If you’re trying to create a budget for a Hawaii vacation, you may need to prepare yourself to spend more. The costs of hotels, rental cars, taxes, fees, etc. have gone up significantly.
In August 2012, nearly 10 years ago, we created a calculator of sorts to estimate the cost of a Hawaii vacation. We’ve just updated that article with the newest data and information.
Though we update that vacation budget calculator article at least once a year, we are still surprised to see how much more expensive a trip to Hawaii has become over the last 10 years. Basically, according to our estimations, the costs have jumped up roughly 40% in the past ten years.
What’s driven up the costs? Let’s look at some of the data points:
- Hotel costs have become more expensive. Ten years ago, the average daily rate of a hotel room was $201 through the first six months of 2012. Fast forward to the newest, 2021 year-end data that shows the average daily room rate jumped to $329 per night.
- Hotel taxes have increased to almost 18% just recently from nearly 15% just months ago.
- Resort fees continue to increase and have definitely become the norm in Hawaii. (Those “hidden” fees can add up quickly.)
- Rental car rates have come down a bit from the astronomical rates of 2021, but they’re still much higher than they used to be.
- Many popular Hawaii state parks began charging out-of-state visitors parking and/or entrance fees.
According to our newest numbers from our Hawaii vacation budget estimator with flights, here’s what a couple can expect to spend on average:
From states in the western U.S. – $5,731 per week
From states in the mid-west – $6,281 per week
From states in the eastern U.S. – $6,581 per week
Of course, there is some seasonality for pricing, so you may end up paying more or less depending on what time of year you visit Hawaii. You can also pay more or less depending on what type of accommodation and/or rental car you choose.
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Have you noticed big changes in your Hawaii vacation costs?
Andy Beal
Sheila Beal
4 comments
Aloha kaua, I am a former resident and my wife and I return annually to visit ohana so I’m not a typical visitor. We keep track of budget versus actual costs each year. While we stay for different lengths of time, we monitor prices and book well in advance. We come very close to our budget each year.
The biggest increse for us this year is the car rental. Here are the last 5 years daily car rental costs (rounded).
2017 – $30/day – 30 days
2018 – $30/day – 44 days
2019 – $38/day – 17 days
2020 – did not visit
2021 – $36/day – 63 days (luckily I booked and montiored 6-8 months out)
2022 – $56/day – 34 days (month of March)
Malama pono and Mahalo for providing visitors with good information.
Mahalo for that helpful information! You got some great deals, Kimo! Do you recall if these rates were with or without taxes and fees?
Yikes! I just looked up my favorite places in Wailea (Maui), and they are now asking $4700/night for a suite we paid $700/night 10 years ago. I know (expected) that prices would be higher, but not THAT much higher. Hawaii is now off my list for the foreseeable future, sorry to say.
Too liberal to visit any longer