Kauai on a Budget: How to Save Money in Kauai

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Going to Hawaii is never cheap. Even if you score a good price on airfare, the hotels and food can cost you a month’s salary alone. But you can still do Kauai on a budget with these money-saving tips. Here’s how I was able to save money on the island.

If you do have a little room in your budget to splurge, I highly recommend you check out some of these kid-friendly Kauai resorts that will provide tons of entertainment for the whole family.

Kauai on a Budget: Rental Car

The first one will cost you a few extra minutes, but can potentially save you a couple hundred dollars. I found that if we rented a car, it was significantly less expensive to pick it up from a resort rather than from the airport. There’s a Hertz at the Outrigger Kauai Beach Resort & Spa, which was about a $14 Uber XL ride from the airport. Choosing that location was much cheaper than getting a car at the airport.

Costco

Once you have your car, I recommend visiting the Costco that is also located in Lihue, not far from the airport. If you’re hungry after your flight, you can have a quick (and cheap) lunch from the Costco food court, and then go in to stock up on some essentials for the week. Even when we aren’t necessarily trying to do Kauai on a budget, we still make our way to Costco for the added convenience throughout the rest of our trip.

Even if you like eating out on vacation (and who doesn’t?), you can stock up on some snacks and easy on-the-go lunch options, along with cereal, muffins, etc., for easy and cheap breakfast options. Plus, many resorts let you bring your own drinks to the pool, so you can save some money by stocking your hotel fridge.

Kauai on a Budget: Foodland Grocery Store

If you are staying on the north side of the island, you will find that the restaurants in Princeville close very early, leaving you to have expensive hotel food or to cook for yourself if you have a kitchen. However, we discovered Foodland halfway through our trip, and it was the best find! Not just a boring grocery store, Foodland also has a great selection of already-prepared foods including fresh sushi, poke, hot and fresh meats, side dishes, etc. And it was delicious. It made for some easy and affordable meals that we could bring back to the hotel and enjoy poolside in the evenings.

Free Activities – Hiking & Beaches

Finally, probably the biggest money-saver of all when you want to do Kauai on a budget is the fact that you can explore a lot of the island on your own. We did two different guided tours while we were there, but we had much more fun hiking and exploring on our own. Explore the various beaches, like the gorgeous Hideaway Beach or one of these kid-friendly beaches in Kauai. Or choose a waterfall to hike to.

Our two favorite Kauai hikes are the Ho’opi’i Falls hike and the Makaleha Falls hike–although be warned that the Makaleha Falls hike is more of an obstacle course.

Check out my post on Kauai along with this list of fun things to do in Poipu for even more family-friendly ideas for your Kauai vacation.

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