Home » Active Travel » What to Buy at Costco in Kauai
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Looking to save money on your Hawaiian vacation? Look no further than Costco to save hundreds on everything from entertainment to food!
Fitting that our first post from our trip to Kauai has to do with Costco. 😉 It’s no secret that we love Costco (We have about 7 posts about Costco! You can read them all at the bottom of this post and our most popular – ourCostco shopping list here.). We shop there weekly (sometimes bi-weekly!) at home and always scope one out when we are traveling so we can stock up on food! After visiting Costco in Kauai one time I was 100% set on sharing what an amazing gem this is to have on the island. We were in Kauai for 10 days and we went to Costco three times.
Everyone always talks about how expensive it is to vacation in Hawaii but I just don’t agree with that. It CAN be very expensive but not if you do a little bit of planning ahead of time. Here we are going to share how to save at Costco but soon we will also share how to save on plane tickets, lodging, etc.
We landed in Kauai late on a Monday night and went to Costco as soon as they opened the next day. We stocked up on gift cards, meat, produce, and snacks. It was fun seeing what products they had and comparing them to what we have at home. We noticed the prices weren’t that much higher than at home, and actually, some prices were even lower (I’m looking at you cauliflower pizza)!
Let me start out by saying that if you don’t already have a Costco membership you should get one while on the island or prior to getting there. It will definitely be worth your money!
UPDATE: We published our Top 4 Hikes in Kauai! Read all about our favorite Kauai hiking trails here. You can view more of our Kauai vacation photos here. We’re still working on our full trip recap!
View our helicopter tour over Kauai (more videos coming soon!):
You may also be interested in:
- How to Save Money on Flights
- How to Save Money at the Airport
- Clean Eating Food to Pack for the Airport
Before I get into the list, I want to explain a few things that really stood out.
WHAT TO BUY AT COSTCO IN KAUAI
COSTCO TRAVEL
- Did you know you can book your entire trip through Costco? They have excellent prices and amazing add-on deals for all budgets!
- RENTAL CARS. I can’t stress this enough. We booked our rental car through Costco and ended up getting one less expensive (and for more days) than our neighbors we were in Hawaii with. You can book a rental car and cancel up until you travel so if the price goes down all you have to do is re-book and cancel the prior rental. IT’S AMAZING.
GAS
- Costco gas was 60 cents cheaper per gallon than every other gas station in the area. Plus, it’s right by the airport so you can fill up quickly before returning your rental car. FYI – The Costco gas station is a little bit further down the road, it isn’t right with the normal warehouse like it is at all of the other Costco gas stations we’ve been to.
GIFT CARDS
- We buy gift cards for things like airport parking at home but the Kauai Costco had Holo Holo Charters (boat tours) gift cards for $79.99 and the card value was $100 (instant savings of $20!). We also found a coupon for $15 off per person but Holo Holo would not honor that along with the gift card, which was disappointing since normally gift cards are honored the same as cash (i.e. normally you can use coupons with gift cards). But either way, it’s still a great deal!
- In order to get the best deal for two people, we bought 3 packs of gift cards for $239.97 and had a balance of around $40 to still pay when we arrived for the boat tour. We saved $60 just by purchasing this one item at Costco. We did the 5-hour snorkel sail tour. You will need to price out the tour you want to do and get the proper amount of gift cards. Sometimes they also sell these online but haven’t had them recently.
- They also had some gift card options to local restaurants so be sure to browse those!
CLOTHES
- I forgot to pack long sleeve shirts or a light jacket and didn’t want to spend $30 on a t-shirt I would never wear again so I bought a pack of long sleeve shirts (included one black and one white) for $14.99 and I will actually wear them again. I’m pretty sure I wore one each day we were there!
- Scott also bought RVCA swim trunks and a t-shirt for half the price that we saw them in another store.
HAWAII RELATED ITEMS
- Contrary to what you see in the movies they don’t greet you with a lei when you come off the airplane (I know, cue the sad music). Never fear though, Costco has leis! We got a pack of two for $9.99. We saw them other places at $25 for ONE. The leis were local too!
- We bought two Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Gift Sets for $21.99 each which included 6 individual cans. Once we got to the airport we saw the same type of gift set with only 3 individual cans for $23.99. If you purchase this gift set BEFORE you get to the airport you save money while getting twice as much. Yes, you can take food through security.
- The cooler. This one still annoys me. For some reason when we were at Costco the first two times I didn’t think about getting a cooler there. We ended up buying a styrofoam one at a grocery store for $16 (that we just left at the condo). When we stopped by Costco on our way to the airport I saw the cute Hawaiian themed cooler bags for $7.49! I purchased one to use at home but I’m still annoyed about wasting $16 on a styrofoam cooler. We had to have one because we split our time on the island between Poipu and Princeville and wanted to transfer the items from our refrigerator and freezer.
