Think a Hawaii vacation costs $10,000 for a week for two? It doesn’t have to. We live here and see visitors overspend every day, not because Hawaii is unaffordable, but because they don’t know where the real savings are. These 13 tips can realistically bring a $10,000 Hawaii vacation down to $5,000 to $6,000 for two people, without losing the Hawaii you came for.
We use these strategies ourselves and have watched visitors use them successfully for years. The key is knowing where you can save without sacrificing the experience and where cutting corners will ruin your trip. Here is what actually works in 2025.
1. Book now for 2026 if you want the best deals.
With Hawaiian Airlines being purchased by Alaska Airlines, we are already seeing fewer sale fares than we did two years ago. The airlines know they have less competition to worry about. If you are planning to travel in 2026, book now while there is still inventory, as airlines are pulling out all excess capacity. Waiting for a better deal may backfire, as 2025 shoulder season rates are already 15 to 20 percent higher than those in 2024. Prices will only go up as integrated routes are consolidated and promotions become even rarer. We are already seeing that in spades.
2. Ride the Southwest effect while you can.
Even with far fewer rock-bottom sales and a complete revamp of its own in process, Southwest is still the strongest price pressure Hawaii has seen in decades. Watch for possible seasonal offers, especially for travel from California during spring and fall, as well as lower cost interisland airfares. Residents have learned to grab those the day they appear because they do not last long.
3. Go midweek, not weekend.
Flights and accommodations are often less expensive on Tuesday through Thursday. You can save hundreds by shifting your arrival or departure by one or two days. Even popular car rentals drop noticeably in the middle of the week. Think of Hawaii as a dynamic pricing game where timing is everything.
4. Skip the resort fees and find true final pricing.
In Hawaii, daily resort fees now range from $35 to $65, and parking can add $50 or more per night. Before booking, filter by total price on major sites or check our recent post on resort fee controversies for a current list of hotels charging mandatory extras. Small boutique hotels, many condos, and even some chains still avoid the worst of these fees.
5. Use Costco Travel, even if you are not a regular customer yet.
Locals quietly rely on Costco Travel to undercut hotel and car rental rates. Visitors do too. The included extras, like food credits, parking, or resort fee waivers, often make it unbeatable. We check Costco first, then hotel loyalty programs, booking sites, in that order. Even if you sign up for a membership just for one trip, you will probably come out ahead. For car rentals, Costco Travel is often the best deal and includes a second driver free.
6. Bundle strategically.
Bundling airfare, car, and hotel on one site sometimes saves hundreds, but that isn’t always true. The trick is to price each piece individually, then as a package. Hawaii residents look for bundles that include free cancellation, as plans can change and flights may be rescheduled. Costco, Priceline, Expedia, and AAA packages are all worth checking to find the best value.
7. Avoid premium cars and SUVs.
Unless you are driving to Mauna Kea or deep into Hawaii’s back roads, compact to full-size cars work fine. Hawaii parking lots are small, roads can be tight, and fuel costs are high. The cheapest rentals can be half the price of a premium SUV. Turo also remains a strong alternative, worth checking since it offers local pickups when you don’t need a rental for your entire trip, or discounted weekly rates.
8. Stay in one place longer.
Island-hopping is tempting but expensive in terms of both dollars and time. Every interisland flight now costs far more than before, with fares rarely under $59 anymore. A week on one island, for example, gives better pricing leverage on lodging and avoids multiple rental car contracts. Many visitors tell us they enjoy their trip more when they stop racing between islands.
9. Rethink where you stay.
Legal vacation rental condos or small inns can feel more authentic and cost far less. On Oahu, look toward Diamond Head or the Ala Moana side rather than central Waikiki to avoid congestion. On Maui, Kihei still offers the best price-to-location ratio. On the Big Island, consider Kona coffee country or the Hilo side for half the nightly rate of Kohala Coast resort areas. Small hotels continue to offer real value compared to luxury resorts, which charge double. Always read recent reviews carefully to vet what you are getting and avoid disappointment, since service levels can vary greatly.
10. Eat like residents do.
Locals rarely dine in resort restaurants except for special occasions. Hawaii’s plate lunches, food trucks, and grocery poke and sushi counters often deliver the same flavors for a fraction of the cost. Times, Foodland, Costco, and Safeway all have great takeout options. A family can easily save $150 a day by mixing picnics with fewer restaurant meals.
11. Use kamaaina-style timing.
Even if you cannot get a kamaaina discount, you can still benefit from the same principles: travel off-peak, book early, and stay flexible. Many local businesses offer last-minute local deals through their websites or Instagram pages. A few hours of well-timed research before you go can unlock serious savings.
