It’s no secret that vacationing in Hawaii can be expensive. It’s a remote set of islands, after all, and it’s not cheap to transport goods all the way to the middle of the pacific. My wife and I found out just how expensive it can be when arrived in Oahu, one of the most popular islands for tourism in Hawaii. We had done our research on how to keep costs low, but there were definitely some things that caught us by surprise. If you’re looking to visit Oahu for your next trip, here are 10 tips that will help keep you under-budget.
Use the Turo app if you’re looking to rent a car.
Turo is the AirBnB of car rentals. You agree to rent someone’s car for an agreed-upon price and period of time, then return it in the same condition you received it at the end.
My wife and I compared prices on Turo to those of a car rental company, and found Turo’s prices tended to be anywhere from 30-50% cheaper. We paid $60US per day, including insurance, for a 2019 Corolla (all you really need on the island) that we drove around for three days.
One thing before you book: be sure to inquire with the owner as to whether they’ll drop off the car to your location or not. Not everyone is willing to do that, but it’s worth finding one who will. We ended up having to pay for Uber rides to and from our car, which added to the total cost!
Another option is Hui, which is a pay-per-use vehicle option (like Zipcar, if you’ve heard of them). A bonus to going this route is that you avoid paying overnight parking fees which, as we’ll see, are insane in Hawaii.
Use Uber when you’re not able or interested in driving.
If you’re still waiting for your rental car or just simply don’t want to drive, Uber is always an option. They don’t pick up from the airport (taxis have a monopoly on that), but otherwise you can find an Uber just about anywhere and anytime.
On average, we found that Uber was around 40-50% cheaper than a taxi.
Be aware that Waikiki prices are inflated.
Waikiki beach and the surrounding area is both the downtown of Oahu and the most touristy of the entire island. Because of this, you are going to get hosed on prices just about everywhere you go. I say “just about” because there ARE places where you can pay more reasonable prices for things like food and drink.
Many bars offer cheap drinks during happy hour (a bonus is that this can also make for great sunset-watching), and you can get coffee for under $2 without going to McDonald’s (but you’ll need to look around – many places charge a whopping $5 or more, which is insane).
For dinner, most places will charge $16 or more per plate, but you can find cheaper (and still amazingly tasty) option for $13 or less. Eating out is going to be costly no matter what, but you can minimize this by doing your research in advance.
Buy your own groceries and make your meals whenever possible.
If you want to cut your food bill ever further, you’ll want to purchase some of your own groceries. A new market aptly named “Waikiki Market” opened on January 11, 2023, and they sell both pre-prepared foods (including really good poke by the pound) and raw ingredients. Before this, there were very few places to purchase groceries in the downtown core, and they weren’t centrally located. This new market gives tourists an option that doesn’t require a rental car!
Consider a 4-star hotel or AirBnB for your Oahu stay.
Many are a 5-minute walk from the beach, and can easily save you hundreds per night compared to their 5-star counterparts. AirBnB won’t save you as much money as you might think, since prices have come up, but you’ll still save compared to a hotel. Of course, shared lodgings like a hostel are always an option as well, if you’re up for that!
The difference here can amount to hundreds of dollars per night in some cases, so make sure to shop around. Your lodgings are likely going to be the single biggest expense of your trip, so it’s crucial to choose wisely if you’re looking to visit Oahu on a budget.
Know which excursions to take and which to avoid.
Some excursions and attractions are worth every penny; others are a complete ripoff. Be sure to do your research and read reviews online before booking. There’s very little that’s actually free in Oahu; even the parks often charge for entry and/or parking. If you’re going to spend on entertainment and adventure, make sure you’re getting what you paid for.
If seeing a luau is on your list (and it should be if this is your first visit to Hawaii), then Toa Luau is a fantastic choice on Oahu. We went, and both the food and entertainment (edutainment, really, as we learned a lot!) were second to none. As a bonus, Toa is based in Waimaea Valley, and the luau price includes access to Waimaea Valley falls. While the falls were nothing too spectacular, the walk to the falls was a nature lover’s dream, and well worth the price.
Book key restaurants and excursions in advance.
Popular restaurants fill up many weeks ahead of time, and often within days of opening up their reservations on a given day. You likely won’t get in if you don’t book, so make sure to plan ahead.
Also, some tour companies increase prices for last-minute bookings, just like airlines do. The earlier the book, the more you can rest assured that you got the best price possible.
Bring lots of snacks.
Things like granola/protein bars and chips cost anywhere from 50-100% more on the island, compared to the mainland. Hey, those freight ships aren’t cheap!
No joke though, I saw a bag of chips for $6.99 US. Healthy snacks weren’t any cheaper. In contrast, we brought a box of Cliff bars, which we bought for $15 CAD, and they lasted us our entire trip, including all of our hikes and excursions.
Bringing your own snacks can easily save you $50-$100 or more compared to buying them in Oahu.
Choose your parking situation carefully.
Most hotels charge in and around $40-$50 for their onsite valet parking, and then you have to tip on top of that. This was almost as much as our car rental itself, which is insane. There are better options!
Some streets have free parking (ask the locals to find out which ones are safe and which may get you towed), which is of course at your own risk. An in-between option, and one that we went with, is to find a parking garage that allowed in-and-out privileges for a fair price, and park your car there. We used the parking garage at the Aston Sunset Waikiki and paid $25 per day – well below the $45 price tag at the Hilton where we were staying.
Free Wi-Fi is your friend.
Most places offer it, so you can cut down on data roaming fees if you’re visiting from outside the US. If you’re in Canada, most carriers now charge $12 or more per day if you want to use roaming services. In most cases data isn’t necessary – just make sure you don’t have to pick up your rental car way out in the suburbs like we did 🙂
Wrapping it Up
Hawaii, and Oahu in particular, is going to be expensive no matter what. That said, there are definitely things you can do to make the trip more affordable for yourself. With the 10 items on this list, you’re ready to tackle the island without it completely tackling your budget. Follow these tips, and you’ll save hundreds, even thousands of dollars, all without negatively impacting your experience at all.
