A cheap rental car can quickly become an expensive proposition in Waikiki. We checked Costco Travel for October 26 to November 2 and found an Alamo economy car for just $258.77 for the entire week. Even an SUV was available for $285. But seven nights of self-parking at Hilton Hawaiian Village would cost about $530, including tax, more than twice the economy car rental price. Obviously, car rental prices vary widely, and the same car rental over the Christmas/New Year holiday will easily cost double.
And Hilton is hardly alone. A look across dozens of Waikiki hotels shows how widespread these charges have become, with parking adding hundreds of dollars to a weeklong vacation, whether you drive every day or leave the car sitting in a garage.
Waikiki parking charges add up fast.
At $72.25 nightly, Hilton has some of the highest self-parking rates in Waikiki, but other major hotels aren’t far behind. Hyatt Regency Waikiki and Waikiki Beach Marriott both list self-parking at $65 nightly, totaling $455 over seven nights before applicable tax. Halekulani charges $68 for valet parking, while Outrigger Waikiki Beach and Outrigger Reef charge $60 for valet, or $420 over a week.
At Sheraton Waikiki, self-parking costs $55 nightly, adding $385 over seven nights. Prince Waikiki, where we’ve also stayed, charges $45 plus tax, or $315 before tax for the same period. Even at the lower end of these examples, parking is hardly a minor vacation expense.
The figures are based on published hotel rates. The key takeaway isn’t just the advertised rental rate, but what you’ll pay to keep the car at your hotel for the stay. This makes it time to build a new Hawaii travel spreadsheet.
Renting for fewer days may make more sense in Waikiki.
Waikiki is one of the few places in Hawaii where you can easily spend several days without a car. You can reach beaches, restaurants, shopping, and many Honolulu attractions on foot or by public transportation. But having your own vehicle makes exploring the Windward Coast, Kailua, and the North Shore much easier, especially if you want to stop along the way.
Instead of keeping a rental for the entire vacation, you can rent only on the days you plan to leave Waikiki. Rental offices operate in the area, including an Enterprise location directly at Hilton Hawaiian Village. A same-day rental can save you overnight hotel parking charges if pickup and return hours fit your plans.
Shorter rentals aren’t always cheaper per day, but weekly discounts can be substantial. We’ve seen how much Hawaii rental rates fluctuate, including when we saved more than half on a Maui rental by checking prices again shortly before pickup. Comparing the total cost of a weekly rental with two or three individual days makes more sense than assuming one option will be cheaper for your Hawaii vacation.
We’ve also covered less expensive Waikiki parking alternatives, but you should check rates, restrictions, and availability before relying on them. A nearby garage might cut costs considerably, provided it allows overnight parking and in/out privileges, and is convenient enough to work.
We’ve stayed at both Hilton Hawaiian Village (link goes to our hotel review) and many other Waikiki hotels, and we understand the appeal of having a car available whenever we want to explore Oahu. But with a week of hotel parking now running from $315 to more than $500 before tax at these properties, it’s worth considering how often you’ll actually drive before committing to a rental for the entire stay.
If you’ve stayed in Waikiki recently, how did you handle the parking costs? We’d like to hear what you paid, whether you kept a car for the whole trip, or found a less expensive arrangement that worked.
Photo Credit: Beat of Hawaii at Hilton Hawaiian Village garage.
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
Some of Hawaii’s most meaningful parts are the ones visitors walk right past without knowing they are there. We’ve spent nearly 20 years finding them firsthand for BOH as full-time Hawaii residents reporting on travel, culture, and island life, and telling you what they mean for your trip. Join us →
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I opted out of Hawaii altogether and went to Saipan. Cost a little more to fly there but once there the hotel was half the cost of hawaii and the room came with a beach view, the rental car was cheaper and I didn’t have to pay to park the car anywhere including at the hotel. Has all the same beauty to enjoy with out all the nickel and dimeing to death they do in Hawaii and a lot less crowded. It was a superior experience compared to Hawaii
Our last several trips to Honolulu, we used uber/taxi. Sometimes we buy a day pass on The Bus. And if we want to venture out of Waikiki we rent a car for the day.
We stayed at the Waikiki Shore September 30 – October 5, 2026. Parking is $40.00 a night and parking isn’t guaranteed. I was never made aware of this when booking through the Castle Resorts website. When we arrived at Waikiki Shore, I was surprised, tired and trying to figure out where to park. The receptionist finally found us a parking spot but for only one night. She said I would have to come back the next morning to see if a spot would come available. She did say someone was checking out the next day and we could possibly have that spot. Our rental car price for the five days was $256.00 and five days of parking was $200.00
We haven’t rented a car on Oahu for at least a decade. Our most recent visits did not require a rental car, and Uber/taxi works just fine. The last time we rented a car on Oahu was to visit the North Shore and windward side for a few days, and once that was completed it was returned to the rental lot.
We plan to visit Oahu next year for a few days during a mult-week Kauai stay, and we will only rent for a day for the North Shore visit. Everything else will be Uber/taxi. If your visit is going to be confined to Honolulu/Waikiki/Pearl Harbor, then skip the rental car completely, and your wallet and Hawaii trip budget will thank you for it!
Aloha to all
Using Uber/Lyft for trips around town is way cheaper than renting a car. If you need one for a day of two – Turo has been great. We’ve been doing this for the past for the past four trips and it works great.
Just be aware that insurance coverage is different with Turo. I live in BC Canada and my insurance which has high coverage is good for rental cars anywhere so I do not need coverage. However as Turo is person to person it is not valid. Any coverage that covers rentals does not work with Turo.