BEACH ITEMS
- We purchased our reef-safe sunscreen on Amazon prior to Hawaii but should have waited and bought it at Costco! They had a combo pack of rub in and spray on sunscreen for less than $15! Warning: Reef-safe sunscreen is VERY hard to rub in. Use very small amounts at a time. 😉 It’s annoying but the reefs will thank you.
- This is a fun one. And probably my favorite idea while on the island. Although we didn’t need to do it, I know many of you will probably benefit! Costco had Tommy Bahama beach chairs for less than $35. While it may sound silly to buy beach chairs and an umbrella when you can’t take them home it is actually cheaper than renting them on the beaches. One of the beaches we were at rented them for $12 per day. Buy the chairs, leave them for someone else to use where you are staying and save money in the process. Same goes for the umbrella!
- Costco has their brand of sunglasses and also name brands like Maui Jim, Oakley, and Rayban! I’m wearing a Kirkland (Costco) brand polarized pair in the picture below (I’m the brunette).
GROCERIES
- Without a doubt, we saved hundreds by purchasing groceries at Costco. We bought meat, produce, snacks, etc. We grilled at the condo a few nights and also ate breakfast and/or lunch each day at the condo. We were there with another couple and fed four people for $30 instead of $30(+) per person going out to eat. We did enjoy a few restaurants there but it’s not necessary to eat out every single night.
Now, here’s the easy-to-read list without all of my rambling. I’ve included prices on the items that I had a receipt for or those items that I remembered the prices. The prices listed are current as of September 11, 2018, but can change at any time.
COSTCO KAUAI SHOPPING LIST
- Lodging (Costco Travel)
- Rental Car (Costco Travel)
- Gas
- Gift Cards
- Entertainment (boat tours, etc) – Holo Holo Gift Cards $79.99 for a value of $100
- Restaurants
- Clothes
- RVCA Swim Shorts $26.99
- RVCA Shirt $12.99
- Long Sleeve Tees (pack of 2) $14.99
- Flip Flops
- Hawaii RelatedItems
- Leis (pack of 2) $9.99
- Guidebook $13.49 (Very helpful when deciding on hikes and restaurants! We ordered ours on Amazon)
- Hawaiian Shirts $19.99
- Macadamia Nut Assorted Gift Set (6 cans) $21.99
- Kauai Coffee
- Sarong $8.99
- Soft Cooler (Hawaiian theme) $7.49
- Beach Items
- Reef Safe Sunscreen $13.99
- Regular Sunscreen
- Beach Towels
- Tommy Bahama Chairs $32.99
- Tommy Bahama Umbrellas
- Sunglasses $24.99 (+)
- Food
- Meat
- Ground Bison (2 lbs) $19.99
- Top Sirloin Steaks $26.66
- Wild Caught Salmon $9.99 per pound
- Turkey (deli meat) $15.95
- Produce
- Snap Peas $4.99
- Organic Spring Mix $4.99
- Mixed Peppers $8.99
- Red Seedless Grapes $8.99
- Organic Strawberries (1 lb) $5.99
- Beverages
- Kombucha $12.99 (6 bottles – not including $3 off while we were there)
- Organic Green Juice (6 bottles) $11.99
- Snacks
- Pirates Booty $6.59 (not including $2 off while we were there)
- Cheese Variety Pack
- Misc Food
- Eggs $7.69
- Cauliflower Pizza (2) $12.99
- Organic Quinoa Brown Rice Mixture $10.99
- Whole Wheat Tortillas $7.99
- Meat
- Alcohol
- Kirkland Brand Vodka $12.99
- Big Swell Beer $8.49
The Costco in Kauai is located at4300 Nuhou St, Lihue, HI 96766 and their phone number is(808) 241-4000.
Are you a Costco lover too?! Check out our additional Costco related content:
- Eating Clean at Costco {Shopping List}
- How to Throw a Party on a Budget – Costco Food Ideas
- Healthy Kid-Friendly Snacks from Costco {Refrigerated}
- Healthy Kid-Friendly Snacks from Costco {Shelf-Stable}
- How to Order a Cake from Costco
- How to Order a Party Platter from Costco
- How to Order a Pie from Costco
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Comments
Julie Felix says
I have wondered about getting a Costco membership, and if it is worth it for me. I am single, so it’s just me. I always thought it was for large families to stock up. But seeing your family of 2 use it, and knowing how you watch your spending has certainly tipped the scales towards buying it. And being able to buy bison?!? Thank you for your articles, they do make a difference!
