How Much Does a Trip to Hawaii Cost? The Real Prices for 2027

Hawaii has a reputation for being expensive, and it has earned it. Almost everything here travels 2,400 miles across the Pacific, hotel taxes are among the highest in the United States, and in 2026 the islands added a new climate tax on every room. But the price of a trip varies enormously with when you go, which island you choose and how you travel. Here is what a Hawaii trip really costs going into 2027, line by line.

$260Average spend per visitor per day (2025)

$384Average hotel night, June 2026

18.7%Total tax on a hotel room

8.7 daysAverage visitor stay

How much does a trip to Hawaii cost in 2027?

For a week in Hawaii, two people flying from the US West Coast should budget roughly $3,500 travelling cheaply, $7,000 for a comfortable mid-range trip, and $14,000 or more for a luxury resort holiday. That includes return flights, accommodation with taxes, a rental car, food and a handful of paid activities. From the East Coast, add $300–600 per person for flights; from Europe, add more again.

Style (2 people, 7 nights)	Flights	Stay	Car & transport	Food	Activities	Total
Budget	$800	$1,500	$350	$850	$200	$3,700
Mid-range	$1,200	$3,000	$700	$1,550	$700	$7,150
Luxury	$2,000	$6,500	$1,050	$3,150	$2,100	$14,800

Estimates for two adults, based on 2026 prices. Flights: round trip from the US West Coast in economy (luxury: premium economy or peak dates). Stay includes 18.7% tax.

These are not invented figures. They are built from the state's own numbers: what hotels actually charged in 2026, what rental car companies are asking this year, and what visitors told the state they spent. The rest of this guide breaks each line down, so you can build your own budget.

What do visitors actually spend?

Every year the State of Hawaiʻi surveys visitors about their spending. In 2025, about 9.6 million visitors came to the islands, stayed an average of 8.7 days and spent about $260 per person per day on the ground. That figure excludes the flight to Hawaii but includes accommodation, food, transport, shopping and entertainment.

Where visitors come from changes the number. Visitors from the US East Coast spent about $290 a day, those from the West Coast about $249, from Japan about $244 and from Canada about $228. East Coast travellers tend to come less often, stay in hotels and splurge; West Coast travellers often know the islands, stay in condos or with friends and cook more.

The state average is a useful sanity check, but it is lower than what most first-time visitors spend, because it includes people staying with family, in timeshares and in large groups sharing a rental. A couple in a hotel will usually spend more than $260 each per day.

Flights to Hawaii

Flights are the cost you can control the most. From the US West Coast, round-trip economy fares have recently run from about $350 in quiet winter weeks to around $500 in spring and $800–1,200 for nonstop flights in summer. Flights from the East Coast and Midwest usually connect on the West Coast and cost more. From Europe, economy fares to Honolulu start at roughly €1,000 round trip with a connection and climb quickly for summer and Christmas.

Flying between the islands has become much more expensive in 2026. A spike in jet fuel prices pushed one-way inter-island fares that used to cost under $100 to around $150–300 in spring 2026. If you plan to visit two islands, price that flight before you commit, and read our guide to how many days you need in Hawaii.

Hotels and vacation rentals

Accommodation is the biggest single cost of a Hawaii holiday. In June 2026 the average hotel room across the state cost $384 a night before tax. The spread is wide: luxury hotels averaged about $719, while upscale and midscale hotels averaged around $230–240. Vacation rentals, which usually sleep more people and include a kitchen, averaged around $500–530 per unit per night in mid-2026.

Then come the extras. Taxes on a hotel room now add about 18.7% (we explain them in our guide to the Green Fee and tourist taxes). Many resorts charge a daily resort fee of $40–75, and parking at Waikīkī and resort hotels often costs around $50 a night. On a $300 room, the real nightly cost can easily reach $400.

Island	Average hotel night (June 2026)	With 18.7% tax	Midsize car per day	Car with taxes & fees
Oʻahu	$292	$347	$64	$82
Maui	$563	$668	$82	$103
Big Island	$475	$564	$70	$89
Kauaʻi	$450	$534	$92	$115

Hotel rates: Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority average daily rate, June 2026, before tax and resort fees. Cars: average midsize rate in spring 2026, then the $7.50 state surcharge, airport fees and general excise tax; gas is extra.

