While I was in Hawaii my mom and I stopped by 3 grocery stores to check out their prices on various items. While there was a little sticker shock on some items, others were a total bargain.
Milk. It was pretty high everywhere we checked. Averaging around $5 -6 a gallon {on sale} and in some spots as much as $7.99 a gallon. If I had to pay that much for milk, I don’t think I’d ever buy cereal again and I’d totally start drinking my daily cups of tea without it. Actually, I’d probably just switch to iced tea instead. Because hot tea… c’mon, it needs milk!
A stock up price on Greek Gods’ yogurt here in the PNW is around $2.50, with the average daily price being in the $4 range. But $7.19? Wowza!
Most of the fresh produce prices were crazy… even the locally grown items. Broccoli was $3.79 a pound {I usually pay $0.99 at home} and bulk carrots were $1.59 a pound. A typical price for bulk carrots at my local Fred Meyer runs about $0.59 a pound.
LOCAL mangos… $6.99 lb!!! Spinach $2.69 a bunch.
Large avocados $2.49 each, LOCAL Roma tomatoes $2.99 a pound.
Bananas $0.99 a pound and LOCAL asparagus $6.99 a pound. WOWZA.
Staple items like frozen pizza and cereal were high too. A Digiorno pizza was on sale for $5.69 {reg. $9.49} and a 12 ounce box of Cheerios ran $5.49.
NO SNACK FOR YOU! Those cute little bags of Goldfish crackers? $3.99. A can of concentrate apple juice was $3.39
Now, keep in mind, these prices were at a grocery store in Honolulu… a hot tourist spot, so maybe prices run a little less inland? Or at least I’m hoping they do. I would also think it’s safe to assume that if you are a local, you probably know where the best roadside farm stands are so you can cut out the middle man.
My mom and I also popped in to a local Japanese market where they had really cool things like Guava sweet rolls and all sorts of local seafood.
But you want to know where the best prices were in town?
COSTCO! Seriously, the prices there were basically exactly the same as they are here at home. All those deals in the monthly mailer? They were there… and at the same price as my store down the street. The only difference between the two stores was there were far fewer sample carts out. Wanna know why?
Because the place was PACKED. Imagine shopping at Costco the day before any major holiday… and then multiplying the craziness by 100. The aisles were so jammed with people that even though only about 1/10 of shoppers had a cart… you still had to weave yourself down the aisle at a snails pace. It was nuts.
But clearly worth it if you are trying to make your food dollars stretch in Honolulu.
Have you ever been to Hawaii? How did you save money on groceries when you were there?
I’d love to know.
~Mavis
Sandra says
I farely shop at Wal-Mart here, but in Honolulu I find the prices at Wal-Mart to be far better than the Waikiki grocery stores. It’s located a few blocks from the Ala Moana shopping mall. (The grocery in the mall also has a bit better prices than the Waikiki stores.) My cousin shops at the base exchange except for milk, which she buys at Costco.
Sandra says
*rarely
Ray says
I normally shop for bulk items at Down to Earth. We have Whole Foods, but I don’t usually go there since it’s prices are usually higher than the average supermarket. I bake my own bread and have a garden, but overall the cost of living in Hawaii is outrageously high.
erin in iowa says
So many people on the island are military and can shop on the base at normal mainland prices. When we went two years ago that’s what we did with my brother. And forget beef, it’s so expensive. $7 or $8 a pound for hamburger. They always eat pork burgers at 2.99lb. The next best thing to base stores was costco. Anything dairy and eggs are expensive there. Heck, we even bought all our souvenirs on the base!
cat says
Honestly, those prices are pretty comparable to what we pay in Saskatchewan for a lot of things. Especially in the winter cause it’s trucked in. What the really sad part is what the people in the north of our province pay for groceries because they have to fly the food in, most families can’t afford the cost of food.
Patti says
We had a recent vacation in Maui. We found the Farmers/Saturday market and bought local produce there at better than grocery store prices. Then, after asking locals, I found that the locals & some restaurants buy their fresh fish at a cute little Seafood Market and Cafe called: Eskimo Candy, Kihei, Hawaii. I thought the prices for fresh fish were reasonable.
Chris says
On Maui, at least, yes to Costco–and always, always gas up at their pumps. It also pays to get a Safeway grocery card for shopping at Hawaiian Safeways–we got one at a local store in San Jose, CA before flying to OGG. I didn’t even need a local address–we’re from back East! It was so useful.
Denise Betz says
Do you need membership to qualify for lower prices?
