This is How Much Your Trip to Maui Will Cost (And Ways to Save)
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You’ve seen the pictures on Instagram. Your best friend came back tan and with approximately 847 pictures to show you. You finally decide that a trip to Maui is in the cards for you, and you’re ready to go now.
But how much does a trip to Maui cost?
Stop searching, and stop guessing. We have the best estimate to start planning with right here.
A trip can be as expensive or as cheap as you like. From our calculations, a one-week vacation to Maui for two people will cost an average of $5,120.
Of course, there are other variables to consider. Let’s dive into the details so you can put together a better estimate of how much your dream trip to Hawaii will cost.
How much does it cost to fly to Maui?
Airline prices fluctuate wildly depending on where you’re coming from.
Flying from the west coast, you’ll be able to snag some well-priced flights for $350+ round trip.
Flying from the midwest or east coast, and you’re looking at closer to $700+ per flight.
Planning ahead and flying during quieter periods can bring your costs down significantly, so if you’re just starting your Maui planning, try not to set a date until you’ve found flights.
If you’re flying from anywhere other than the west coast, you’ll likely find the cheapest flights have a layover in California (either San Francisco or LAX) or on Oahu, or both! Pick your flight based on your tolerance level with layovers.
The average cost for two? We’ll estimate that you’re coming from Chicago in May, with prices currently right around $600 round trip.
Average round-trip ticket cost: $1,200 per couple
How much does a rental car in Maui cost?
When you first look at rental car prices you might be tempted to not rent a car. Don’t do it!
Relying on public transportation on Maui is not a great idea. There are so many things to do on Maui that you don’t want to be stuck at your hotel for the duration of your trip.
If you want to stay at your resort for an entire vacation there are plenty of cheaper vacation destinations where you can do that.
Rental car prices range from $20 – $90 per day, plus applicable taxes and fees.
If you don’t want to rent a car for the duration of your trip, there might be rental car offices closer to your hotel or condo that you could rent for a day or two. But most visitors choose to get a rental car for their stay so they can explore and enjoy all that the island has to offer.
Average rental car cost: $400 for the week (including gas)
Related article: Should You Rent a Car on Maui? This is How to Decide
How much do hotels cost in Maui?
Here is where you can really control your costs. Prices for accommodations vary wildly on the island and you can find budget rentals starting around $120 per night all the way to luxe accommodations like the Grand Wailea for $500+ per night.
If you’re looking for budget-friendly options, you can find some of the best prices by booking a rental home rather than a hotel. Vacation rental homes averaged 10% less than hotel rates in 2019.
Not only does this help you save on your per night cost, but your food bill goes down rather significantly when you rent a home.
Another budget-friendly option is renting a cabin or a canvas tent (aka, glamping) at Olowalu.
If you’re coming for a hotel experience and you’d like to be in a nice, mid-range hotel close to the beach, you’ll spend $250 – $400 a night.
Booking some of the nicest properties on the island will be $500 and up.
For this average, we’ll say that you’re staying in a mid-range resort for $350 a night for six nights.
Average hotel cost: $2,100 for six-nights
Related article: Hotel vs Airbnb: How to Decide What is Best for Your Vacation
How much should you budget for food on Maui?
Food on Maui, like pretty much everything else, isn’t cheap.
But just like hotel costs, you can adjust your spending to fit your budget.
If you plan to stay at a resort and eat the majority of your meals in or near the resort, plan on spending top dollar (and possibly not getting the best quality).
You can plan on paying $20 per person for breakfast, $25 per person for lunch, and $50 per person for dinner — and the costs can go up depending on the type of restaurant and your beverages of choice.
That would bring your food total to $1,400 for two people for the week.
If that’s not in your budget, don’t worry.
You can significantly reduce the amount of money you spend on food by eating away from the resort and making a stop at Costco/Walmart/Target. Pick up breakfast food to keep in your room and plan on skipping that cost daily.
And head outside of the resorts and the touristy areas to get excellent food at much more reasonable prices.
Fish tastes just as great (maybe better?) not eaten at a beachfront restaurant.
Plus, there are food trucks galore on this island, serving up food that is just as good as what you’ll get in any restaurant on the island. We eat at least one meal each week at a food truck and they’ve been some of our best meals.
Rental homes rates aren’t necessarily much cheaper than resorts, but the real cost savings can come from using the kitchen.
If you plan to eat two of your three meals at home and go out to eat once a day on your week-long vacation, you’re looking at huge cost-savings.
If you go for a mid-range option — eating at resort restaurant occasionally while hitting up food trucks and grocery stores, you’re looking at an average cost of $55 per person, per day for food.
Average food cost: $770 for seven days of food
How much is recommended for spending money on Maui?
When visiting Maui you can have a great vacation spending $0 or $1,000 on activities.
There is so much to do on this island that is free or inexpensive, but there are also some pretty magical activities that you might want to spring for.
Here are some Maui activities, with average pricing, to help you plan:
- Luau: $120 per person
- Snorkel trip to Molokini: $110 per person
- Surf lessons: $65 per person
- Sunset cruise: $75 per person
- Whale watching: $50 per person
- Snorkel rental: $10 per day
- Surfboard rental: $25 per day
- Stand Up Paddle rental: $35 per day
- Haleakala biking: $225 per person
- Helicopter ride: $285 per person
Combine those with some of the great, less expensive (or free) things you can do on this island, and you’ll have a trip full of adventure.
As you can see this can really range, but for this calculation, we’ll say you’re going to go to a luau, go on a snorkel trip, rent snorkel gear for three days, and take a surf lesson. That’s a total activity cost of $325 per person.
Average activities cost: $650 for a week of activities
Related articles:
Grand total: how much is a week vacation to Maui?
So how much will seven days in the Valley Isle cost you?
Airfare | $1,200 |
Hotel | $2,100 |
Rental car | $400 |
Food | $770 |
Spending money | $650 |
Total cost | $5220 |
Using the basic assumptions above, the total cost for a week vacation to Maui is $5,120.
As we mentioned, there are plenty of ways to bring down this cost:
- Book with airline miles
- Use points at a hotel
- Find cheap or free activities
- Rent a house to cook most of your meals in.
You can make your dream trip to Maui as cheap or as expensive as you want. No matter how much you spend, you’ll still have a great time.
To save money on your Hawaii vacation, we share our favorite and tested Hawaii discount sites, activities, travel gear, and deals on accommodations in our Hawaii Recommendations section. Take a look, your Hawaii vacation will thank you.