This is not an "average holiday cost." It is a way to build your own budget using prices you can verify..

Budget formula

Calculate per-person expenses and room expenses separately. Two people share the price of a double room, while each person pays for their own train, museum ticket, and food.

Accommodation determines the total

Choose your base before building the budget. Nice is more convenient for trips in both directions, Cannes for the islands and sandy beaches, and Antibes for a quieter holiday. My article on where to stay on the French Riviera has a detailed comparison.

Turn on the full-price display when searching for accommodation. Check the city tax, cleaning fee, breakfast, refundable rate, and air conditioning. A low nightly price may stop looking low after mandatory fees.

Use three real options for your dates:.

1. The cheapest acceptable room.
2. An option close to the station.
3. The option you genuinely want to book.

The median of those three prices is more useful than a random figure from an article written for a different month..

Airport transport

Trams connect Nice Airport with the city. A single journey on the urban network is listed at €1.70 in 2026, but check airport products and rules separately on the official transport page.

The official fixed taxi fare from the airport to central Nice is €32 in 2026, excluding possible surcharges (Nice Airport). My Uber to the center cost €21.95. That is a personal example, not a promise of today's price. The app calculates it when you order.

Trains and day trips

For a week without a car, list each trip: Monaco, Cannes, Antibes, Menton, or Èze-sur-Mer. Then compare individual tickets with a day or multi-day pass. TER Sud publishes current products on its official website.

Do not count only the train. Èze may require a bus, the Lérins Islands require a boat, and Saint-Tropez may involve a train, bus, and sea transport. My French Riviera train guide helps you avoid buying the wrong pass.

Food: three practical approaches

Budget

Breakfast from a bakery or supermarket, a picnic for lunch, and one inexpensive hot meal. This works best with a fridge in your accommodation and a shop nearby.

Mixed

A simple breakfast, a restaurant lunch special, and a light dinner. This is the most convenient option for an active itinerary. It is easier to find a set menu during the day than an open kitchen after a late train.

Restaurant focused

Breakfast in a café, then a full lunch and dinner with drinks. Calculate this from the menus of actual restaurants, not by multiplying an arbitrary €30. On La Croisette, one dish may cost as much as an entire budget day.

Use my article on traditional French food to choose the dishes you genuinely want to pay for..

A beach can be free or a major expense

Public beaches are free. You need your own mat, water, and, in Nice, water shoes. A private club adds a sunbed, umbrella, towel, and restaurant, but they are not always included in one price.

For example, the published 2026 menu at Carlton Beach Club in Cannes lists a Niçoise salad at €35 and a 75 cl bottle of water at €11. That is the upper end of the market, not a compulsory expense. My article on Cannes beaches compares free and private sections in full.

Three scenarios without false precision

Careful

Accommodation with a kitchen outside the peak month, a tram from the airport, individual TER tickets, public beaches, picnics, and one paid sight per day..

Balanced

A mid-range central hotel, several restaurant lunches, a boat to an island, museums, and one day at a private beach venue..

Comfortable

A seafront hotel, airport taxi, flexible tickets, restaurants twice a day, private beach clubs, and paid tours..

Insert prices for your dates into each scenario. Do not carry a May accommodation price into August, and do not quote a price without accounting for the second traveler.

Where saving money does not work

• Distant accommodation without the cost of daily transport.
• A nonrefundable rate when your plans are uncertain.
• A travel pass bought without calculating the routes.
• The cheapest shoes for rocky paths.
• The last train without time for a connection.
• Skipping water on a hot day to save money.

Build your seven-day itinerary first, then assign a price to each day. The budget will reflect your trip rather than someone else's idea of a cheap or luxurious holiday.