Which place is cheaper, Hawaii or California?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit California or Hawaii?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for California and Hawaii. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: California or Hawaii?
California
California is the most populous state in the U.S. and is known for a variety of attractions such as Hollywood, warm beaches, the San Francisco bay area, Redwood trees, national parks, and stunning mountain vistas. With a variety of locations and activities to offer, California has become one of the premier travel destinations in the world.
Hawaii
Located towards the center of the Pacific Ocean and the northeast corner of Polynesia, Hawai'i is the 50th state of the United States of America. It is a major tourist destination for travelers from around the world and as such, its economy is very dependent on the tourist dollar. Historically, the state had strong whaling, sugar and pineapple industries, but today tourism and the military make up a significant part of the economy. The state includes many islands that spread over 1,500 miles, but there are eight main islands which have a diversity of natural beauty and interesting landscapes. The islands offer visitors many impressive features from the beautiful beaches to the lush interior. There is a lot of hiking, snorkeling and scuba diving available throughout the islands. The capital of the state is Honolulu, which is also the largest city. Both Hawaiian and English are spoken throughout.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Tours Under $1000 in United States of America, The Best Luxury Tours to United States of America, The Best Tours for Seniors to United States of America, and The Best Contiki Tours to United States of America.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCalifornia $252Hawaii $342
The average daily cost (per person) in California is $252, while the average daily cost in Hawaii is $342. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for California and Hawaii in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCalifornia $116Hawaii $214
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCalifornia $232Hawaii $428
Compare Hotels in California and Hawaii
Looking for a hotel in California or Hawaii? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.California $43Hawaii $37
Hired Cars and Shuttles in California
Also for California, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- World Cruise Center to Long Beach - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $120
- Universal Studios to Long Beach Airport (LGB) - Departure Private Transfer: $80
- Try find your better than us! Airport transfer service in San Diego HTL-APT(SAN): $47
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer in San Francisco HTL-APT (SFO): $119
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer in Los Angeles HTL-APT (LAX): $141
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer in Los Angeles APT-HTL (LAX): $141
- Transfer in private vehicle from San Francisco Airport to City: $35
- Transfer in private minivan from San Diego Downtown to San Diego Airport (SAN): $68
- Transfer in private minivan from San Diego Airport (SAN) to San Diego Downtown: $68
- Transfer in private Minivan from San Francisco Airport (SFO) to Downtown city: $183
- Transfer from San Francisco to San Francisco Cruise Port by Sedan: $127
- Snow Summit to Ontario Airport (ONT) - Departure Private Transfer: $33
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Hawaii
Also for Hawaii, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- VIP Transfer Between Waikiki and Honolulu Airport, Vice versa: $139
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service Honolulu HTL-APT (HNL): $81
- Shared Round-Trip Transfer: Honolulu Airport to Hotel or Cruise Terminal: $39
- Shared Departure Transfer: Kauai Hotels to Kauai International Airport: $13
- Shared Departure Transfer: Hotel to Maui Kahului Airport: $13
- Shared Arrival Transfer: Maui Airport to Hotel: $13
- Shared Arrival Transfer: Kona International Airport to Hotels: $18
- Shared Arrival Transfer: Honolulu Airport to Hotel or Cruise Terminal: $20
- Shared Arrival Transfer from Honolulu Airport to Waikiki Hotels: $18
- Private Transfer: Waikiki to Honolulu Airport HNL by Sedan: $108
- Private Transfer: Honolulu to Honolulu Airport HNL in Sedan Car: $108
- Private Transfer: Honolulu Airport HNL to Honolulu in Sedan Car: $108
Is it cheaper to fly into California or Hawaii?
