What is the cheapest Hawaiian island to visit?

Hawaii isn’t known for being a cheap destination, but if you’re determined to visit the Aloha State, choosing the right island can make a big difference in the cost of your trip. If you’re looking to save money on a trip to Hawaii, head to the island of Oahu.

Of the four major Hawaiian islands for tourism — Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island — Oahu is the least expensive Hawaiian island to visit, according to multiple metrics. Oahu has the lowest daily average hotel room rate among the islands and the lowest average daily expenditure per tourist, according to May 2024 data from the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.

The cost of hotel rooms on Oahu

While the average room rate in May 2024 across Hawaii was $342, hotel rooms on Oahu are on average about 21% cheaper, at $272. That works out to about $70 per night less than the average.

When looking at average daily room rates per island in May 2024, Oahu comes out on top.

One reason for Oahu’s lowest average room rate? The island also has the largest supply. In fact, Oahu had more than twice as many hotel room nights as Maui, the next-best contender.

Even when you look at it by hotel class, Oahu still has the most affordable room rates at every level, from economy and midscale to luxury options.

Midscale and economy rooms in Oahu cost an average of $151 per night. That’s 30% less than the average price for the same room class across the state. And if you’ve got a taste for the finer things in life, you’ll save money on Oahu, too. In fact, you can save around $223 per night by choosing a luxury hotel in Oahu instead of Maui.

Oahu, like other islands, offers the option to book stays with hotel points and credit card rewards. For example, Oahu is the only island with a Hampton Inn & Suites property, a midscale brand where you can redeem Hilton Honors points — and avoid pesky resort fees on award bookings.

One of Oahu’s most famous luxury hotels, the historic Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach, can be booked using Marriott Bonvoy points, which can be earned through Marriott credit cards and major travel credit cards that accumulate points that transfer to Marriott.

On the other side of the island is another famous property, Turtle Bay Resort. The luxury hotel will soon become a Marriott property when it rebrands as The Ritz-Carlton O’ahu, Turtle Bay in August 2024.

The Cost of Activities on Oahu

There’s more to a vacation budget than just a hotel. There’s food, tours, ground transportation, and souvenirs. And again, travelers who arrive by air spend less per day on Oahu than on any other island.

According to a separate study by the Hawai’i Tourism Authority, Oahu is the best buy in May 2024 when it comes to average daily spending per person across all travel expenditures (including lodging).

So why is spending lower on Oahu than on other islands? Not only are there more hotels, but there are also more restaurants and other types of businesses. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Honolulu County on Oahu had more than 21,000 businesses in 2020, while Maui County on Maui had fewer than 5,000. The increased competition is driving down prices for consumers.

There are also plenty of free and cheap things to do on Oahu. Many of the top activities — including visiting Pearl Harbor National Memorial, lounging on Waikiki Beach, and hiking the Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse Trail — are free. It costs just $5 per person to enter Diamond Head State Monument (though parking costs an additional $10).

And because of Honolulu’s robust bus network and walkability, it’s easy to get around Honolulu without a rental car. For places that are harder to reach, it’s possible to rent a car for just a day or rely on ride-hailing services like Uber or Lyft.

There are plenty of ways to save on a Hawaii vacation. Start by finding affordable flights to Hawaii’s least expensive island, Oahu. The higher concentration of hotels and businesses means more affordable options.

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Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: [email protected]. Twitter: @SAFmedia.

The article What’s the Cheapest Hawaiian Island to Visit? originally appeared on NerdWallet.