How much a week in Scalea actually costs
What you pay us, and what we do not charge
Seven nights in September come to 700 €, plus 50 € cleaning charged once, not per night. The town's tourist tax is 1.50 € per adult per night for the first seven nights — 21 € for two people over a week. Children under ten do not pay it.
What is not on the bill matters as much. No deposit, no service fee, no charge per extra guest up to four, no pet supplement. Parking on the premises is free, which in August in an Italian seaside town is not a small line. A beach umbrella and mat live in the wardrobe, so the beach can cost you nothing at all.
| Item | September, two people |
|---|---|
| Apartment, 7 nights | 700 € |
| Cleaning, once | 50 € |
| Tourist tax | 21 € |
| Beach, 7 days | 0–140 € |
| Total on the ground | 771–911 € |
The beach, if you want a sunbed
A daily pitch — umbrella and two loungers — runs 10 to 20 € across Calabria in 2026. Over a week that is 70 to 140 €, which is why the table above starts at zero: free public beach is a few minutes away, and the umbrella is already in the flat.
One honest caveat about that figure. Federconsumatori put the 2026 increase at +5.2 % over last season, one of the steepest in Italy. The beach operators' association publicly disputes it and says prices barely moved. We give the range both agree on; where they disagree, you now know they disagree.
Getting here
Scalea has its own station on the coastal line, so a car is optional. Naples Centrale to Scalea-Santa Domenica Talao is a direct train of about two and a half hours, roughly 20 to 40 € one way. From Lamezia Terme it is around an hour, roughly 10 to 29 €.
By car, the number that decides the budget is fuel. On 7 September 2026 the Italian national average for self-service petrol was 2.054 € a litre; on the motorway 2.140 €. Fill up before you join the A2, not on it.
Eating
A margherita averages 7.04 € across Italy and 6.72 € in the south — Calabria sits at the cheap end of the country, not the expensive one. A sit-down dinner for two with wine is realistically 40 to 60 €.
Groceries are the line we will not invent a number for, because it depends entirely on how you eat. What is fair to say: Calabria is among the cheapest regions in Italy for a shopping basket, and the apartment has a real kitchen — gas hob, fridge, microwave, moka pots and pans — so self-catering is a genuine option rather than a theoretical one.
One thing to keep in mind: Calabrian inflation is currently running at 3.5 % against a national 2.9 %. Every figure on this page is 2026 and will drift.
September against August
The same week in August costs 140 € more in accommodation alone — 840 € instead of 700 — and the beaches, restaurants and car parks are full. The sea is warmer by less than two degrees: 27 °C against 25 °C.
If your dates are not fixed by school holidays, September is the cheaper and quieter half of the same holiday.
Questions we get asked
How much is a week in Scalea for two people?
In September, 771 € on the ground without a sunbed, or up to 911 € with an umbrella and two loungers every day. That covers seven nights, the one-off cleaning and the tourist tax. Travel and food are extra.
Is there a tourist tax in Scalea?
Yes: 1.50 € per person per night for the first seven nights of a stay. Children under ten are exempt. It is collected on arrival and paid to the town hall.
Do you have to pay for the beach in Scalea?
No. There is free public beach within a few minutes' walk. A private lido with an umbrella and two loungers costs 10 to 20 € a day in Calabria if you want one.