Prices for flights to both Hawaii and California change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayCalifornia $48Hawaii $77
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in California
For California, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Encinitas Food Tour: $70
- Carlsbad Food Tour and Wine Tasting: $75
- Pirates Dinner Adventure Buena Park: $79
- Little Italy Food and Drink Walking Tour - Pizza, Pasta & Piazzas: $85
- Downtown Los Angeles Food Tour: $89
- West Hollywood Food Tour: $89
- Gaslamp Quarter Downtown San Diego Food Tour: $89
- Mission District Food Tour: $89
- San Francisco Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours: $89
- San Francisco Food Tour: Ferry Building and Ferry Plaza Farmers Market: $90
- San Diego Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours: $95
- Historic Old Sacramento Walking Food Tour: $95
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Hawaii
For Hawaii, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Lunchtime Walking Food Tour in Honolulu: $99
- Moonlight Dinner Cruise in Honolulu: $106
- Sunset Dinner Cruise in Honolulu: $107
- Ahi Uila Fire Show and Dinner: $110
- Walking Food Tour Exploring Hanalei: $119
- From Ma'alaea Harbor: Sunset Dinner Cruise Aboard the Quicksilver: $120
- Honolulu Sunset & Fireworks Dinner Cruise: $129
- From Ma'alaea Harbor: Thanksgiving Dinner Cruise Aboard Calypso: $130
- Ma'alaea Harbor: Sunset Prime Rib or Mahi Mahi Dinner Cruise : $140
- Farm to Taco: A Farm to Table Cooking Class: $149
- Hawaii Food Tour - Off The Beaten Path : $150
- Premium Sunset Dinner Cruise from Ka’anapali Beach: $154
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.California $63Hawaii $38
Tours and Activities in California
For California, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 2 Hour Private Tour in Malibu Majesty: $35
- 2hr - SUNSET Sailing Experience on San Francisco Bay: $149
- Guided Hiking Tour in Big Bear with Sunset Champagne toast on Private Dock: $75
- Maritime Museum of San Diego Admission Ticket: $24
- #1 Sonoma Walking Food, Wine & History Tour (Small Groups): $179
- 1 Hour GPS Guided Scooter Tour: Harbor/Gaslamp Quarter: $92
- 1-Hour Monterey and Cannery Row Sea Car Tour: $79
- 1-Hour Private Ferrari Driving Tour: Hollywood to Beverly Hills: $289
- 1-Hour Private Scenic Tandem Sidecar Tour in San Diego: $99
- 1-Hour Voodoo Escape Room Experience in San Diego: $35
- 1-hour San Francisco Bay Area Photography Experience: $299
- 1.5 Hour Walking Tour from La Jolla in San Diego: $59
Tours and Activities in Hawaii
For Hawaii, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- "Tour de Honolulu" Foodie Bike Tour: $189
- Kauai Sea Kayaking 10 mile tour - Na Pali Iki (Polihale to Milolii): $275
- Kayak Whale Watching Tour (7am-10am): $125
- Pearl Harbor USS Arizona Memorial, small group Tour: $80
- 'IMILOA - Express Na Pali Sunset Tour: $161
- 'IMILOA - Express Nā Pali Snorkel Tour : $181
- 'Lost' and Movie Tour: $200
- 1 Hour Private Luxury Classic Car Sightseeing City Tour Honolulu: $138
- 1 Tank Discover Scuba at Koloa Landing with No Experience needed: $162
- 18 Minutes PRIVATE Helicopter Tour in Honolulu: $248
- 18 Minutes SHARED Helicopter Tour in Honolulu: $218
- 2 hour Maalaea Luxury Powerboat Sunset Cruise Exclusive 6 Guests: $283
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayCalifornia $21Hawaii $19
Sample the Local Flavors in California
Also in California, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Sacramento Bar Hunt: Sacramento Sprint Bar Crawl: $12
- Long Beach Bar Hunt: Long Beach Boss Bar Crawl: $12
- Placer County Wine Tasting Pass: $19
- Calaveras and Tuolumne Digital Wine Tasting Pass: $19
- Gaslamp Bar Crawls and Events: $20
- Vintner's Private Wine Tasting Experience: $20
- San Francisco Bar Crawl + Clubbing Experience: $27
- Wine Tasting Audio Tour - Amador County CA: $30
- LA Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl: $35
- Sunset Distillery with Local Whiskey or Cocktail Tasting: $40
- Wine Tasting Around the World: $48
- 2 to 3 Hour Bar Crawl in Castro San Francisco: $49
Sample the Local Flavors in Hawaii
Also in Hawaii, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Whiskey Tour - Koʻolau Distillery - Kailua, Hawai'i 96734: $25
- Honolulu Haunts Ghost Tours And Pub Crawls: $30
- Shaxi Dive Bar Tour: $37
- History Tour Pub Crawl in Waikiki: $45
- Maui Farm Distillery and local craft experience Full-Day Tour: $224
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between California and Hawaii, we can see that Hawaii is more expensive. And not only is California much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to California would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in California and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Hawaii would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Hawaii than you might in California.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is California Expensive? and Is Hawaii Expensive?.
Which has a larger population, California or Hawaii?
California has a larger population, and is about 30 times larger than the population of Hawaii. When comparing the sizes of California and Hawaii, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.