Gail says
We lived at Hickam Air Force Base when I was a kid. I remember the dock strike in the earl 1960’s. There was a shortage of toilet paper which resulted in a shortage of Sear’s catalogues. The moms were not happy.
rachel says
I have live on the North Shore of Oahu and visited a few times since. Every time I have stocked up at Costco. I also get a store card for the grocery store up there and get their sale prices. The Walmart has a pretty decent deals too. But Costco is where it is at – on Maui too.
Denise says
I was amazed at how much pineapples cost over there! Much cheaper here (Washington) and they come from Hawaii. When I went to the Cayman Islands for Thanksgiving one year the folks I was staying with warned me about food prices so we took as much food as we could with us on the flight. The good thing was I had lots of room in my luggage on the return trip for my souvenirs. 😉
Laure says
Wow, interesting. I’ve always heard the prices were outrageous, but they actually aren’t much more than in Chicago, except for the milk, which is much cheaper here. E.g. our Greek Gods yogurt is $5.99, our DiGiorno regular/sale prices are the same as in Hawaii, Goldfish small bag is $2.99, tomatoes are the same (but will get cheaper in summer) and most all else is about $1 or so cheaper than in Hawaii. We have 2-3 weeks of cheap asparagus and the rest of the time it’s the same as in Hawaii. Makes me less afraid to travel to Hawaii now! I had been afraid the prices would be prohibitive. Super jealous of your PNW prices!
Marcia says
Ha, I posted the same on your facebook page. Costco is the secret.
We’ve been to Maui x2, Kauai x2, and Big Island x1
In Maui, the Costco is right outside the airport, so we stopped as we left and stayed in a condo both times.
In Kauai, I don’t remember exactly where the Costco is, but it was convenient to where we were staying. The first time we went, there was no Costco. The second time we went (2013), there was a Costco. We rented a condo with my hubby’s parents. It definitely saved money!
On the Big Island, I think we had lunch at Costco one day. But there, we didn’t have a kitchen, so we really couldn’t buy much. We had the world’s smallest mini fridge in the room. Ate liberally at the included fantastic breakfast, usually ate out and little mom & pop places for lunch, and ate noodles and reheated food for dinner.
Also did find farmer’s markets on Kauai and Big Island. Big Island trip, I actually packed some food, like the noodles that you can just add water to.
Vy says
Sticker shock indeed! I’d be gardening even more, let me tell you. I grew up in Alaska and a lot of “stuff” had the same horrific markup. The produce was usually great, though, with the Matanuska Valley so close.
Laura says
Been going to Hawaii for years and usually getting a condo and cooking for the family the whole week. Young kids and expensive restaurants are not my idea of a good vacation.
We usually go to Kauai and, as was mentioned, there wasn’t Costco for the longest time so I had to get more creative. Found the bakery outlet (even got a punch card!) because bread and similar was so expensive. Also got lots of items at the Walmart. Before they started weighing luggage I would throw in a can of spaghetti sauce, some noodles, Mac and Cheese, pancake mix, muffin mix, and crackers in the luggage. Would get cheese and other things local to help the dollars stretch.
We also make great use of the Sunshine markets in Kauai. Local produce, super cheap, and fabulous!
I remember being a little irritated the first time I went to Costco in Kauai and the prices were cheaper than here in WA!!
Brianna says
I lived there in 2000-2005 and prices were just as outrageous then. I would deliberately make friends with people who had access to the military commissaries. I would also shop at Daiei and I couldn’t understand the language on half of the products. I worked at a busy diner in Waikiki and I could get either a breakfast or lunch as part of my shift, so that helped some. Believe me, I never turned down an invitation to a party or BBQ, even if I had to ride the bus for awhile to get there, the free food and leftovers were worth it. I haven’t been a tourist since I lived there and have no desire to return.
Lace Faerie says
My sister lives on the Big Island and I have spent a month with them twice a year. They live with the regular folks. Non-resort, working class neighborhood. Food prices are outrageous and so is electricity if you are not on solar!
The really sad thing about the food situation in Hawaii is the Emergency Prep people warn that if the weather was such that ships couldn’t dock, the stores would be empty in less than a week!
It’s hard over there to stock a large pantry because of pests and humidity! Cans rust even in inside wall pantries. And good luck keeping the humidity out of normal plastic containers. Even those with the rubber snap tight lids do not keep food for more than a few months. My sister has resorted to putting everything into the half gallon mason jars and using a vacuum sealer to seal the lids between uses. She has yet to discover a salt shaker that will work. Even paradise has problems.
Chris says
Hey Lace Faerie, I splurged on a set of Tupperware salt/pepper shakers when my SIL was selling it. They come with attached snap-on caps, so I just throw a few grains of uncooked rice in them and the salt never clumps. Both containers’ holes are the same size so I use one for salt and stick to my decades-old wooden pepper grinder.