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Whitney Carlson says
Hi Julie! I am just now seeing your comment but thank you for taking the time to leave it! Yes, we feel like Costco is definitely worth it. They have a great selection of meat and organic vegetables.
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Kaitlin says
Hi there! Can you tell me if the Lihue Costco had a good floral department? I’m getting married on the island in a few months and it’s a small wedding so I was going to just purchase flowers and do my own arrangements. The Costco near me (I live in Washington, near Seattle) doesn’t have individual items but I thought I’d ask if you remember seeing them there. 🙂 Thanks!!
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Whitney Carlson says
Hi Kaitlin! Congrats on your upcoming wedding! I don’t remember the Kauai location having many flowers. They did have the case of Leis but that is all I remember seeing. Good luck! I hope you have a great trip!
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Anna says
Thank you for the info. This will be my first trip to Hawaii.
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Jules says
Loved this! Hope to see you do one for my building on Oahu when you travel there. Please come out to the Kapolei building and check out our clean eats too… 😃🌺🌈🌴✈️
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Michelle says
While it’s great to get a good deal, it’s always nice to try and spend money locally. Most of the items you purchase sends the mainland right back to the mainland instead of putting money into the local economy. As a local to Kauai, we hate to see tourists stocking up on food in Costco. To us it means that they’re not going to spend much money on local restaurants (which is a direct infusion into the economy – unlike air, hotels and car) – and enjoy our land for free (since Kauai has so many free activities). On the plus side, it’s great that you’re using and promoting reef safe sunscreen.
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Whitney Carlson says
Hi Michelle! Thank you for taking the time to comment. You made some very good points!
We made sure to shop and eat locally as well but we were there for 11 days so eating out for 3 meals a day would have been very, very expensive. We ate breakfast in our room each morning, usually packed a lunch because we were hiking, and ate out for dinner about every other night (and a few lunches mixed in). Actually one of our favorite places to eat was Coconut’s Fish Cafe that we stopped at on the way to stay in Princeville. We felt it was a great balance between trying some local restaurants and also saving money. We also went to a Luau (fun!) and did a boat ride.
The island is beautiful is we hope to return again!
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Michelle says
That’s great that you made a point to eat local and do the luau and boat ride. As a resident, it’s so frustrating to see most of travelers money going back to big companies on the mainland. If you could spread that message of buying local that would be wonderful. Thanks! And keep spreading the message of reef safe sunscreen too 😉
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Michael says
That “big company” that “sends money back to the mainland” as you say, actually enables residents and migrants that live on the island to not live in poverty with the cost of living so high. Sure, it’s great in practice to eat/buy local, but not everyone can afford that. I’m sure there is a large percentage of people on the island grateful that Costco is there. In theory, supporting the local economy is great, and I’m all for that… but Costco is one element that makes tourism in an expensive area feasible and can aid in driving tourism revenue to the area. Two sides to every coin… no pun intended.
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Michelle says
I’m not arguing if Costco should be there. I’m saying that locals do get upset when they see tourists shopping at Costco and really stocking up. (we talk about this and eye those tourists at Costco – you can see them – the ones fresh off the planes with their carts FULL of supplies for a week)
Yes. Costco provides jobs and cheaper food to locals. BUT when tourists eat most of their meals at their condo, that’s a lot less money that stays on island. Hotels, air, and big box stores ship the majority of the money right back to the mainland. With a place like Kauai where so many amazing activities are free, it would be wonderful if visitors were purposeful in how they spend their money and try to support local by eating more meals out. (I know of a lot of tourists who don’t spend a cent on other activities – so basically they’re paying to get here and stay here and then a few trinkets to take home – one of the downsides to being a tourist attraction where the natural beauty and beaches are the attraction) It’s an awareness thing. Be aware of how to treat the place you visit and how your actions are perceived by locals.
Joe East Coaster says
As a 2 time visitor to Hawaii about to become a 3rd time visitor (will be 3 times in 7 years) from the east coast USA. I believe in buying local, but there is also some common sense with expenses. I prescribe to the 1 meal out a day plan and depending on the activity of the day sometimes 2. Since i’m coming from the East Coast 2 things are of great concern before i go to Hawaii #1 Flight alone accounts for almost a 1/3 of my cost then another large chunk is on the rental since I do 14 days when i go out there. So common sense dictates I try to save where i can. For me each trip for 2 is going to be a minimum of 10K. I’ll attempt to help out locally where i can, but the locals need to understand we are not all rich coming out there.
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