Rental cars and getting around

Outside Waikīkī you will almost certainly need a car. In spring 2026, an average midsize rental cost about $64 a day on Oʻahu, $70 on the Big Island, $82 on Maui and $92 on Kauaʻi before extras. Hawaii adds a state surcharge of $7.50 per day (2026), airport concession fees and general excise tax, so the real price is usually 20–30% higher. Gas was about $5.60 a gallon in October 2026, well above the mainland average.

If you stay in Waikīkī, you can skip the car for most of your trip. TheBus covers the whole of Oʻahu for $3 a ride with a HOLO card, with fare capping that limits what you pay per day, and renting a car for just one or two days to explore the North Shore is far cheaper than paying for a week of rental and hotel parking.

Food and drink

Food in Hawaii costs more than on the mainland because most of it is shipped in, and restaurant wages are rising (the state minimum wage reached $16 an hour in 2026). Rough prices to plan with:

Plate lunch or food truck: about $15–25. A plate lunch, rice, macaroni salad and a main, is Hawaii's great affordable meal.
Casual sit-down restaurant: mains around $30–45 outside resort areas.
Resort restaurant: about $65 per person before drinks; many add an automatic service charge of 18–22%.
Dinner with drinks: easily $100 or more per person at a nice restaurant.
Groceries: roughly a third more than on the mainland. Cooking breakfast and packing beach lunches saves a lot.

A realistic daily food budget is $60–80 per person if you mix groceries and plate lunches, $110–125 for a mid-range trip with one restaurant meal a day, and $200 or more if you eat every meal at a resort.

Activities and entry fees

Hawaii's best experiences, the beaches, the reefs and most hikes, are free or nearly free. The paid ones add up quickly, though, especially for families. Typical 2026 prices:

Activity	Price
Haleakalā or Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park	$30 per car (7 days)
Hanauma Bay (non-residents)	$25 per person + parking
Diamond Head State Monument	$5 per person + $10 parking
Most state parks with fees (non-residents)	$5 per person + $10 parking
Pearl Harbor: USS Arizona Memorial	Free (book a timed ticket)
ʻIolani Palace guided tour	about $34
Polynesian Cultural Center	from about $95; with luau from about $139
Old Lahaina Luau (Maui)	about $230
Snorkel boat trip	about $100–200
Manta ray night snorkel (Big Island)	about $130–200

Adult prices, checked October 2026; operators change prices often. Non-US residents pay $250 for the annual America the Beautiful national parks pass.

Plan on $50–150 per person per day for activities on a mid-range trip, more if you want a helicopter flight, which typically costs several hundred dollars per seat.

Which island is cheapest?

Oʻahu is clearly the cheapest island. Its hotel rates are roughly half those of Maui, Waikīkī has the widest choice of budget and mid-range rooms, and you can manage without a car. Maui is the most expensive, with average hotel rates above $500 a night in 2026. The Big Island and Kauaʻi sit in between; both need a car, and Kauaʻi has the highest rental rates in the state.

Timing matters as much as the island. Prices peak over Christmas and New Year, during US spring break and in midsummer. The best value is usually from late April to early June and from September to early November; see our month guides, such as Hawaii in September and Hawaii in May.

Quick answers

How much does a trip to Hawaii cost?

For two people from the US West Coast, a week costs about $3,500 on a tight budget, $7,000 mid-range and $14,000 or more in luxury, including flights. The average visitor spends about $260 per person per day once there.

What is the most expensive part of a Hawaii trip?

Accommodation. The average hotel room cost $384 a night in June 2026 before tax, and taxes add about 18.7% on top, plus resort fees at many hotels.

Which Hawaiian island is cheapest?

Oʻahu. Its average hotel rate is roughly half of Maui's, it has the most budget rooms, and you can manage without a car if you stay in Waikīkī.

When is Hawaii cheapest?

Late April to early June and September to early November, outside school holidays. Prices peak over Christmas and New Year and in midsummer.

How much spending money do you need per day in Hawaii?

Beyond your room and flights, allow about $60–80 per person per day on a budget, $120–150 mid-range, and $250 or more at resorts, for food, transport and activities.

Keep planning: how much a trip to Hawaii costs, a Hawaii trip for two, a family of four, a week in Hawaii, Hawaii on a budget and the Green Fee and tourist taxes.

Prices checked October 2026 and rounded. Hawaii prices move with the season, fuel costs and demand, so treat these as a planning guide and check live prices before you book.