Top travel destinations in the world: Hawaii and Mexico, among others. And although we can’t deny the fun time you’ll have with tequila, limes, and a rim of salt, we’re here to tell you that comparing an all-inclusive Hawaii vacation to an all-inclusive Mexico one is a huge no-no. Not just for your sake, but for your travel company and agent’s sake as well! We can’t tell you how many clients like to compare Hawaii to Mexico; the pricing, beaches, daytime activities, resorts, cruises, etc., wondering why Hawaii has to be so much more expensive. Well here’s the truth: Hawaii ain’t like Mexico, so there is no sense in trying to compare apples to oranges. Or mai tais to tequila shots. Or sombreros to pareos. You get it.
Hawaii is a more expensive vacation destination than Mexico for a number of reasons. Firstly, Hawaii is a longer travel distance from Mexico for many folks, which makes airfare more expensive. Tickets always depend largely on how long the trip is, so Hawaii is almost always more expensive than Mexico in this aspect. Also, Mexico’s economy allows you to get more for your dollar since the peso is weaker in comparison to the American currency. Food, souvenirs, activities, etc. will almost always be cheaper than in Hawaii due to this.
Mexico has all-inclusive resorts, much like Hawaii (but Hawaii’s are harder to find and only accessible through local travel companies), which control all the food, beverage, entertainment, and activities in the popular resort destination areas. By controlling these things, the resorts are able to control the pricing, and they do so to attract and entice visitors. It’s almost like having a monopoly but with the opposite effect… Another big reason why Hawaii is more expensive than Mexico is because everything in Hawaii is about 20% more than on the mainland, from groceries to gas to rental equipment. For example, here is a list of current gas prices: California is at $3.77, Washington is at $3.65, Utah is at $3.40, New York is at $3.75 and Hawaii is the most expensive state, coming in at $4.15 a gallon. You can always expect this rule of thumb, and in Mexico, it doesn’t really apply. Hawaii also has a different atmosphere than Mexico. Different cuisine, outdoor activities, locals, and popular attractions, and while Mexico has equally interesting ones, we are merely pointing out the differences of why Hawaii is more expensive. As we said, Hawaii’s all-inclusive vs. Mexico’s all-inclusive is noncomparable, so don’t even try it!
