Grocery Delivery in Hawaii: Instacart, Costco, and Foodland

Grocery delivery in Hawaii sits in an odd place. On Oahu, most neighborhoods can order from four or five services with two-hour windows, while entire regions of the Big Island, Molokai, and Lanai have no coverage at all. Newcomers who assumed the mainland routine would carry over quickly learn that ZIP code, not zip drive, determines whether an app works.

The lineup is smaller than it looks. Instacart powers most of it — including Costco same-day, Safeway, some Foodland orders, and several smaller chains — while Whole Foods delivers through Amazon Prime in a limited footprint. Foodland runs its own Shop & Score online store as well, using store staff instead of gig contractors.

This guide breaks down which service covers which ZIP, what the real cost looks like once fees, tips, and Hawaii’s grocery markup stack up, and how condo-based long-stay visitors should think about their first order. Every fee and coverage note reflects publicly available pricing as of early 2026.

The grocery delivery landscape in Hawaii

Five services matter statewide: Instacart, Foodland Shop & Score, Costco same-day (which runs through Instacart), Safeway (via Instacart and its own app), and Whole Foods through Amazon Prime. A handful of Times Supermarkets locations also appear inside the Instacart marketplace on Oahu, and KTA Super Stores on the Big Island runs its own online pickup system.

Coverage skews heavily toward Oahu. The state’s most populous island holds roughly 990,000 of Hawaii’s 1.44 million residents per the Census Bureau, and that density is exactly what delivery platforms need to make routes profitable. Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island get partial coverage centered on their main towns.

Delivery windows on Oahu often start at one hour. On the neighbor islands, two- to five-hour windows are common, and same-day slots book out by mid-morning during holiday weekends. Weather and highway closures on Kauai’s North Shore or the Big Island’s Saddle Road can wipe out delivery for a full day.

Instacart in Hawaii: the backbone of the market

Instacart is the default. It handles the majority of grocery delivery orders in the islands and serves as the technology layer for Costco same-day, Safeway, some Foodland baskets, Times Supermarkets in select Oahu ZIPs, and Petco for pet food.

A single account works across every partner store, so a shopper can add produce from Foodland Ala Moana, wine from Safeway Kapahulu, and dog food from Petco Kailua into one basket that gets split into separate deliveries. Each shop has its own fee and its own tip.

Instacart pricing structure

Standard delivery costs $3.99 for orders over $35 on a same-day slot at least two hours out. One-hour delivery jumps to $5.99–$9.99. Priority delivery, which pushes an order to the front of the shopper’s queue, adds $1.99–$5.99 on top of the base fee.

The service fee runs roughly 5% of the order subtotal with a $2 minimum. Hawaii’s 4.712% Honolulu General Excise Tax applies to fees as well as taxable food items, so the receipt shows tax layered on almost every line.

Instacart+ membership

Instacart+ costs $99 a year or $9.99 a month. It waives delivery fees on orders over $35, cuts service fees by roughly half, and unlocks 5% credit back on certain pickup orders. For a household ordering weekly, membership pays back within eight to ten deliveries.

Instacart also markets a family account that lets a spouse share the membership. A 14-day free trial is standard, and college students with a verified .edu email can access a $4.99 monthly rate.

Costco same-day delivery in Hawaii

Costco does not operate its own delivery fleet in the state. Same-day orders route through Instacart, and the shopper must have a Costco membership tied to their Instacart account. Non-members can still order but pay a 5% surcharge on top of the already-inflated Instacart pricing.

Only three Costco warehouses serve delivery: Iwilei and Kapolei on Oahu, and Kahului on Maui. The Kailua-Kona and Hilo warehouses on the Big Island, as well as the Lihue store on Kauai, do not currently offer same-day Instacart delivery through Costco.

Costco pricing on Instacart

Item prices on Costco through Instacart are marked up roughly 15–20% versus the in-warehouse price. A $19.99 case of Kirkland water in the warehouse can appear at $23.99 on the app. Costco does not offer promotional pricing or member coupons through the Instacart channel.

Minimum order is $35. Delivery fee for non-members starts at $9.99. Instacart+ members skip the delivery fee but still pay the markup, so the math only favors delivery when the alternative is a 45-minute drive plus a warehouse trip with kids.

What Costco delivers well

• Bulk paper products, laundry pods, and pet supplies that fill a small car alone.
• Rotisserie chickens ($4.99–$6.99 in-warehouse) and hot deli items delivered warm.
• Bottled water and beverages, where the markup barely exceeds gas cost.
• Frozen seafood and Kirkland meat trays that ship in insulated bags.
• Wine and spirits in select ZIPs — a 21+ ID scan is required at drop-off.

Foodland Shop & Score online

Foodland is Hawaii’s largest locally owned grocer, with 34 stores across the state including Foodland, Foodland Farms, Sack N Save, and the smaller Malama Market banner. Its Shop & Score online service runs directly through Foodland’s own website and app, not Instacart.