12. Rethink activities and tours.
Some Hawaii tours are worth every dollar, but many repeat the same stops you can visit yourself. Snorkeling tours, for instance, may charge $150 per person to take you where you could drive and bring your own equipment or rent gear for $25. Save your splurge money for once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such as helicopter rides or Na Pali cruises.
13. Know when to spend.
This is the part most visitors miss. Some costs cannot be cut without hurting your trip. Quality lodging, safe rental cars, and direct flights from home airports all matter a lot. However, spending strategically on fewer days, smarter routes, and realistic lodging can create the same experience, often for far less. That is how Hawaii residents approach their own vacations.
Real numbers from 2025.
To check our math, we priced a mid-May 2026 trip for two adults from Los Angeles to Maui for one week. Airfare on Hawaiian, nonstop, came to $538 each roundtrip. A Kihei condo through Costco Travel is priced at $219 per night, including all fees. A compact car totaled $318, also through Costco, and meals by our estimate averaged $80 per day for two, using a mix of food trucks, local restaurants, takeout, and cooking some of your meals. Visitors who book premium resort rooms, rent SUVs, dine in resort restaurants, and take every advertised tour can easily spend $7,000 to $10,000. The difference is not Hawaii itself or the quality of the experience; it is the approach.
What to watch for next.
2026 will be a transition year for Hawaii travel pricing. As Alaska and Hawaiian fully integrate, flight schedules and loyalty programs are changing, and competition may soften. That means fewer sale windows and higher baseline fares. The good news is that other costs, such as car rentals and mid-tier hotels, have stabilized since their peaks. Watch for the best combination of flight and lodging deals about six to eight months ahead. Beyond that, prices tend to climb steeply.
The bottom line.
These 13 tips are what we actually use living and traveling here. They work because they are based on how Hawaii tourism really operates, not on generic travel advice. The visitors who overpay are the ones who book everything separately at the last minute and assume Hawaii has to be expensive. The ones who save are the ones who plan ahead with careful research, bundle smartly, and know which corners to cut.
Which of these tips will save you the most on your next Hawaii trip? Have you discovered other budget-friendly tricks that work? Share your thoughts in the comments below. We would love to hear how you make Hawaii affordable.
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We are already committed to the $10,000+ version of our next trip to Kauai, though I appreciate the tips for future escapes to the beautiful island. However, the tip most travelers wish islanders would share is what to do about the frizz???
Mahalo!
Cool idea to rent a car for just part of the trip.
We will be on Kauai for two weeks in Poipu.
Been everywhere already so spend a lot of time at the resort.
Will have to move from Point @ Poipu to Lawai Beach. Moving food and all.
How easy is it to get a ride (uber or ?) for that switch?
Same question for the last day, Poipu to the Airport, how easy to get a ride?
Kaua’i, many come to this location. Coffee ice cream stand. About 17.6 miles west on highway #50. Left from the second stop light straight ahead out of the airport terminal. But just to let you know now, this coffee stand is owned by the banks taking care of politicians who wanted a gimmick in 1997. Last of the sugar plantation to close down on Kaua’i. Not bad coffee. You have tasted better coffee than Kaua’i coffee. I promise.
I have no problem with making this math work at an upscale resort on BI, but Maui is a much more difficult get. Next weekend we’ll be on Maui at a Wailea resort with airfare, rental car and resort stay booked through Costco will be lucky to just be 10K.
I made the trip last February, stayed at Hostels on both Maui and Oahu. Best travel experience of my life. Met people from all over the US and the world. Activities every night, Much better than hotels or condo. Had kitchen amenities available, Oahu was in our room. Some slept 4 and others 6 also private rooms if you want to pay more. If you have a rental car, just say you are going to Hana or the beach and gather about 4 to 5 people and usually they give you a few dollars for gas.
thank you for teaching me how to travel. iam not a member of costco. i am an old senior lady. I went to Barcelona all by myself i did what you suggested. use my head do lot of research. Booking.com was wonderful. found a great hotel and cheaper.
Aloha Beat of Hawai‘i team — mahalo for helping visitors discover Hawai‘i with respect. Just one gentle reminder: when you recommend “legal Airbnbs,” please note that legal doesn’t mean harmless.
On the Big Island, thousands of vacation rentals were grandfathered in years ago for tax reasons, even in places that were never meant for tourists — like Hilo town or Kona coffee country. These areas have no resort zones, so every “cheaper” vacation rental is usually a former family home that can no longer house local people.
If travelers want to visit responsibly, it helps to stay in true resort areas or licensed inns that were built for visitors from the start. Otherwise, every “budget” stay quietly pushes Hawai‘i’s working families farther from their own communities.
Mahalo again for the work you do — it’s an important conversation about how to keep Hawai‘i welcoming and still livable.
