The US dollar isn’t getting any cheaper for Australians, but travelling to Hawaii during these months will certainly help keep your holiday budget low.
Wanderlusting for Waikiki but on a tight budget? Luckily a trip to America’s slice of paradise doesn’t have to be as expensive as you may think. As long as you know when to go, that is.
TL;DR: When is the cheapest time to visit Hawaii?
The absolute cheapest time: February. (Read more to see why)
The best-value time: February and March. (Read more to see why)
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When is the cheapest time to visit Hawaii?
February. We checked flight prices to Hawaii using Skyscanner for each month of the year and found the lowest prices in February, followed by March.
We also checked the priciest time and found the most expensive time to visit Hawaii is in December. Flights were more than $250 more expensive then, which could be caused by the oh-so-popular start of the Christmas holiday season. Both Australians and North Americans will be flocking to the island chain this time of year.
Another time that’s cheap to go to Hawaii is whenever Jetstar has a Hawaii sale. (We’re not kidding!)
These flights come with all different travel dates attached, so it’s hard to predict what time of year they’ll be available.
How cheap are we talking? Less than $400 return cheap. But, more often than not, they’re in the $400s to $500s range. Try booking a flight between Sydney and Perth for that!
How much will it cost to travel to Hawaii at the time?
As long as you don’t mind flying budget, you’ll likely be able to find flights on sale from Sydney and Melbourne to Honolulu for less than $600. You can usually get a cheap connection from Brisbane, but it will be much more expensive if you’re coming from Adelaide or Perth.
Jetstar is the only low-cost carrier to fly between Australia and Hawaii, and it only flies to Honolulu on Oahu. If you’re wanting to stay on other islands, like Maui or the Big Island, you’ll need to book an inter-island flight.
We love the detailed flight data available on Kayak, so checked out the lowest-available prices for flights between Australia’s main cities and Honolulu at the time of writing.
| From | Average Cheapest Price |
|---|---|
| Adelaide | $556 each way |
| Brisbane | $342 each way |
| Melbourne | $327 each way |
| Perth | $738 each way |
| Sydney | $246 each way |
Of course, we don’t look at just one data source. We’ve also checked Skyscanner to see where the current-lowest prices are and found April to June (when Jetstar is currently having a sale) and February (which we previously found to be the cheapest times) are the most affordable times to visit.
(Note: March generally is affordable, too. But as this post was last updated in March, it’s showing last-minute prices which are very expensive.)
Flight prices from Sydney to Honolulu
Flight prices from Sydney to Honolulu
Find your flight to Hawaii
When it comes to hotels, though, prices tend to stay a bit steadier throughout the year. It’s mostly just over peak holiday times like Christmas and New Year’s that room rates will spike.
But… is this going to be the worst time to go to Hawaii?
Nope! In fact, we wouldn’t really consider any time of the year to be a bad time to visit.
Winter days in Honolulu, Hawaii still average out to about 27C and are much drier than you’d expect from a tropical island.
While February doesn’t see the highest amount of rainfall throughout the year, it is up there. (April to September are the driest months to visit Hawaii.)
But, “up there” for Hawaii is still less rain than any month in Sydney. Honolulu averages 49mm of rain in February, while the driest month of the year in Sydney (September) sees 63mm.
When is the best and cheapest time to visit Hawaii?
February and March are some of the best times to visit Hawaii both for a little rest and relaxation and because they’re two of the cheapest months to visit. These late-winter months, after the school holidays have long ended, in Hawaii tend to be some of the quietest for tourists. And it’s not just us that think so.
“Late winter brings good news for budget travelers and anyone looking for a more relaxing vacation: you can often find discounts on airfare and hotels, and beaches, hiking trails and popular attractions aren’t nearly as crowded as during the peak summer and winter seasons.”
Lonely Planet
