How Much a Trip to Hawaii Really Cost
The most asked question we get regarding our Hawaii trip is how much does a trip to Hawaii cost? I think we can all agree that anyone who wants to visit Hawaii and doesn’t, says Hawaii is too expensive.
And I completely understand what people mean and I had that mindset before I went too. For us, we’re traveling 10 hours from the east coast so the flight alone can be a big expense. In the spirit of being transparent, and hopefully showing others it’s possible to go to Hawaii, I’ve broken down the cost of our trip below.
Trip to Hawaii Cost- Overview
| Expense | Cost Per Person | Total Cost for 2 People |
| Flights | $657 | $1314 |
| Accommodation | $575 | $1150 |
| Transportation | $271 | $542 |
| Excursions/Activities | $345 | $690 |
| Food | $386.50 | $773 |
| Misc/Souvenirs | $62.50 | $125 |
| Total | $2297 | $4594 |
For a break down of these numbers, what’s included in each, and where to save money continue reading!
The Flights
Like I mentioned above, for most people the flight to Hawaii can be pretty pricey. We booked a flight from Atlanta to Honolulu with one stop for $627 per person. Obviously the cost of plane tickets will vary based on where you’re flying from, if it’s a direct flight, and the time of your travel. For reference we booked our tickets during Black Friday so they were discounted some. We also traveled during March, which is said to be a little cheaper than traveling during the summer or the holidays. If you’re going to be searching for flights soon I suggest browsing in an incognito browser. Airlines use cookies to track you searches and will increase the prices the more you keep looking.
We only checked one bag total (we shared a suitcase and took one carry on each) so the cost was $30 dollars each way.
Accommodation
Hotels in Hawaii can range anywhere from around $150 to over $1000 a night. If you want to stay in a hotel right on the beach you’re obviously going to pay more. For us we were definitely trying to find a more budget friendly option and stayed at Shoreline Waikiki {insert link}. Rooms start around $199 for a queen bed. We booked our hotel on Black Friday as well so we were able to get a discount on it. For 7 nights we paid $1,149.52. They do periodically run deals on their website including half off amenity fees.
While our hotel wasn’t right on the beach, it was less than a five minute walk to the beach and was centrally located to shops and restaurants. The room wasn’t luxurious but it was definitely cute, clean and just what we needed for our stay. You can definitely find something more luxurious if you’re willing to pay more, but we didn’t stay in our room often so this was perfect for us.
You can also check out hostels, or airbnbs if you’re looking for cheaper accommodation and are okay with sharing your space.
Food
Depending on where you eat, food can definitely be more pricey on the island. I’d stick to food trucks and little hole in the wall restaurants if you’re trying to keep your cost down. In total for our seven (and half) days we were there we spent $773.55 on food, inluding any meals while traveling. We did get ice cream or dessert everyday (you’re on vacation, treat yourself!) and not just meals. To save on cost a little, we bought bagels, cream cheese and fruit for breakfast at a grocery store. We also got bread, deli meat and cheese to pack sandwiches on our hikes. While it’s not going to save you $100s of bucks, it did help and saved time for us searching for breakfast everyday.
Getting Around
On a lot of budget websites people recommend taking the bus, which is a lot cheaper, but we opted to rent a car. The bus can be great for some things, but will take you longer to get where you’re going and likely not drop you off right at your destination. We spent $365 on a rental car for 5 days. The first and last day we weren’t there whole days so we stayed around the Waikiki area and walked. The second day we were there our tour included transportation so we didn’t need to rent the car yet.
It’s worth planning your itinerary first to see when you should really rent a car, instead of just assuming you need it for the whole time.
We rented off of Getaround and Turo instead of traditional options, such as Hertz. It was cheaper and ours included parking which definitely saved us money. Parking is hard to come by in Waikiki and most garages or hotel parking isn’t free.
Gas
We drove around the island quite a bit and was surprised to only spend $41.57 on gas.
Transportation To and From the Airport
We used Lyft to take us from the airport to our hotel and it was $36.82. Traffic was bad so it took almost an hour to get to our hotel and we also waited 20 minutes for our Lyft to pick us up. On the way back to the airport, I found a shuttle, Hawaii 23, which was only $23 for two people. I ended up tipping $7, making it $30 because our driver, Mark, was so incredible and friendly.
I definitely recommend booking a shuttle vs a lyft, since it’s cheaper and you most likely won’t have to wait as long. We were able to book a shuttle the same day but I do recommend booking it at least a couple days in advance.
Airport Parking
This might not be an expense for some people if you have family or friends drop you off. We choose to drive ourselves to the airport and park since we often leave or arrive at times that would be inconvenient for others to drive us. For parking, we use The Parking Spot and it cost us $68.80 to leave our car there for the week. We have used The Parking Spot a few times now and really enjoy it. It’s super convenient, they shuttle you right from your car to the airport, and you have the option to choose covered or uncovered parking.
Excursions/ Activities
This is another area you can definitely save money since there are plenty of free things to do in Hawaii. We did two main excursions and hiked or did other free things the other days.
Zip Lining(for two people)- $358.86
Snorkeling(for two people)-$268
Temple(for two people)- $10
Diamond Head(for two people plus parking)- $52.56. Diamond head is only $5 per person to hike it plus $10 to park. Bringing the total to a little over $21 for two people including taxes. We spent twice that since it ended up raining the initial time we reserved. We couldn’t leave Oahu without hiking the famous diamond head so we did pay to do it later that day when the rain cleared.
This brings our total for attractions to $689.42
Souvenirs
If you’re like me, you can’t go to a new place and not come home with at least a t-shirt. We spent $125.41 on a few t-shirts, magnets, stickers, a bag of coffee, and a few misc things.
On our last trip, we spent way too much on souvenirs so we were more intentional this time about what we chose to buy.
Trip to Hawaii Cost- How Do We Afford it?
The next question people usually ask is how do we afford it? In the moment sometimes I don’t know what to say if I’m honest. But that’s what inspired me to make that post. Talking about money and how much a trip cost and how you afford doesn’t have to be a tabeo topic.
Me and my wife are very much on the same page about how we spend our money and what we spend it on: it’s travel, for sure. Our number one priority is traveling, experiencing new places, hiking different mountains. We live a relatively simple life so we can take these trips. My wife recently was really considering getting a new iPhone, but when she really thought about it, she realized she can either spend that $1000 on a new phone, or on a trip. She picked the trip, and when it comes down to it 99% of the time we will pick the trip.
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t buy things you really want or that make you happy. It’s just to explain how we afford to take these trips. Your thing might be concerts and that’s what you spend your money on. Or you really like going out every weekend and partying with you’re friends and that’s where you spend your money. Maybe you’re really into fashion so you always buy the newest outfit or shoes because that’s what makes you happy.
At the end of the day, when you really want something, your action aline to make that thing happen, whatever that may be for you.
To end this post I just want to say that I’m always extremely grateful for any trip we take, weather it’s to the other side of the country or just a few hours away in our state. I know there are people who don’t have the means to travel and I never take it for granted the availability we have to see and experience new places.
Headed to Hawaii?
Checkout this 7 Day Itinerary
