How Much Does a Trip to Hawaii Cost for Two People? (2026)

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We travel to Hawaii two or more times a year. We fill our planning spreadsheet with quotes for airfare, hotel, rental car, food, and tours. Here is your well-researched cost estimate for “how much does a trip to Hawaii cost for two people?”

We update this article annually to help you set expectations on a trip to Hawaii. We break down the total trip cost into major spending buckets so you can adjust the amounts based on your dream vacation goals for the Aloha State.

Of course, there are ways to save! We share our seven favorite tips for saving on a trip to Hawaii at the end.

Here’s what a trip to Hawaii costs for two people in 2026. 

We have a bunch of great budget resources for your Hawaii vacation:
– We have a full list of coupon codes to help you save on tours, our itineraries, and more!
– Learn about booking your vacation using points to save hundreds, even thousands, on your trip!
– We almost always use Discount Hawaii Car Rental to book rental cars – they have the best rates, no prepayment, and free cancellation!
– Here are our 5 Cash-Draining Hawaii Mistakes!

How Much Does a Trip to Hawaii Cost for Two People?

On average, a 10-night trip for two people to Hawaii in May 2026 will cost around $9,600. 

$9,600 is for two people on a 10-night, 11-day trip to Hawaii from May 20th to May 30th, 2026. For simplicity, all 10 nights are in the same hotel, on the island of Oahu. Quotes are provided for different hotels, airlines, and rental car companies.

The end of May is the start of the summer busy season, but not the time for peak prices. Quotes were collected six months prior to the end of May. See our guide to booking a Last Minute Trip to Hawaii in 15 Minutes.

We break down how we got to this total below. You can adjust your budget in each category to see how much your trip will cost.

Your hotel is the highest cost, so put the most research into that item. Start with our Where to Stay directory for hotels and vacation rentals at different price points.

Ultimately, how much a trip to Hawaii cost for two people will depend on where you’re flying from, how long you visit, and where you stay.

Cost of a Trip to Hawaii for Two: Video

Here are some more budgets for your Hawaii trip planning! Jordan and I calculated a trip to Maui for two over 10 nights in mid-July 2026.

We planned three vacations for you, each with a different budget: Value, Mid-Range, and Luxury. We also share 9 ways to save at the end of the video.

Cost of Airfare to Hawaii

Flights to Hawaii might not be as expensive as you think, especially if you’re flying from large cities on the West Coast. Flying from the East Coast will cost you more, but you can still find deals.

After conducting research and averaging flight prices, we estimate the average cost of airfare for two people flying to Hawaii is approximately $1,000.

Round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Honolulu (HNL) on May 20 – May 30, 2026 (as of December 2025) per person are…

• Alaska / Hawaiian Airlines $529
• Southwest $542
• United Airlines $769
• Delta Airlines $1101

This gives us an average total of $1,470 for two people.

The low-cost carriers Hawaiian Airlines and Southwest appear to be a great deal for West Coast visitors, and they are! For our East Coast friends, you may need to use the larger carriers, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. By leaving them in the average, we believe it provides a clearer picture of the airline’s cost to Hawaii.

Factors like where you’re traveling from in the United States (or if you’re coming from even further afield) and what Hawaiian island you’re traveling to can affect pricing. As a rule, Oahu is the least expensive hub to fly into. 

Of all the options, Hawaiian Airlines is our favorite because it feels like you’re on a Hawaiian vacation as soon as you step aboard. They go above and beyond to make passengers feel special and excited about their Hawaii travel.

Check out our guide on how to snag the cheapest airfare to Hawaii.

Cost of a Hotel Stay in Waikiki

Lodging will be your highest cost on a trip to Hawaii, so finding inexpensive hotels or resorts is ideal. Considering that most visitors to Hawaii choose to stay in a hotel, we’ve based our estimates on some of the more popular hotel options on Oahu. Oahu is the least expensive place to visit in Hawaii and your best choice for a budget-friendly trip.

The nightly rates below apply to a standard, king-size bed. The lowest nightly room rate available.

Here are some nightly prices for Oahu hotels at the end of May.

• Hilton Hawaiian Village $446
• Queen Kapi’olani Hotel $177
• Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger $268
• The Laylow, Autograph Collection $417

A hotel will run you about $3,754. That total includes the resort fee and all taxes. Hawaii has a transient accommodations tax of approximately 14%, which varies by Hawaiian Island.

The total does not include the parking fee. Expect a parking fee of $45 to $65 per night. The Hilton Hawaiian Village charges $72.50 per night.

You will have the option to book a refundable (flexible) rate or to prepay at the time of booking. The prepay rate may be 25% lower. We prefer to reserve the refundable rate (no prepayment) so we can check rates before our trip and rebook for a better deal. We find this to be our best way to save.

