How much does a week in Réunion Island cost?

I’ve stopped trying to give people a weekly figure for Réunion Island, because every time I do, someone books a trip around it and ends up either overspending on the volcano route or short of cash in Cilaos with no way to pay for dinner. What I can do instead is walk through the pieces that actually move the number, so you can build your own total instead of trusting mine.

Why I won’t give you a single number

A week here can look very different depending on three choices: whether you rent a car (you almost certainly should — see driving in Réunion Island), whether you eat at your gîte or in restaurants along the coast, and how many paid activities you stack on top of hiking, which costs nothing but your legs. Two travellers with the same flight and the same week can land on totals that differ by several hundred euros without either of them being wasteful. For a fuller breakdown by category, Reunion Island trip cost: a budget breakdown goes further than I will here; this page is about the mechanics behind the number, not the number itself.

The one honest starting point: everything costs a bit more than metropolitan France

Réunion imports most of what fills its supermarket shelves — from pasta to sunscreen to spare parts for your rental car — and that shows up on the receipt. Groceries, restaurant meals, and even some services run a bit above what you’d pay in mainland France for the same thing. It’s not dramatic, and it’s not the kind of gap that ruins a trip, but it’s worth knowing before you assume island prices will match a Paris supermarket app. Budget a small premium on food and everyday purchases rather than being surprised by it on day three.

No tipping, which quietly saves you money

Service is included at restaurants and cafés across the island, and no tip is expected — not at a table in Saint-Pierre, not after a taxi ride, not at your gîte. A gesture is appreciated if service was genuinely good, but nobody will chase you for 10% on top of the bill. If you’re used to budgeting a tipping margin into every meal, you can drop that line entirely here; it’s one of the few costs that’s simpler in Réunion than it is at home.

Cards on the coast, cash in the Hauts

Along the littoral — Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, Saint-Denis, Saint-Pierre, Saint-Leu — cards are accepted almost everywhere, from supermarkets to tour desks. The gap opens once you head into the Hauts. Small épiceries in Cilaos or Salazie, roadside stalls, and especially the gîtes in Mafate often run on cash only, since there’s no reliable card network in villages you can only reach on foot. If your itinerary includes a night at a Mafate gîte or a few days deep in the cirques, carry enough euros to cover meals and lodging there — running out of signal is normal, running out of cash is a problem. See money and payments in Réunion Island for more detail on where each method works.

The car: your biggest fixed cost, and the hardest to avoid

A rental car is close to mandatory here. Distances in kilometres are misleading on mountain roads — the drive up to Cilaos, the climb to the Maïdo, or the route to the volcano all take far longer than the map suggests, and public transport (the Car Jaune network) connects coastal towns well but is slow into the Hauts. Because the car runs for the whole week regardless of how many days you actually drive it, it behaves like a fixed cost you pay once rather than a daily variable. Compare a few options before booking: renting a car in Réunion Island covers what to check, and getting around Réunion Island lays out the alternatives if you’d rather go without one — see also Four days in Réunion Island without a car for a car-free itinerary.

Lodging: gîtes, hotels, and the Mafate exception

Where you sleep swings the total more than almost anything else. Coastal hotels in Saint-Gilles or Saint-Pierre range widely by season and comfort level; creole gîtes in the cirques tend to be simpler and often include meals (table d’hôte), which can actually work out efficient since you’re not driving to a restaurant after a day of hiking. Mafate gîtes are a category of their own: book them well ahead, expect a simple half-board rate, and bring cash, since there’s no other way to pay. Where to stay in Réunion Island breaks this down by area.

Activities: check the listing, not a guidebook figure

For anything specific — a whale-watching outing from Saint-Gilles, a microlight flight over the cirques, a paragliding tandem over Saint-Leu — I’d rather point you to the current listing than quote a price that might be a season out of date. A dolphin and whale watching trip from Saint-Gilles-les-Bains or a microlight flight over the island will show today’s price on GetYourGuide or Viator, which is more reliable than anything printed here. The same goes for a tandem paragliding flight over the bay of Saint-Leu — conditions and pricing depend on the day, so the booking page is the source of truth, not a fixed number in a blog post.

What’s genuinely free

Hiking costs nothing beyond your car and your boots, and it’s the activity most people come for. The GR trails through the cirques, the belvedere at the Maïdo, the walk to the Pas de Bellecombe (when the enclos is open — never assume it will be), and most coastal beaches are free to access. If you’re building a week around trails rather than tours, your daily cost drops sharply once the car and lodging are covered. Free things to do in Réunion Island and Réunion Island on a budget go further into stretching a week without cutting the experience short.

Season matters more than people expect

Réunion runs on southern hemisphere seasons: the austral winter (May to October) is dry, cooler in the Hauts, and the best window for hiking — it’s also the busier, and sometimes pricier, season for flights and lodging. The austral summer (November to April) is hot, humid, and the cyclone season, with quieter demand but a real chance of disrupted plans. Neither season is cheap or expensive across the board; what changes is demand on flights and popular gîtes. See Réunion Island weather by month and best time to visit Réunion Island if timing is still open on your trip.

How costs I’ve been in Cilaos where the card machine didn’t work

The one story I keep coming back to: a friend arrived at a small épicerie in Cilaos assuming a card would work the way it does in Saint-Gilles, and it didn’t. It wasn’t a disaster — there’s usually a way to sort it out — but it cost an afternoon and some stress that a handful of euros in a pocket would have avoided. That’s the practical takeaway behind this whole page: the big-ticket items (flights, car, lodging) are predictable if you shop around, but the small failures come from assuming coastal habits apply everywhere on the island.

FAQ: budgeting a week in Réunion Island

Is Réunion Island expensive compared to mainland France?

Prices run a bit higher on average, mainly because most goods are imported. It’s not a dramatic gap, but groceries, restaurant meals, and some services cost more than the equivalent in metropolitan France.

Do I need to tip in Réunion Island?

No. Service is included at restaurants, cafés, and for taxis. A tip is not expected, though a small gesture for particularly good service is appreciated.

Can I pay by card everywhere on the island?

Cards are accepted almost everywhere along the coast — hotels, supermarkets, restaurants, tour operators. In the Hauts, and especially in Mafate’s gîtes, cash is often the only option, so carry enough euros before heading up.

Is a rental car worth the cost for a one-week trip?

For most itineraries, yes. Distances by road take much longer than the kilometres suggest on mountain routes, and public transport doesn’t reach most of the Hauts. See renting a car in Réunion Island for what to compare.

How do I find the current price for a specific tour or activity?

Check the GetYourGuide or Viator listing for that activity rather than relying on a fixed figure in an article — prices and availability change by season and by operator.

Are there free activities that don’t affect the budget?

Yes. Hiking is the main one — trails through the cirques, the Maïdo viewpoint, and most beaches cost nothing beyond getting there. See free things to do in Réunion Island.

Does the season change how much a week costs?

Indirectly. Austral winter (May–October) sees more hiking demand, which can affect flight and gîte pricing; austral summer (November–April) is cyclone season with generally quieter demand. Neither season is inherently cheaper across every cost category.

Should I book Mafate gîtes and activities before arriving?

Yes for Mafate gîtes — they fill up and often require cash on arrival. For coastal tours and flights, booking a few days ahead through GetYourGuide or Viator is usually enough, but checking early avoids missing a specific date.