Hawaii on a Budget: It’s Possible! 5 Fun Ways To Save Big

Kailua Beach, my old backyard

1. Be Flexible about Flights | Fly to Hawaii On a Budget

Use Flight Aggregators

This is my biggest advice for how to travel to Hawaii on a budget and yet, I know it’s not always possible. If you do have flexibility, it’s best to use a flight aggregator to search across different airline websites for the best deals. I use Skyscanner and Google Flights. The other benefit here is you can leave your search more open to different airports and different dates, assuming you do have the flexibility.

Fly Off Season

If affordability is your prime concern, flying off season is essential. Summer, spring break, and winter break in the US are going to be the most popular times, so avoid those if possible. It’s always nice in Hawai’i, so any other time is just perfect.

As someone who has lived in Hawaii on and off for years, the only difference between summer and winter is bigger waves, more surfers, and whales in the winter. Just pack a hoodie for chilly nights if you do go in the winter.

Fly From the West Coast

You’re probably thinking, “But I’m not on the West Coast” or if you are, lucky you. Hawai’i is far, far away so it can help to break up the long journey into segments and sometimes it can help you save too. Use Skyscanner to check every major US West Coast city for flight deals to every major Hawaiian airport.

You also never know when a new airline has started up, or an existing airline has just started flights to Hawaii, or maybe they’ve just opened up a particular route and all these events mean one thing: promo flights! So even if you’re elsewhere, you could end up saving by getting a regional flight to the West Coast and then booking a promo flight or just finding a good deal from where there’s most likely to be one… from the West Coast.

2. Seek out Alternative Accommodation | Stay in Hawaii on a Budget

Hostels

As long as you’re prepared, staying in a hostel is great! Bring an eye shade, ear plugs, and a lock and you’ll have peace to rest at night and get ready for another day adventuring in paradise.

I know there are plenty of hostels on Oahu and Big Island. These are the more affordable Hawaiian islands to visit anyway. Check out the Beach Waikiki Boutique Hostel on Oahu and Howzit Hostels Hawaii in Hilo on the Big Island. You can use HostelWorld or Booking.com to get a full list of what’s available. Just be mindful to match your expectations to the kind of hostel you choose – some are just for youth, for partying, or for a relaxed, homey vibe.

Couchsurfing

I did a lot of couch surfing back pre-Covid. There is a website called Couchsurfing.com where you can still arrange to stay with a local for a few nights totally for free. It’s all about the experience of cultural exchange and reciprocity. So it is nice to do this if you also have a place you can open up for people to come stay or if not, no worries but do at least offer to hang out, talk story, adventure together, or share a meal. I’m still friends with my Hawaii couchsurfing host!

The other way is just to ask your network if they know anyone who would be willing to host you. I can tell you Hawaiian locals get A TON of requests like this and some love hosting and showing visitors around, so it’s worth a try!

Also, sometimes certain Facebook groups cater to this kind of thing. There’s one called “Host A Sister” where you can post either seeking or offering a place to stay. There may be something similar for guys too and if not, start it up! Ask and you shall receive.

Work Trade

Hawaii has a pretty active work trade community. If you don’t know: work trade is essentially where you volunteer approximately 5 hours/day 5 days/week in exchange for room and board (food). So I highly recommend this if you’re planning on coming for a longer period of time or possibly even staying indefinitely.

You can see hosts, read reviews, and get connected with opportunities to do this through sites like WWOOF, Workaway, and Worldpackers.

My previous work trade opportunities: taking care of horses in a beautiful Hawaiian valley and watching two kids while their dad surfed

3. Eat Like A Local | Eat in Hawaii on a Budget

Grocery Stores

Seek out the local grocery stores like Foodland, Times, and KTA (Korean grocer), not only do they have some of the best and most authentic deli items, they also have great prices.

Especially if you’re staying in Waikiki, check out Waikiki Market which is actually a Foodland grocery store in disguise. The price is a little higher because of the prime location but they have excellent prepared foods like poke, malasadas, dumplings, onigiri, and pizza all for under $10. They also have seating and live music (from the bar downstairs) in the evenings right on Kuhio Ave., so it’s such a smart move over an overpriced Waikiki restaurant.