The advantage is Maika’i card integration. Every online order earns Maika’i points, HawaiianMiles, and every weekly ad price applies automatically. Instacart orders from Foodland do not earn Maika’i points, which is a meaningful gap for regular shoppers per the breakdown at where to grocery shop in Hawaii.

Fees and windows

Shop & Score charges a $9.95 delivery fee with a $50 minimum order. Curbside pickup is $4.95 with the same minimum. Delivery windows run two hours, and same-day slots often close by 11 a.m. Monday through Friday and by 9 a.m. on weekends.

Substitution handling is a strong point. Shoppers text customers directly with photos of proposed substitutes and wait for approval, which cuts down on the close-enough swaps that plague third-party apps. Refunds for missing items post to the original payment method within three business days.

Coverage areas

Shop & Score delivers on Oahu (Foodland locations from Hawaii Kai to Mililani), Maui (Foodland Pukalani, Kihei, and Lahaina where reopened), Kauai (Foodland Waipouli and Princeville), and the Big Island (Foodland Waimea and Kailua-Kona). Molokai and Lanai are not served because Foodland does not operate stores there.

Safeway delivery and pickup

Safeway operates 21 stores in Hawaii and offers two paths: its own Safeway app (running on the Albertsons Companies platform) and Instacart. The two channels sometimes show different pricing on the same product, and the Safeway app applies Just for U digital coupons that Instacart does not.

Delivery through Safeway’s own service costs $9.95 per order with a $30 minimum. FreshPass membership at $12.99 monthly or $99 annually removes the delivery fee on orders over $30 and provides 5% back on Safeway store brands. Two-hour delivery windows are standard.

Where Safeway delivers

Safeway delivers on Oahu (from Ewa Beach through Kailua and up to the North Shore), Maui (Kihei, Kahului, Lahaina), Kauai (Kapa’a and Lihue), and the Big Island (Hilo and Kailua-Kona). Rural pockets of Puna and Ka’u on the Big Island fall outside the delivery zone.

Pickup as the cheaper alternative

DriveUp & Go pickup is free for orders over $30, or $2.95 for smaller orders. FreshPass members get free pickup regardless of order size. Pickup windows run in 30-minute blocks throughout the day, and Safeway holds groceries for four hours after the scheduled time before restocking.

Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods

Amazon Fresh, the grocery-only delivery service, has extremely limited or no coverage in Hawaii as of early 2026. Most residents cannot use it. Whole Foods delivery through Amazon Prime is the practical Amazon option and covers select Oahu ZIP codes served by the Ala Moana and Kailua stores.

Prime membership costs $139 a year or $14.99 monthly. Whole Foods delivery in Hawaii typically applies a $9.95 fee on orders under $35, with two-hour windows during standard shopping hours. The service is not available on Maui, Kauai, the Big Island, Molokai, or Lanai.

Whole Foods product range

The two Whole Foods locations stock a fraction of the mainland assortment — a smaller organic produce section, fewer specialty products. Local Hawaii items (Kula onions, North Shore honey, kalo poi) are stronger than mainland Whole Foods stores. Prices run 20–30% above Foodland or Safeway for comparable items.

Coverage by island and ZIP code

The gap between what’s available in urban Honolulu and what’s available in Volcano Village or Hana is the single most important thing newcomers should understand. A comparison of core services by region shows the split clearly.

Notable gaps

Molokai’s 7,300 residents and Lanai’s roughly 3,300 have no grocery delivery. Both islands rely on Friendly Market and Misaki’s on Molokai and Richard’s Market on Lanai. Newcomers relocating to either island should not budget for delivery. Costs also run 20–30% above Oahu prices, as documented in Hawaii grocery prices by island.

On the Big Island, Puna (Pahoa, Volcano, Kalapana) and Ka’u (Naalehu, Ocean View) fall outside every delivery zone despite being within 45 minutes of Hilo or Kailua-Kona. Residents there drive to a KTA or Foodland roughly once a week and treat the trip as a household ritual.

Hana on Maui’s east side has no coverage of any kind. The Hana Highway’s 620 curves and 59 one-lane bridges, characterized by the Hawaii Department of Transportation, make delivery economically impossible. The Hasegawa General Store is the only real option for the community’s few hundred residents plus renters.

Delivery fees, minimums, and membership math

Fees stack in ways that surprise newcomers. An $85 grocery order on Instacart Costco delivery, without membership, can total $115+ once delivery, service fee, item markup, tax, and a 15% tip are added. The same $85 basket at the warehouse would ring up closer to $72.

Which membership pays off

For a two-person household ordering weekly on Oahu, Instacart+ at $99 breaks even after roughly 10 deliveries, assuming $6–$8 in delivery and service fees per order otherwise. On the neighbor islands where deliveries run less frequently, the math is closer to 12–15 orders per year.

Safeway FreshPass tends to be the better deal for shoppers who already prefer Safeway’s assortment and use Just for U coupons. A $99 annual FreshPass paired with weekly Safeway orders often outperforms Instacart+ by $50–$80 a year for that specific pattern.

