Maui on a Budget: Discover Affordable Ways to Experience Paradise

Maui is definitely an expensive island to have a quality vacation without spending a chunk of change. But you can still have a great time without blowing your budget and even splurge for some of the nice and fun activities to do around the island. If you’re looking to visit and experience Maui on a budget and planning on Hotel, Air transportation, car rental and dining options, check out this guide on how to do Maui on the cheap and still have a great time.

Best time to visit Maui

Travel during the Off season in Maui

If you want to travel to Maui on a real budget and save here then visit during the off season in Maui. This is actually a very short time frame from April to May and then September to October timeframe. You’ll find cheaper rates for airfare, hotels and even entertainment tours.

Save on cheap Maui car rentals

The big ticket lately to visiting the island is the lack of supply with car rentals and bumping up daily rates, so you definitely have to book way in advance to secure your rental car situation. There are a variety of search car rental aggregators but the best we find for getting a good deal is with Discount Hawaii Car Rentals. You’ll find the search capability covers most of the major rental agency brands and breaks down into types of vehicles, dates and price ranges.

Other rental car considerations

Compact cars are typically cheaper and give good gas mileage and gas is typically very expensive in Maui

Check your car insurance provider to see if rental cars are included with your policy so you don’t have to pay extra on your car rental and opt out if it is covered

How to find good prices on airline fares

Getting a good airline fare to the islands takes a little bit of effort and research to score the best prices to the islands. Typically, it makes sense to have a flexible time frame and sign up for alerts to airlines or search consolidators offering specials certain times of the year.

One of those is Google flights Cheapo Air.com which is easy to use and adaptable to putting in your criteria, search by lowest prices with pricing calendars and choosing a variety of airports that offer deals from certain destinations.

Check with low priced carriers like Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines which offer fantastic rates from the west coast to the island and have plenty of flights to various locations. If you sign up for a Southwest credit card then you get a companion pass by just paying the taxes on it.

The cheapest flights typically offered to Hawaii are from the main hubs at Honolulu and Kahului in Maui and interisland fares are priced competitively if you plan on visiting nearby islands.

How to save on hotels or housing alternatives

One of the biggest budget components to visiting Maui is find a place to stay that fits into your budget. One way of doing this is to search with a variety of search hotel sites like TripAdvisor, Travelocity or Cheapo Air that you can set your own criteria for days and daily rate range you want to pay for. If you plan on making most of your own meals then sites like

How to save money on food and drinks in Maui

Skip those expensive tropical drinks

Fancy drinks add up real fast at a local bar or pricy hotel oceanfront venue. Easier on the budget is to buy your own from Costco or a local market like KTA or Foodland and take it to the beach for sunset or a fun picnic experience. Bring your ice tote bag drinks and favorite beverage and you’re all set to enjoy a fun venue for cheap where you are staying or somewhere outdoor by the beach or beautiful picnic area.

Cheap pupus, bring your own snacks

While shopping at Costco, farmers markets or the groceries make sure to pick up some favorite snack food or try some of the local snacks to sample something new on the islands. Bring your own food is the way to go and you can pick your own spot to hang out for free.

Shop farmers markets and go local

You can support local growers, food preparers and other vendors by going to local farmers markets to get your fresh produce, locally prepared snacks and finished goods, crafts and art along with other take away souvenirs or gifts that you can buy direct from the source. Check out all these local farmers markets in Maui to explore here.

Eat at Food Trucks

Some of the local specialty foods or what’s being offered from the food truck vendor from Thai food specialties, locally sourced shrimp over rice and mac salad, Hawaiian traditional food to a global range of delicious food to go. An affordable alternative to eating out, this is an easy and delicious option especially when they are conveniently located to popular attractions or locations on the islands.

There are a variety of places to try food trucks in Maui, you can try, the food truck park fronting Costco in Kahului, Honoapiilani Food Truck Park in Lahaina, the area around Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary on the Hana Hwy in Kahului area and in the Kihei area around Kalama Park is a cluster of food truck venues to try out. Check out all these food truck listings here for more inspiration of food truck venues in Maui.

Go to bars and restaurants for Happy Hour or Early Bird Specials

Many Maui eateries have Pau Hana Happy hour or Early Bird special dinners around the island. Places to check out includes Sansei with 50% off early bird special, Sea House in Lahaina, Kimos in Lahaina, Ruth Kris, 5 Palms and a variety of popular venues that all offer early bird specials typically around 5 to 6pm most days at a discounted price. Check out all these Happy Hour venues in Maui here for cool places to go.

Cheap or free activities or entertainment

There are a few places around the island that offer free entertainment mostly in the main shopping centers and activities and recreation you can do for free if you plan your own DIY excursion. Check out these inexpensive or free things to do around the island.

**Check out my page on free things to do in Maui here for all these fun and free activities you can do all around the island now.

Find freebie entertainment venues

There are quite a few cool and fun things to do around Maui that’s entertainment focused and absolutely free. Check out all these fantastic places for entertainment that is totally free here for more inspiration.

**some of these venues might be on hold during Covid time frames.

Free Self-Guided Walking tours

You can do some of the free walking tours around the island on historical trails, coastal trails and wildlife refuge areas below.

Kaanapali Historical trail – is an easy trail that is oceanfront and covers Kaanapali Resort and other historical sites noted in placards along the walk

Kapalua Coastal Trail – an oceanfront trail that runs from Kapalua Beach to DT Fleming Beach Park

Wailea Beach Walk is a nice ocean front trail that is paved and 1.5 miles in length perfect for morning to evening walks

Lahaina Historic Trail – the historic trail covers over 62 important and historic sites in town to explore. You can get a printed version at the visitor’s center located at the Old Banyan Tree in town.

Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge – You can explore this wildlife refuge with a 2,200-foot boardwalk with guided interpretive exhibits. Enter the refuge area on the highway between Maalaea and Kihei area.

Free Friday Maui Town Parties

Every Friday is a town celebration event and town party sponsored by the County of Maui in different locations around the island. You’ll find great free music, dance, street performances and arts and crafts and other discounts offered by vendors in that town event. Following are the scheduled rotations, but check out the Maui County town town party website here for more details.

1^st Friday of the Month at Central Maui Wailuku on Market Street

2^nd Friday at Lahaina on Front Street

3^rd Friday at Makawao (changed to every other month)

4^th Friday at Keith in the Azeka Shopping Center Mauka