For a comfortable mid-range week on the Lycian coast, budget very roughly £70–110 / €80–130 per person per day on the ground (a nice small hotel or apartment, eating well at local restaurants, a boat day and a couple of activities), plus £150–350 return for UK flights. That lands a typical week around £650–1,100 / €750–1,250 per person all-in. Travel in shoulder season, eat where locals eat, and use dolmuş and shared transfers, and you'll comfortably sit at the lower end — or below it on the budget tier.
What actually swings your total: accommodation style first (pension vs boutique vs villa), then big-ticket activities (a private boat charter or a multi-day blue cruise dwarfs everything else). Food and local transport are cheap enough that they rarely make or break a budget. Control the two big levers and the rest looks after itself.
The short answer: three tiers
Here's the headline, per person per day, on the ground (excluding flights). These bundle a share of accommodation, food, local transport and a normal amount of activity — a realistic mixed day, not a stripped-back survival budget.
| Tier | Per person / day | 7 nights (ground) |
|---|---|---|
| Budget (pension, local food, dolmuş) | £30–45 / €35–50 | £210–315 |
| Mid-range (nice hotel, eating well, a boat day) | £70–110 / €80–130 | £490–770 |
| Luxury (villa/boutique, charters, fine dining) | £180+ / €210+ | £1,260+ |
Add flights on top — typically £150–350 return from the UK depending on season and how early you book, often cheapest into Dalaman for the western coast. The rest of this guide breaks each line down so you can build your own number.
Flights
Usually the single biggest pre-paid cost, and the most seasonal. From the UK, return fares to Dalaman commonly run £150–250 in shoulder season and £250–350+ in the July–August peak, with budget carriers cheapest if you book early and travel light. Dalaman is the natural gateway for the western Lycian coast; Antalya for the east — and an open-jaw (in to one, out of the other) can save a long transfer if you're crossing the whole coast. See our Dalaman vs Antalya guide.
Accommodation — the biggest lever
This is the line that decides your tier more than any other. Rough per-night, per-room guides (two sharing, shoulder season; peak is higher):
Budget — pensions & simple apartments
Family-run pensions and simple self-catering flats, often with a pool, a breakfast spread and genuine hospitality. The Lycian coast does this tier brilliantly — clean, friendly, characterful places for a fraction of European prices. Kaş, Çıralı and the back streets of Fethiye are full of them.
Mid-range — boutique & small hotels
Stylish small hotels and good apart-hotels — a pool, a sea or harbour view, a proper breakfast. This is where most travellers land and where the coast shines: comfortable and characterful without resort prices. Kalkan and Kaş have especially strong boutique options.
Luxury — villas, pool suites & design hotels
Private villas with infinity pools (Kalkan is the villa capital of the coast), design boutique hotels and full-service resorts. A self-catering villa can actually work out reasonable per head for a group; solo luxury is where the bill climbs fastest.
Not sure which town fits your style and budget? Our Fethiye vs Kaş vs Kalkan guide compares them — broadly, Fethiye/Ölüdeniz spans all budgets, Kaş is mid-range boho, and Kalkan skews upscale-villa.
Food and drink
The good news, and a big reason people love the coast. Eating where locals eat is cheap; eating only on the tourist strip is not. Rough per-person ballparks:
| Meal | Where | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Gözleme / street snack | Market stall, village | ~£2–4 |
| Lunch, local lokanta | Esnaf / home-style restaurant | ~£4–8 |
| Dinner, mid-range meze + main | Harbour restaurant | ~£12–22 |
| Dinner, upmarket (Kalkan rooftop) | Smart restaurant + drinks | ~£30–55 |
| Local beer / glass of wine | Café / bar | ~£3–5 |
| Turkish coffee / çay | Anywhere | ~£1–2 |
Self-catering from markets and supermarkets cuts food costs hard — fruit, veg, bread, cheese and olives are very cheap. For what to actually order, see what to eat on the Lycian coast. One honest note: imported spirits and wine carry high tax, so a big bar bill is where a cheap-feeling trip can suddenly cost more.
Getting around & transfers
Local transport is cheap; private taxis less so. Your options and rough costs:
- Dolmuş (shared minibus) — the local workhorse, a pound or two a hop between towns and beaches. Cheap, frequent in season, and part of the experience.
