Oahu food cost breakdown! $35 per day for eating on a budget in Hawaii (Grocery stores in Waikiki + more)

ALOHA!

Here I show you day by day exactly how much I spent on food during my most recent trip to Hawaii in summer 2025!

I went through my credit card statement line by line to calculate exactly how much I spent on food during my time on Oahu. This post reflects the real numbers, not estimates or guesses!

I didn’t spend any cash in Hawaii.

By my calculation, I spent $344.95 on food during my 10 days in Hawaii. That works out to just about $35 a day in food.

I stayed in Waikiki for 10 nights. I didn’t spend any money on the day I left (technically day 11) since I ate the grocery store food I had left, and the plane food offered on my flight (there were meals) was enough to keep me full until landing! (So I didn’t need to spend money on expensive airport food.)

 

I kept my meals simple and didn’t eat out much, although I did have some casual food now and then, like an acai bowl and a plate lunch.

I didn’t do any stovetop cooking. I bought groceries that were easy to eat cold or just needed a microwave. Having a fridge, freezer, and microwave meant that I could store food that could make this happen. This made it easy to save money without spending much time on preparing food. The place I was staying also had free tea! (My morning essential!)

 

I bought my grocery store food mostly at a local place called Food Pantry (map) that was a few minutes walk from where I was staying, along with Target at International Market Place (Waikiki) and Ala Moana (just outside Waikiki). I did go to Walmart on my first night in Ala Moana. I found grocery store prices to be high, but well, this is Hawaii.

I mostly went to places that were in or near Waikiki where food prices can be on the higher side.

In any case, this is just to give you an idea! See my day-by-day breakdown below!

 

Cost of food in Hawaii: Day-by-day

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Day 1: Grocery store (Walmart)

I arrived at Honolulu airport late evening. After I checked into where I was staying, I first walked to Don Quijote to see if they had any Hawaii souvenir insulated lunch bags. They did, and so I bought one, but I ended up not using it. I had also brought some mini-ice packs with the intention of perhaps buying some cold items for a day out, but ended up not doing anything with it.

Don Quijote is a good store to go to for Hawaii souvenirs, and it’s also a grocery store.

Don Quijote Honolulu: map + reviews

After that, I walked to Walmart in Ala Moana (which is just outside Waikiki) where I bought some food. I found the produce section to be limited. Basically I just bought some stuff to hold me over. I also bought snacks to bring with me to Hanauma Bay the next day. Walmart is another good place for souvenirs.

Walmart Ala Moana: map

 

👆 There’s a Walmart in Honolulu just outside of Waikiki.

 

Day 2: Plate lunch and Waikiki grocery stores

In the morning, I went to a grocery store that was a few minutes walk from where I was staying. It’s a Waikiki grocery store called Food Pantry. This is also within walking distance of Hilton Hawaiian Village. I bought a grab-and-go wrap and fruit which made for an easy breakfast.

Another place in Waikiki I never actually bought anything from but gets good reviews for easy food is Island Country Markets. They have at least 2 locations in Waikiki so you can look for one.

Food Pantry Waikiki grocery store: map + reviews

Island Country Markets: reviews

Later while I was out, I had a plate lunch.

That evening, I went to the Target in Waikiki that has some groceries. It’s located at the International Market Place.

Target Waikiki grocery store: map

 

👆 There’s a grocery store in Waikiki called Food Pantry with grab-and-go food items, along with groceries.

 

👆 After Hanauma Bay, I went to the nearby Koko Marina Center and had a teriyaki chicken plate lunch at Hanapaa Market (map + reviews).

 

👆 They have a bunch of fish-based plate lunches.

 

👆 They are known for their poke. Poke is a classic Hawaii food you need to try in Hawaii!

 

👆 I went to Target in Waikiki for groceries. There’s a Target at International Market Place. Bring your own bag to carry your groceries back or else you’re paying $2 per bag.

 

👆 After the first night, I had a salad of greens, tomato, and feta cheese every night (along with other food). It was my easy way of getting some nutrients every day! The container of salad greens lasted for 2-3 days. I mostly got the kind that was grown in Hawaii at Sensei Farms on the island of Lanai. Most of the time I added one tomato. The cheese was an easy way to get extra calories, and I think I ended up buying 3 containers of feta cheese during the 10 days. I would have liked to add cucumber too, but I couldn’t bring myself to pay $4 or $5 for one cucumber.

The place I was staying had a well-stocked kitchen, so it was very helpful to have a bowl, cutting board, and knife. I stayed at the Honu Waikiki hostel, which has dorms and private rooms. This is on the Hilton Hawaiian Village side of Waikiki.

 

Waikiki hostels to stay at so you can have a shared kitchen to save money:

• The Beach Waikiki boutique hostel (few minutes walk from Kuhio Beach)
• Seaside Women’s hostel
• Honu Waikiki

 

 

 

 

Day 3: Acai bowl and grab-and-go wrap

👆 There are lots of places to have an acai bowl in Hawaii. Look for one! It was my post-swim recovery food.

 

👆 I liked having the cauliflower wrap as energy for the day, so I got it to save it for breakfast for the next day before I did the Diamond Head hike!

 

Day 4: Papaya bowl

👆 A papaya bowl seemed like a very-Hawaii thing to have, so I had it as my post-hike recovery food!

 

👆 As fuel for my Diamond Head hike (and Hanauma Bay snorkeling), for breakfast I had: a cauliflower wrap, some cut-up papaya, a banana, and green tea! I got the wrap at the Food Pantry, and ABC Stores are also a good place to go for easy grab-and-go food. For breakfast on most days I had bread with peanut butter or cream cheese, along with a banana and tea.

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Day 5: Huli huli chicken and grocery store (Target)

👆 There was a huli huli chicken plate lunch place near Kualoa Ranch so I went to it! Huli huli chicken is a very Hawaii thing to eat. So look for a huli huli chicken place too!

 

👆 I went to the Target in Ala Moana for groceries. Ala Moana is a transit point if you’re going to other parts of Oahu from Waikiki, so I found it convenient to stop by this Target on my way back from Kualoa Ranch. (Although it was a little confusing at first to find Target being inside a shopping mall.)

 

Target Ala Moana grocery store: map

 

 

 

Day 6: Plate lunch, Target at Ala Moana, and ABC Stores

👆 Kalua pork is another very Hawaii thing to have that you can look for! I had the kalua pork (with cabbage) plate lunch.

 

👆 L&L Hawaiian BBQ is a chain. They have many options to have a plate lunch. There’s a little stand at Ala Moana Park, so I stopped by after I went to Magic Island.

 

👆 Since I was in Ala Moana, I stopped by Target there again to get groceries.

 

👆 I stopped by an ABC Store to get pink dragon fruit!

 

👆 Save your ABC Stores receipts! You can redeems them for free gifts if you spend enough money there. On this trip I didn’t go to ABC Stores much, but on a prior trip I got a free t-shirt and free mug. ABC Stores are good for easy grab-and-go food. There are tons of them all over Waikiki. Not all stores are the same. A few have a more extensive food area.

 

Day 7: Grocery store in Waikiki

👆 Back to the Food Pantry grocery store in Waikiki for more food. This time I also got coconut water because overnight I got a painful cramp in my calf! Stay hydrated and get your nutrients!

 

 

 

Day 8

I didn’t buy food.

 

Day 9: Target in Waikiki

👆 One last trip to get me through the end of my time in Hawaii!

 

Day 10: Acai bowl

👆 One last acai bowl in Hawaii! I have a list of places that I got acai bowls in Waikiki!

 

Happy eating in Hawaii on a budget!