much
Families budget £766 and go over by £323. Here's where.
10 ways to save on your next Benidorm holiday
Ten changes, each with the saving in pounds.
Benidorm holiday costs by category
Every cost, one line at a time, with the cheapest way to pay.
How a family saves over £200 on a Benidorm week
Six changes that save a family of four £234.
Airport shockers: what eating at the airport really costs
A £10.05 pint, a £65 breakfast, £4 water. What eating at the airport costs a family, and where to eat for less.
Benidorm prices that have gone up
Hotels up 6.7% this year; a family meal up two-thirds since 2016, after inflation.
The hidden costs of a Benidorm holiday
Deposits, safes, bread on the bill, tourist ATMs and more, ranked.
10 free tools on Benidorm.co.uk that save you money
Free calculators and price checks built for this site.
Is all-inclusive worth it in Benidorm?
33 hotels priced: when all-inclusive pays and when it doesn't.
Sources
- The Times, 1976 and 1996 adverts (Internet Archive), 1976, 1996
- Club 18-30 brochure, 1985, quoted on a holiday forum, 1985
- Telegraph, In defence of Benidorm, 4 Aug 2007
- Post Office Family Holiday Report 2016, 16 Jul 2016
- Which?, cheapest package holiday destinations 2026, 23 Dec 2025
- ONS retail prices index (CDKO), Aug 2026
- ONS median weekly earnings 1968–2025, 2025
- TIME, Britain's travel allowance, 12 Jan 1970
About us · How we earn · How we score · How Brenda works · Editorial policy · Is Benidorm safe? · Practical guide · Cheapest time to go · Sitemap
Benidorm.co.uk is an independent guide. Hotel and tour links are affiliate links: we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what we recommend. Prices change; each table shows the date we checked it.