How Much Does It Cost To Go To Hawaii

People often ask: How much does it cost to go to Hawaii? Can I afford to go to Hawaii? It's all relative of course. Here are some facts:

• The cost of going to Hawaii has gone up greatly in the last several years and is sadly becoming a destination for primarily the wealthy
• The island you choose to go to can greatly effect the cost. Oahu being the most frequented island is often cheaper to fly to but the overall spending will tend to be highest there due to the vast options of where and how to spend money. I give the example that flying to Las Vegas is typically much cheaper than flying to Reno, NV due to the fact that Vegas has a major, international airport with many flights scheduled there. Conversely, little old Reno tends to have pricier flights as there are less flight available to go there. You may not even be able to find a direct flight. That being said, your spending will likely be much greater in Vegas with it's plethora of eating, shopping, and entertainment options. In Reno you only have so many places to spend money.
• There are only 2 ways to get to Hawaii - boat or plane. Plane being the more economical as cruises to Hawaii are generally close to $1,500 to $2,000 per person, assuming double occupancy from the West Coast. Similarly a flight may cost $500-$700 on average (note I said average, I do understand this can vary quite a bit).
• Recently the Hawaiian Islands have seen a race of major Hotel corporations buying out the smaller and local hotels. Sadly, this has created a bit of oligopoly where there are small number of hotels controlling all the lodging markets in Hawaii. As you can imagine, the costs have thus gone up dramatically over the years. In Waikiki, Hawaii's most popular tourist district, you can expect hotels to range from $170 (after taxes and fees) to an easy $500+ per night. Sadly one should not expect much from the $170 range hotels as they are little better than a Motel 6 in other parts of the world.
• AIRBNB and VRBO are valid options for lodging. Just do your due diligence. For example: Parking can be very scarce in Honolulu. Believe it or not, Hawaii does have it's share of poor and possibly dangerous neighborhoods. Cockroaches tend to be abundant in most homes, whether it be worth $200k or $1M, there's not much that can be done. You often don't see the roaches at the hotels because your are often several stories up where they can be better controlled.
• Shopping can be cheaper as sales tax in Hawaii is lower the most major cities. I believe currently 4 to 4.5%.
• Food tends to cost more as much of it is shipped to Hawaii. I suggest eating local, not big chain. Local foods tend to be more affordable as some is sourced locally and the ingredients will often not be those things that cost an arm and a leg to acquire. A classic example is that milk may cost about $8/gal, case of bottled water perhaps $6, dozen eggs maybe $4. McDonalds will run an easy $10+ for a combo.

• Rental cars tend to cost a little more on Oahu than say Maui or Kauai. That said, it's always based on supply and demand and can easily work the other way. On average I've paid about $50/day for regular cars on all islands, and about $90/day for minivans/large SUV's.
• Nearly everything costs double or more in the tourist districts. Whether you're in Waikiki, Lahaina, Poipu, or the hotel lobby, drinks and food will probably be high. Perhaps $10 beer, $20 cocktail, $20 burger.
• If you're on the West Coast, Hawaii is still possibly your best valued tropical destination. If you're on the East Coast or Southern US, perhaps the Caribbean, Costa Rica, or Puerto Rico may be more cost effective.

In summary, yes, Hawaii can be very expensive. Keep in mind, the beaches and hikes are free (ok, at least cheap). You can't put a price on the Aloha spirit and experience.
*For suggestions on ways to earn points or miles to put towards travel expenses, please check out my other posts:
Earn a Free Trip / Cash with Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards
Chase Sapphire Preferred Review – Best Cash / Points Bonus
Good luck getting to paradise.