The resort fee of $40 to $55 is included in the rate above. Under federal law, the resort fee must be included in the advertised price. The resort fee can include perks such as hula, ukulele, and lei-making lessons, as well as more standard items like pool towels, in-room coffee, and Wi-Fi.

It is rare to find a hotel without a resort fee; see our 6 Strategies to Avoid a Resort Fee.

Cost of a Rental Car

When renting a car in Hawaii, the best option is to use locally owned, discount rental companies. One of our favorites is Discount Hawaii Car Rental.

We typically save $60- $75 per week on car rentals when we book through Discount Hawaii Car Rental. During the busiest time of year, between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, you can easily save hundreds of dollars!

The quoted price for a 10-day mid-size car rental on Oahu through Discount Hawaii Car Rental at the end of May was $616. We took an average of the major car carriers: Enterprise, Sixt, Budget, Thrifty, and Dollar.

This includes 2 drivers, an automatic car, and unlimited miles. You can also cancel for free at any time with DHCR because there is no prepayment.

Estimating gas will cost about $150 ($5 per gallon), and including hotel parking fees of about $55 per night plus tax, you can estimate total fuel and parking costs at about $670.

Yes, the parking cost is as high as the rental car cost in our quotes.

The estimated total for a rental car is $1,286.

Gas prices vary depending on which island you’re visiting, with Oahu being the least expensive and Kauai being the most expensive.

Cost of Food in Hawaii

Eating out in Hawaii can get very expensive, very quickly.

For two adults on a trip to Hawaii, you’ll most likely spend around $200 a day on food with a comfortable budget.

We estimated that the average adult spends about $100 per day on food. Visitors should expect the typical dinner to cost $50- $75 per person.

This number will fluctuate depending on what kind of restaurant you’ll be dining at and how many beverages you order.

This is where staying in a vacation rental and cooking can really lower your overall food costs. Seeking out grocery stores can also be a great way to save money by grabbing a picnic lunch or trying an inexpensive poke bowl to go. 

During our trips, Jordan and I save money by having a light breakfast of coffee and a pastry. We will get a food truck for lunch and dinner, or another counter-service option. For a ten-day trip, we would book a few nice dinners out.

Looking for hotels with included breakfast is another way to save money in the long run. The convenience is a bonus! Some resorts and hotels even offer special deals on happy hour drinks that can really help keep costs down if you know you’ll want to indulge in a few cocktails. 

Without looking for ways to reduce your food costs, budget about $2,000 for food for a 10-day trip for two.

Cost of Tours and Activities

Many of Hawaii’s best activities are entirely free! Snorkeling along abundant reefs, swimming in lagoons, hiking along cliff faces, and evening stops at sights like the Pearl Harbor Memorial are all examples of free and exciting experiences. Our Wayfinder Itineraries feature free and low-cost activities throughout the island.

Depending on what you’re looking to get out of your Hawaii vacation, you can spend next to nothing on tours and activities, go wild and break the bank, or find a happy medium somewhere in between.

Here are a few examples of some of our favorite Oahu tours. The price below is for one person, without taxes and fees.

• Turtle Canyon Snorkeling Tour (swim with turtles near Waikiki): $85
• Luaua! Head to the Polynesian Cultural Center for their Ali’i Luau Package: $215
• Pearl Harbor Group Tour: $228

The total cost for these three activities for two people is $1,090 (gratuity not included). You’ll want to factor in a tip of $10 to $20 per person for any guided tour.

Do you have questions on tipping at a Hawaii luau or a Ka’anapali, Maui snorkeling tour? Here is our Guide to Tipping in Hawaii.

Be sure to book your tours and activities for your Hawaiian vacation in advance, especially in the busy season. Popular tours, like the Pearl Harbor Guided Tours, can sell out quickly.

Check out more of our favorite, can’t miss activities and tours:

• Maui: Our Favorite Molokini Crater Snorkel Tour from Wailea (sunrise and mid-morning tours)
• Oahu: The Best Whale Watching Tour from Waikiki
• Kauai: Mountain Tubing Adventure

The Grand Total

Taking all these costs into account, we arrive at a total of almost $9,600, with plenty of room to reduce some expenses.

Flights	$1,470
Hotel	$3,754
Rental Car Expenses	$1,286
Food	$2,000
Activities	$1,090
Total	$9,600

Ways to Save on Your Trip to Hawaii

With a bit of preparation and know-how, it’s easy to cut costs for your trip to Hawaii. Here are a few tips to save money on your vacation to the “Aloha State”.

