Hawaii has no in-state oil production. Crude and finished fuel are shipped from refineries on the U.S. mainland and overseas. The freight cost shows up at the pump — usually 60 to 90 cents per gallon above the West Coast average.
One refinery does most of the work
Par Hawaiʻi's Kapolei refinery on Oʻahu produces the bulk of the state's gasoline. With limited domestic refining capacity, supply disruptions hit harder than they would on the mainland.
State and county taxes stack up
Hawaiʻi's combined state, county, and federal fuel taxes are among the highest in the country. The exact amount varies by county — Maui and Kauaʻi typically run a few cents higher than Oʻahu.
Smaller markets, less competition
Each neighbor island has fewer stations and fewer wholesale suppliers than Oʻahu. That's why a Big Island or Maui pump price often runs 15 to 30 cents above what you'd pay in Honolulu on the same day.
How to Save at the Pump
Costco is the cheapest option on every island
Costco has gas stations in Honolulu, Kapolei, and Hawaiʻi Kai on Oʻahu, plus Kahului on Maui, Kona on the Big Island, and Lihuʻe on Kauaʻi. Members typically save 30 to 60 cents per gallon vs. the island average. Bring your card — it's enforced at the pump.
Avoid Waikīkī, airport, and resort-area stations
The Shell on Kūhiō Avenue, the Chevron near OGG, and any resort-corridor station charge a tourist premium — sometimes 50 cents above what a local station two miles away charges. Fill up before you reach the airport on the way back.
Use GasBuddy or Waze to find the cheapest pump nearby
Both apps show real-time station-level pricing across all four islands. Useful when you have flexibility on the route — saving 20 cents a gallon on a 40-gallon week of driving adds up to real money over a long trip.
Pick a fuel-efficient rental — and use the right grade
A Toyota Corolla rents for about the same as a mid-size SUV but burns half the gas. Stick to Regular unless your rental's manual specifically requires Premium — most do not, despite what the upsell at the counter implied. See our full Hawaiʻi car rental guide for picking the right vehicle, or compare rates at Discount Hawaii Car Rental for the lowest published price across all major brands.
Don't pay for Premium "for the car's sake"
Most modern gasoline engines — including every standard rental — are tuned for 87 octane. Premium burns money, not better. Read the inside of the fuel cap if you're not sure; the manufacturer's required grade is printed there.
Plan one big fill, not five small ones
Rental cars are typically returned with a full tank. Topping off at $1 here and $3 there ratchets up your total per-gallon cost because each small purchase takes the pump's minimum price-rounding hit. One big fill the morning of return saves a few dollars and a lot of stops.
About This Data
Where do these prices come from?
Numbers are pulled directly from AAA's daily Fuel Gauge Report for Hawaii. AAA collects retail credit-card transaction data from over 100,000 gas stations nationwide via OPIS (Oil Price Information Service). The state and county averages reflect actual prices paid yesterday, refreshed every morning.
How often does this page update?
Once a day, around 4 AM HST. A small Cloudflare Worker scrapes the AAA Hawaii page, compares to the previous day's reading, and only commits a change if a price actually moved. If AAA is slow or briefly unreachable, you'll see the most recent good reading rather than a broken page.
Why is the AAA county average different from what I'm seeing at a specific station?
AAA reports an average across hundreds of stations on each island. Individual stations vary by 30 to 80 cents per gallon depending on neighborhood, brand, and proximity to tourist areas. The AAA average is the right number for trip budgeting; for the cheapest specific pump, use GasBuddy or Waze.
What about Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi?
AAA folds both into the Maui County reading. Real prices on Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi typically run 30 to 60 cents above the Maui County average because of even smaller markets and less competition. Lānaʻi has a single gas station; Molokaʻi has a handful clustered in Kaunakakai.
How accurate is "yesterday" data for "today's" trip planning?
Hawaiʻi gas prices move slowly compared to the mainland — large day-to-day swings are rare outside of supply shocks. The previous day's average is a reliable estimate for budgeting today's rental car or road trip.
Planning a Hawaiʻi Trip?
Use our cost calculator to estimate fuel, lodging, food, and activities for your full trip — fed by current Hawaiʻi rates. Renting a car? Start with our Hawaiʻi car rental guide. Gas is one line item — the Hawaii Price Index shows hotel, vacation-rental, rental-car, and attraction-fee numbers on the same auto-updating page.
Trade winds are strong right now, with high surf hitting the south shore today. Windward areas are seeing frequent showers through the weekend.
South-facing beaches have dangerous surf today through Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will build rough water by Sunday or Monday. The bigger picture is a tropical system, Fausto, heading our way. It's weakening but should arrive near the islands by Tuesday or Wednesday as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rain. The exact track is still uncertain, so check the forecast daily.
Get your beach time and water activities in today through early next week on the leeward side, where conditions stay calmer. Be ready to shift plans by midweek when conditions turn rough.
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Windy conditions across Maui right now, with trade winds gusting strong. South-facing shores have high surf today and will see another big swell Saturday and Sunday—the water's dangerous unless you're an experienced ocean swimmer.
Through the weekend, windward areas will get frequent showers while trade winds stay gusty. The bigger picture arrives midweek: Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward the islands and should reach Maui as a tropical storm or weaker system Tuesday or Wednesday. That'll bring rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Hit the leeward beaches and snorkel south Maui coasts today through early next week, but stay out of windward and south-facing waters through Sunday.
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Windy conditions dominate right now with strong trade winds pushing across the island. South-facing shores have high surf today—dangerous water if you're not an experienced swimmer.
Through the weekend, those south shores see another big swell Saturday and Sunday, and east-facing shores will build dangerous conditions by Sunday or Monday. Windward areas get frequent showers. A tropical system—the remnants of Hurricane Fausto—is weakening and headed toward the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system by Tuesday or Wednesday, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain midweek. Timing and track are still uncertain, so check updates daily.
Leeward beaches on the Kona side stay your best bet today through early next week, but avoid the water on the windward and south shores through Sunday.
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Strong trade winds are pushing showers across windward areas through the weekend. On Kauaʻi, expect frequent showers on the windward side.
High surf is running on south-facing shores today and will build again Saturday and Sunday—stay out of the water unless you're an experienced swimmer. East-facing shores will also see dangerous swell by Sunday or Monday. Hurricane Fausto is weakening as it moves toward Hawaii. By Tuesday or Wednesday it should reach the islands as a tropical storm or weaker system, bringing rough seas, strong winds, and heavy rain. Track and timing are still uncertain, so check updates daily through midweek.
Beach time on leeward shores works through early next week. Plan water activities for today, but be ready to shift if Fausto's track becomes clearer—conditions will deteriorate by midweek.
Created with AI from the official NWS forecast discussion · verify with NWS before heading out