Markets

Look up local farmer’s markets for whatever area you’re staying. They usually have a mix of produce and prepared foods. Hawaiian produce is the kind where you can totally make a meal out of all the delicious fruits there are to try. A couple apple bananas, a papaya, and some lychee or longans and I’m good to go. Maybe throw in a butter mochi for good measure and you’ve got enough sugar to fuel a hike!

Other Local Fare

Two letters: L&L! L&L is the local kine barbeque joint where you can find pretty cheap and filling meals. For example, the classic Hawaiian spam musubi for $6 or so. Just two of them is enough to fill me up. Just search “plate lunch” and you can’t go wrong with a loco moco and some mac salad. Fill you right up fo cheap!

Check out my 5 Outstanding Coffee Shops with WiFi in Kona Hawai’i for great coffee on Big Island!

4. Partake in Free Activities | Enjoy Hawaii on a Budget

Beaches

You’re in Hawai’i, home to the best beaches in the world and they cost nothing to enjoy. If you need some gear, there’s an ABC store on nearly every block in the main tourist zones and they have a decent selection of surprisingly cheap beach gear.

If Waikiki beach is too packed, head to Kaimana or Ala Moana for more space. On Big Island, Hapuna is perfect for a long stretch of white sand (which by the way, is hard to come by on Big Island) but if you’re looking for something different then try the black or green sand beach.

Diving

When I say diving, I mean scuba diving, snorkeling, or free diving. In my opinion, Big Island is better for this. If you’re on the Big Island, Kona Bay is actually a great place to see colorful fish, turtles, and dolphins – just keep your distance. You can get in from the pier or the beach adjacent to it. Kealakekua Bay is my other top choice.

On Oahu, you could check out Shark’s Cove for a snorkel adventure right from the shore and then grab a bite from the massive food truck expo across the street!

Hikes

Hiking in Hawaii is one of my favorite things to do. Oahu beats Big Island for hikes. Hiking in Hawaii is a lot different than hiking on the mainland. Forget about rangers and boardwalks, signs and trail markers. Hawaii hiking is not for the faint of heart. A lot of the popular hikes aren’t even legal and many of the legal ones are not exactly safe. So exercise a great deal of caution. With that said, it’s breathtakingly gorgeous.

Try out any of the pillbox (old military lookout) hikes on Oahu and on Big Island, seek out a kipuka. The kipukas are fascinating because they’re islands in the landscape that have been entirely surrounded by lava flows, so the isolated jungle becomes a world of its own with unique foliage and brightly-colored birds.

5. Skip the Tourist Fare | Experience Hawaii on a Budget

Sorry to say but doing the touristy things in Hawaii isn’t cheap. To be honest, it usually doesn’t offer you the best or most authentic of what Hawaii has to offer anyways.

Instead of spending big to go to a luau, why not seek out a local joint or iconic hotel that has live music and hula for free with the cost of a beverage. Or even the mall, Ala Moana Center, which is very nice, has free daily hula shows at 5pm.

If you want a real local experience, talk to local people and support their businesses.

Heck, why not pop into the local library, which will always have a section on Hawaii, to learn something. You could even visit the local parks, botanical gardens, and museums, including one really hidden-in-plain-sight gem called the Lucoral museum right in Waikiki. Thank me later. That place is a trip and you can stock up on cheap but amazing souvenirs.

Bonus: Volunteer at a Christian Missionary Sending Campus | Live Hawaii on a Budget

I’ve come to Hawaii many times and stayed anywhere from 3 months to over a year, but by far one of the best experiences was this last time when I got to volunteer with the YWAM Kona campus as part of the Kokua program.

Even if you’re not a Christian, you can help out. They need people to work in the kitchen, on grounds, in maintenance, child care, the boutique, the cafe, hospitality, the farm, and with vehicles rentals.

So yes, you will be working a lot and there is a fee to pay ($900 for 3 months). Mandatory service amounts to a full-time, 40-hour work week but you get room, board (all meals), and an amazing experience with plenty of opportunities to see the island and soak up all it has to offer.

If you’re keen to live in multicultural community, get to know God, and have fun this is definitely an opportunity to look into!

What’s Next?

If you’re headed to Kona, check out my article on my top 5 coffee shops with wifi!

Do you love Hawaii or long to visit? Let me know your favorite island in the comments.

Bookmark this blog and come back to plan your next affordable trip.

Love,
Alyssa