I grew up in Hawaii and travel back every year for a long visit. All your tips are solid and provide savings sometimes even greater. Great news letter. Mahalo
This is a good article whether vacationing in Hawaii, or elsewhere. The main thing, do your homework, and that is a vacation in itself.
Take your time when traveling, less is more.
Smile, make friends, especially at restaurants.
My wife and I were in Suncheon and I saw this family restaurant during homework time. Went their nearly everyday when we were there for a week, great food, great price. They waved when they saw us come in and brought us special stuff.
I miss them.
It helps BOH if you live there. You know the area’s that provide the best deal for food trucks, and what neighborhoods to avoid. Certain neighborhoods have home prices as low as 425,000 and the median average is 680.000-1 million. Hawaiian’s don’t tell or advertise where the best deals are because they don’t want them to be over run with tourists. Would you tell tourists where you eat and snorkel etc if you hated tourist crowds? No. Local’s don’t disclose where their affordable prime spots are. That’s what is called a hidden gem. Golden rule. Never Never tell a tourist.
No, not all residents behave like you say. Most still have Aloha.
We’ve been to the islands about 20 times and with only 3 exceptions, we always stayed in oceanfront condos. They’re cheaper and we don’t mind making many of our own meals. When we do go out to eat, it is almost never for dinner, as restaurants usually charge more at that time. We save a lot that way. And, cooking at the community grill in the complex can be a fun way to meet other travelers.
I book hotel and car rentals way in advance but “not” with prepaid rates. I check back every several weeks. Cancel and Rebook when rates are lower.
re: Tips to save money
Don’t rent a car at the airport if you are staying in Waikiki. Instead take a Roberts Airport Shuttle or cab from airport to Waikiki on Day 1. Then on Day 2 or 3, walk from your hotel to a Waikiki car rental office (most are in hotel lobbies) in the morning. Then do your circle island or North Shore outing before returning your rental in the late afternoon. That avoids overnight parking fees and it doesn’t sit unused in a hotel garage on days you are staying in Waikiki or taking bus tours to places like the PCC. Just rent cars on days you actually need to drive somewhere. Then shuttle back to the airport without the hassle of doing a car return. Renting a car in Waikiki also avoids the airport rental car daily surcharge.
Excellent article BOH editors! I would agree and endorse all of your Hawaii travel tips. However, unless I missed it after two readings, you didn’t specifically mention Kauai. So at the risk of being redundant here are a couple suggestions for Kauai.
1. Hit Walmart as soon as you land at LIH, it’s very close to the airport and on your way to everything.
2. Long’s Drugs in Kapaa at the Coconut Marketplace. Competitive prices throughout.
3. Eat lunch at LL Hawaiian BBQ. Four locations on Kauai. Plate lunches very filling, and you can have a light evening snack back at your condo or rental.
4. The Shell station at Hanamaulul, near the airport, best prices.
5. “Big Save” Markets very competitive prices.
Aloha to all.
You can afford to travel to Kauai and choose to eat at a Shell gas station. I don’t know if I have to laugh or wonder how one might feel embarrassed by eating at a gas station. I would think a fast food dining experience would be living high on the hog after that. IMO my wife would be furious if I did that number. OH well. Hope you enjoyed youfr trip.
You don’t eat at the gas station, you fill up the rental car at Hanamaulu Shell. Best gas prices on Kauai, and they fill the car up for you. Aloha friendly service for decades.
Seriously doubt the Daryl meant he ‘ate’ at the gas station. No doubt he meant the best gas prices – if you don’t have a Costco membership, that is. :0)
Yes Colleen you are correct. Mahalo Nui for making the point. You go to the Shell station in Hanamaulu for good cheap gas to fill up your rental car. Not to eat. Great Aloha friendly service all the time.
Well whatever. If you are seeking inexpensive I think Costco on the islands might still have a hot dog and a soda for $1.50. Most locals on Oahu ate there because it was the cheapest place to eat. Cheaper than making it at home or buying at any mini mart. By the way shouldn’t your car be fully filled up when leaving the car rental facility since they demand customers to return cars with full tanks. IMO only a good idea if returning a car rental and you can make it back to the airport shell before running out of gas.
There used to be a Havens carry out at the Shell station on Piilani Highway on Maui. They had really great and relatively inexpensive smash burgers and some noodle choices. They now have a truck across the street from Costco and a restaurant at Maalaea harbor. Same smash burgers for lunch and more refined menu for dinner.
I joined Costco two years ago solely for the Costco Travel benefits. – even though I live almost an hour from the nearest Costco. I used a Groupon to join and then upgraded to the Executive membership. My earnings with the Executive Membership travel rewards more than paid for the membership renewal this year and then some. And the Costco gift cards given after travel is completed have added hundreds of dollars to my wallet. This, on top of the fact that I’ve saved a lot on every trip and car rental booked vs. booking directly or with any other third party vendor.