Key takeaways
- Going from 3 to 15 nights multiplies the price by 2.5, not by 5.
- The cost per night halves between a short and a long stay.
- The flight is a fixed cost: the longer you stay, the more you dilute it.
- Below 5 nights, you are mostly paying to get there and back.
The most common reflex on a tight budget is to shorten the stay. It is often the wrong lever, and our readings show it clearly.
Here is the real cost per night by length of stay, calculated on median prices recorded departing Montreal between 11 July and 4 August 2026, for departures between August and November 2026.
A night costs half as much on a long stay
| Length | Punta Cana: total | Per night | Cancún: total | Per night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 nights | $2,199 | $733 | $2,489 | $830 |
| 5 nights | $2,749 | $550 | $3,019 | $604 |
| 10 nights | $4,179 | $418 | $4,539 | $454 |
| 15 nights | $5,399 | $360 | $5,679 | $379 |
On Punta Cana, five times more nights cost only 2.5 times more. The night goes from $733 to $360, a 51% drop. The pattern is identical on Cancún.
Why the cost per night collapses
An all-inclusive package adds two things of a different nature: transport, a fixed cost paid once, and accommodation, a variable cost per night. Transport does not change whether you stay three nights or fifteen.
On a three-night stay, that fixed cost is spread over three nights only. It crushes everything else. Over fifteen nights it becomes marginal, and the price converges toward what the hotel actually costs.
- A short stay is almost never economical in the strict sense: it is simply cheaper in absolute terms.
- If the goal is best value for money, the trade-off sits between 7 and 14 nights.
- If the goal is the lowest possible total, aiming for 3 to 5 nights during a genuine price drop is unbeatable.
- Comparing two packages of different lengths on total price is meaningless. Always bring it back to the night.
Frequently asked questions
Is one week the most economical length?
Seven nights is the best-selling format, so the most competitive, but our readings show the cost per night keeps falling beyond it. Ten nights is often a better compromise than seven.
Why not just stay longer, then?
Because the total goes up. Going from 5 to 15 nights doubles the bill even though each night costs less. The right calculation depends on your total budget, not on the unit cost.
Do these gaps hold for every destination?
The pattern is the same everywhere, its size varies. The longer and more expensive the flight, the stronger the dilution effect on long stays.
We watch all-inclusive package prices departing from Canada and alert our members when a real drop appears. Our mission: make sun travel more accessible.