1. Stay in a Vacation Rental

Choosing to stay in a vacation rental over a resort or fancy hotel is one of the best ways to save money on your trip to Hawaii. Accommodations will most likely be the highest cost of your journey, as they are with any holiday.

Finding less expensive vacation rentals can save you hundreds of dollars and is a great option if you prefer a more laid-back experience without sacrificing amenities like pools and beach access.

Staying in a vacation rental can also help you penny pinch because it allows you to cook at home and often park for free. These are both significant cost-saving considerations, as dining out can be expensive in Hawaii, and parking costs add up quickly.

We have narrowed down some of the best vacation rentals across the islands
The Best North Shore Oahu Hotels and Vacation Rentals
Where to Stay on Maui: Hotels and Vacation Rentals for a Range of Budgets
Where to Stay on the Big Island: best areas, hotels, and vacation rentals

2. Use Travel Rewards for Your Accommodations

Ever heard of using credit card miles and points to book accommodations and flights for free? Depending on what credit card you use, you can also get free nights or stays at hotels that you’re loyal to, for instance, Hilton or Marriott. Sounds pretty incredible, right?

Using points to book your Hawaii vacation can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, and get you access to luxury resorts or even business class flights at a fraction of their normal cost – or better yet, for free!

We use points and miles regularly to reduce the cost of our frequent trips to Hawaii. Check out our guide on booking travel to Hawaii for more tips on using points and miles.

3. Visit During the Shoulder Season

The best time to visit Hawaii is during the shoulder seasons, from Labor Day to Thanksgiving (September to November) and from April to May. Not only are costs for everything, from accommodations to tours, down, but crowds are at an all-time low. These months typically have favorable weather, although Oahu experiences the most rain in November and January. A cheaper vacation and getting the beaches all to ourselves? Count us in!

4. Enjoy Food Trucks

Not every meal has to be at the resort or a fancy restaurant. In fact, Hawaii’s food trucks offer local fare and are renowned for their deliciousness! Mixing in meals from food trucks while also sneaking in a few special meals at nice restaurants will go a long way towards your budget without sacrificing any opportunities to try local grindz. 

Some of the best food trucks to check out on Oahu are Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck, Haleiwa Bowls, and Leonard’s Bakery Malasada Truck. Another great option for an inexpensive meal on Oahu is the Maui Brewing Co. in downtown Waikiki.

If you’re planning a trip to one of the other islands, check out our food truck guides for Maui and Kauai.

5. Choose Your Tours Wisely

Try not to fill up your already busy trip with too many tours. Choosing one or two will help balance not only your schedule but also your pocketbook – and leave you with lasting memories. Most visitors will want to book classic experiences like a luau or a snorkeling excursion, both of which are great options if you’re choosing only a few tours. 

Check out our favorite snorkeling tours on Oahu and Maui.

6. Go to Oahu

If we haven’t already made it obvious, Oahu is the cheapest to visit of the Hawaiian Islands. Your vacation budget will stretch much further than other areas of this tropical archipelago.

Save the more expensive islands, like Maui, for a second trip if you want to visit Hawaii on a budget this time around. Oahu has all the charms of a picture-perfect Hawaiian vacation, like luaus, stunning scenery, and snorkeling, without the huge price tag that other islands can incur.

• 9 Steps to Plan a Vacation to Hawaii on a Budget
• Our Oahu guide will help you get your trip planning started right.

7. Skip a Rental Car

You were asking yourself this question when you saw the cost of a rental car plus the parking fees. You can skip getting a rental car and still get around the island.

Oahu is the best island for not getting a car, as you can take public transportation, Uber, Lyft, and other modes of transportation. See below for details:

• How to Get Around Without a Rental Car on Oahu
• How to Get Around Oahu: Bus, Taxi, Bike, Car, and More

Having a beach vacation means you hardly leave the resort. This is best on Maui, Big Island, and Kauai, where getting around without a rental car is challenging. We recommend taking a guided tour or a circle-island tour to see more of the island without driving. See our Tours and Activities for our favorites!

Cheat Sheets and Even More Insider Tips

Get fast facts and the best beaches, local grindz (eats), and must-do activities for each island with our free Hawaiian island cheat sheets.

By grabbing our cheat sheets, you’ll join our growing community of Hawaii travel enthusiasts. We make most of our recommendations from personal experience traveling to Hawaii countless times and living on Oahu and Maui. We also love hearing from our newsletter readers about what made their Hawaii vacation unforgettable.

Our newsletter goes out twice a month and is packed with current need-to-know info, insider tips and tricks, personal stories, and more!

Love your newsletters Jordan!! Been going to Maui for 25 years and you always have something new I didn’t know about in it!!

Holly F.