- Airport transfer — private Dalaman → Fethiye roughly £30–50 for the car; shared shuttles and airport buses far cheaper per person. See transfers.
- Hire car — from around £20–35/day in shoulder season, plus fuel; brilliant value if you want to reach Saklıkent, Patara and the back roads.
- Boat day — a shared day-boat trip (12 Islands from Fethiye, or a Kekova trip) is typically £15–35 per person including lunch; a private charter is far more.
Activities — where budgets diverge
After accommodation, this is the line that separates a cheap week from an expensive one, because the range is enormous. Rough per-person ballparks:
| Activity | Rough cost pp |
|---|---|
| Shared boat day trip (incl. lunch) | ~£15–35 |
| Saklıkent gorge day (entry + transport) | ~£10–40 |
| Tandem paragliding off Babadağ | ~£90–160 |
| Two-tank dive day in Kaş | ~£55–80 |
| Sea-kayak over Kekova sunken city | ~£30–55 |
| Cabin-charter blue cruise (per night) | ~£60–120 |
| Site entries / museum card | ~£3–10 each |
You can have a wonderful week doing mostly cheap or free things — beaches, walking a stretch of the Lycian Way, wandering ruins, swimming — and splash on one or two big experiences. The ones that blow a budget are private charters and multi-day blue cruises; the gentle splurges (a paraglide, a dive, a boat day) are very affordable by European standards. For ideas, see things to do in Lycia and day trips from Fethiye.
A sample mid-range week
To make it concrete — one realistic, comfortable seven-night week for one person, shoulder season, sharing a room. Approximate, in pounds:
| Item | Cost (pp) |
|---|---|
| Return flights (UK → Dalaman) | £200 |
| 7 nights, mid-range hotel (½ of room) | £315 |
| Food & drink (7 days, eating well) | £175 |
| Airport transfer + local dolmuş | £45 |
| One boat day + one paraglide + entries | £160 |
| Approx. week total | ~£895 |
Trim it toward the budget tier (pension, self-catering, dolmuş only, free activities) and a week on the ground can come in well under £400 plus flights. Push to luxury (villa, charters, fine dining) and there's effectively no ceiling. The figure above is the comfortable middle most visitors actually spend.
When it's cheapest
The shoulder seasons — late April to early June, and September into October — are the value sweet spot: cheaper flights and beds than the July–August peak, fewer crowds, and lovely weather (the sea is warmest in autumn). High summer is dearest and busiest; winter is cheapest of all but many boats, seasonal flights and coastal businesses wind down. For the full calendar, see our best time to visit Lycia guide.
Plan your trip
Or read: 10-day itinerary · Transfers · Best time to visit · Things to do
Frequently asked
How much does a week in Lycia cost per person?
Excluding flights, roughly £30–45 / €35–50 per day budget, £70–110 / €80–130 mid-range, and £180+ / €210+ luxury. Over seven nights on the ground that's about £210–315, £490–770 and £1,260+ respectively, before flights of perhaps £150–350 return from the UK. Approximate — inflation and the exchange rate move them.
Is the Turkish coast expensive?
Good value by Western-European standards, especially food and local transport. The catch is imported spirits, smart restaurants, boat charters and paragliding sit closer to European prices, and Turkey's rapid inflation can lift lira prices within a season. Budget in your home currency and it's usually cheaper than home.
Cash or card?
Both. Cards work in hotels, larger restaurants and supermarkets, and ATMs are easy to find. Keep Turkish lira for village restaurants, markets, dolmuş, tips and small pensions. Withdraw lira from a bank ATM rather than the airport, and pay in lira not euros where you're given the choice.
What's the biggest cost?
Flights and accommodation, both booked before you arrive. On the ground, food and local transport are cheap. The biggest lever on your total is accommodation style — pension vs boutique vs villa — followed by big-ticket activities like a private boat charter or a multi-day blue cruise.
When is Lycia cheapest?
The shoulder seasons — late April to early June and September into October — are cheaper than the July–August peak for flights and beds, with fewer crowds and good weather (warmest sea in autumn). Winter is cheapest but many businesses and boats wind down.
How can I save money?
Travel in shoulder season; eat where locals eat (lokanta, gözleme stalls, the market); use dolmuş and shared transfers over private taxis; pick a pension or self-catering apartment over a resort; and book big activities directly with local operators, comparing a couple. Withdrawing lira from a bank ATM and paying in lira helps too.