Linda says
Fascinating! Thanks for doing reconnaissance for us. Sadly, I would have to give up milk and yogurt if I were lucky enough to live in Hawaii.
Laura says
We’ve been here for three years now (Kaua’i), and there is NO WAY I would do my regular shopping in a local supermarket. We do about 90% of our food shopping at Costco (prices are the same as they were back in Portland), and have a freezer and pantry, and fill in with a few things from Big Save market and Walmart for the few things we can’t get at Costco. We buy 99% of our produce at our weekly farmers’ market – $15 – $20 gets us a big basket full of beautiful, fresh produce. We buy pineapples at Costco – $2.99 for a big one grown on Maui. Mangoes, bananas and other tropical fruit comes from the farmers’ market – I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to eat a banana from the supermarket again, and I’d never pay what they charge for them at the supermarkets. We have never been big milk drinkers, so that’s not been an issue for us, but if you must have it one of the best bargains is to look for the marked down milk in the supermarket, where the date will expire in a couple of days. We’ve never had a problem with the milk not lasting over a week or more.
When we arrived here we had our food budget set at $1000/month for 4-5 people, but after three years it’s down to $500 for 3-4 of us. It’s taken us that long to figure out where to shop, and what to buy and how to save. I actually think though that we’re eating better here in Hawaii than we did back on the mainland. We eat way more fruit and vegetables than we did in the past, and less meat.
Best piece of advice for saving in Hawaii: Avoid all processed food (i.e. cook everything from scratch), learn to drink soy milk if you can, and eat like a local. You never see locals at a supermarket with a big shopping cart full of stuff.
Leslie says
I wonder what Trader Joe’s is like in Hawaii. I don’t know if there is a TJ’s there…
Laura says
There are no Trader Joe’s in Hawaii.
Mrs. C. says
There is no Trader Joe’s.
I lived on Maui and Oahu, and the way I saved was Costco, farmer’s markets, Chinatown, Long’s ( for coffee and snacks), and select sales at Down to Earth. It is actually cheaper to eat out for some meals than to buy the stuff and make it at home.
Mavis, you may have been shopping in an ABC Store in Waikiki, and they are very expensive for many items. Again, one has to keep an eye in prices because there are also great deals.
UpstateNYer says
Remember, Hawaii is an island. Most people forget that the majority of items must be shipped in or flown in. That is why everything is more expensive.
Judy says
Yes, transport may add to cost, yet California nuts and produce are cheaper in Akron OH and Williamsburg VA than in Fresno, CA where they are grown!? Very strange!
Keith Larsen says
That’s because the store selling the nuts has to pay California taxes, and California land prices, and the California minimum wages. Ohio and Virginia have cheaper land and labor.
Tracy L. says
We were in Maui and Honolulu last October. I’d heard about the prices from friends and that there was a Costco on each island we visited. We went straight from the airport to Costco. Bottled water, my beloved Diet Pepsi, snacks, and even candy we brought back as gifts were all bought at Costco. There is definitely a price to pay for living on an island.
Carrie says
I lived in HI for 3 months in 2008 during a college internship with the Navy. I was a civilian so I couldn’t shop at the commissary but I could buy some food items at the convenience store by the barracks I stayed at. My room only had a mini fridge and microwave. I survived on frozen meals and spaghetti-o’s and I haven’t eaten one since. I went to the farmers market most Saturdays for fresh fruit and ate at Taco del Mar weekly. I worked at a youth center where breakfast and lunch was provided for the kids so I was able to eat a bowl of cereal and a sandwich for free five days a week.
I could never live there again. Way too crowded but I loved going to the beach every weekend!
Katrina says
When I visited, I was told by the store that the prices were different for residents (still high). I am surprised that no one has stated that here…
Mary says
No one stated it because it’s not true!
Jazmin says
If you have a state ID you do get discounts at certain stores
Danielle says
When we go to Kauai, we make a simple meal plan on the plane and then hit Costco and Walmart before heading to the condo.
Others must do the same because we were gifted a bunch of food by a neighbor who was flying out shortly after we arrived. Everything we had left? We donated it to a local friend who showed up with her cooler to collect it from us the morning we left. (The condo had a donation area, but only for unopened food.)
Megan says
Hi! I just found your blog, I agree trying to save money in Hawaii is difficult! We live here now and I just wanted to dispel a rumor…military grocery stores (commissary, NEX, etc) do NOT sell at mainland prices. They sell at the same prices (sometimes more) as the local grocery stores. The savings are in that they are not taxed at the 5% sales tax rate. Some items are subsidized but for the most part we are also paying $2 per bell pepper and $6 for milk.
For produce the best options are Costco or the many Farmer’s Markets.