Planning a trip to Hawaii? If you are you’ll naturally want to try some authentic Hawaiian shave ice while you’ll there. But vacation expenses can add up quickly in Hawaii so budgeting can be really important. In this article, I’ll talk about how much you should expect to pay for shave ice in Hawaii.
How Much is Shave Ice in Hawaii?
A regular size shave ice made with conventional syrups (ones containing refined sugars, artificial colors and artificial flavors) will generally start at around $4-$5 in Hawaii. Adding a scoop of ice cream or a “snow cap” of condensed milk on top usually ads another dollar or so, and additional toppings will also usually cost around $1 each.
Larger shave ices or ones made with organic syrups and other natural ingredients will often cost more – closer to the $8-10 range. And if you’re planning on getting a very fancy with fresh organic fruits on top and other costly toppings, you should most likely expect to pay at least $12.
Of course these are just estimates, there are some shops that offer a very good value for the money and others that just cost more. Typically shave ice shops will charge more because of where they are or because of the quality of the ingredients they use. Shops is more expensive tourist areas need to make enough money to pay their rent and organic ingredients do cost the shop more money to use.
Why is shave ice so expensive?
But wait, snow cones are usually $2 or $3, why does shave ice cost so much more?
Shave ice is a little different from snow cones you might get at a baseball game or a fair. Snow cones are made with crunchier ice and don’t melt as quickly as shaved ice, which means the ice can often be prepared in advance to save time and money. With shave ice, the ice is shaved to order and made much thinner, making it a more labor and cost intensive process. This is a big reason why shave ice shops need to charge more. Check out our infographic for more differences between shave ice and snow cones.
Another factor is that Hawaii in general has a fairly high cost of living and things just tend to cost more there. Being an island, many things need to be imported and importing things by air or sea is always going to bring up prices.
How To Keep Costs Down
If you’re in Hawaii on a family vacation, a trip to a shave ice shop can easily get pretty expensive. Which is seem odd since most of what yore eating is frozen water. But it’s important to realize that shave ice shops aren’t trying to rob you blind, they’re just trying to make enough profit to stay in business.
To keep costs down, it’s a good idea to ask if shops have smaller, kids sizes. This isn’t something to be embarrassed about – shave ice portions in Hawaii can be a HUGE sometimes, and sometimes you just can’t eat that much. It’s perfectly alright to ask for a kids portion even if you’re an adult.
After all, vacation costs can add up quickly, and you don’t want to ruin your fun by stressing out about the credit card bills you’ll have when you get home.
Lastly, remember in Hawaii it’s “shave ice” not “shaved ice” with a “D”. You don’t want everyone to think you’re a tourist.