Costco membership calculus

Gold Star membership is $65 a year; Executive is $130 with 2% cashback on qualifying purchases. Because Costco same-day pricing on Instacart runs 15–20% above warehouse pricing, delivery-only members rarely earn back their Executive upgrade. In-warehouse trips remain where Executive membership pays out.

What a $100 grocery order actually costs

Foodland Shop & Score consistently comes out cheapest for a comparable basket, largely because it doesn’t rely on tip income and doesn’t mark up items above shelf prices. The tradeoff is coverage — Shop & Score’s delivery footprint is smaller than Instacart’s on the neighbor islands.

Tipping norms and driver expectations

Tipping matters more in Hawaii than in most mainland delivery markets. Shoppers cover long distances between stores and customers, often up mountain roads or across bridges with tricky drop-off logistics. Instacart tips default to 5%, but Hawaii shoppers earn consistently at 15–20%.

Low-tip orders sit unclaimed. On weekends and holiday weekends, an order tipped below $8 total can sit in the queue for 90 minutes before any shopper accepts. Bumping the tip to $12–$15 usually pulls an assignment inside 10 minutes.

What shoppers actually earn

Instacart pays shoppers a base fee starting around $4 per batch, plus mileage and item-count adjustments. On a $150 grocery order in Kailua, the base pay might reach $18. A 15% tip ($22.50) roughly doubles the shopper’s take-home for a 90-minute round trip.

Foodland Shop & Score uses store employees, not gig contractors. Tipping is not required and not solicited, though shoppers can add gratuity to the order at checkout. Costco same-day tips route to the Instacart shopper, not Costco warehouse staff.

Adjusting tips after delivery

Instacart allows tip adjustments up to 24 hours after delivery. Bumping the tip up for a shopper who handled ripe mangoes carefully or waited through a condo elevator delay is standard courtesy. Cutting a tip requires reporting a specific problem, not just general dissatisfaction with the order.

Practical guide for condo and long-stay visitors

Delivery is a lifeline for visitors renting condos in Waikiki, Kaanapali, or Poipu who arrived without a car. Airport-to-condo transfers plus a $115 grocery delivery on arrival day can beat a full-day car rental if the stay is under a week.

Long-stay visitors — those on 30- or 90-day rentals under Oahu’s Bill 41 short-term rental rules — often anchor grocery routines around delivery. Weekly Foodland Shop & Score with a bulk Costco run every three weeks is a common pattern for extended stays.

Ordering to a condo without stepping outside

• Include a gate code, elevator instructions, and unit number in delivery notes.
• Meet the shopper in the lobby when alcohol is in the order — ID scan is required.
• Confirm the resort or condo accepts grocery deliveries; some Kaanapali properties do not.
• Request a specific drop-off spot if concierge won’t accept perishables.
• Text the shopper directly through the app to coordinate arrival timing.

Timing the first arrival-day order

Ordering delivery for an arrival day only works if the delivery window is scheduled during check-in hours. Most Waikiki condos check in at 3 or 4 p.m., so a 5–7 p.m. window is safer than trying to time the plane. Details on the neighborhood are covered in living in Waikiki long term.

Order at least 48 hours ahead during peak weeks — Christmas, New Year’s, spring break, and July 4 all see delivery slots book out five to seven days in advance. The shoulder-season pattern of May makes it the easiest month to secure a same-day window.

Common first-order mistakes

New shoppers underestimate produce weight and pricing. A “banana” on Instacart is one banana, not a bunch. A “papaya” is one fruit at $4–$7 each. Meat prices show per-pound but package weights push $18 chicken thigh trays and $28 steaks that surprise on the receipt.

Substitutions are the second pitfall. Setting substitution preferences upfront — “no substitutions” or “shopper’s choice” with a spending cap — prevents a $4 loaf of bread from turning into a $9 artisan sourdough. Every Instacart shopper texts before subbing when the setting is enabled.

Alternatives and workarounds when delivery fails

When delivery isn’t available or is booked, three fallbacks work reasonably well. Pickup orders at Foodland, Safeway, and Target run through the same apps but skip the driver step, saving $10–$15 per order. Times Supermarkets also offers curbside pickup at select Oahu stores.

KTA Super Stores on the Big Island runs its own online ordering with in-store pickup, which is the primary option for Hilo and Waimea residents. Order by 10 a.m. for same-day pickup; the app is basic but reliable, and prices match shelf pricing without markup.

Farm boxes fill produce gaps. Kula Country Farms on Maui, Kahumana on Oahu, and Kunoa Cattle deliver weekly produce and protein subscriptions to specific ZIP codes. These bypass the delivery apps entirely and support local growers noted in Civil Beat’s food-system coverage.

Price context

Delivered groceries in Hawaii cost 40–60% more than the U.S. mainland average once markups and fees stack. The Honolulu CPI food-at-home index runs consistently higher than the national number, and delivery adds a further premium on top of that baseline.

For newcomers pricing out a monthly budget, planning $900–$1,300 in delivered groceries for a couple is realistic on Oahu. The Big Island runs 5–10% higher due to interisland shipping, as detailed in cost of living on the Big Island.

How delivery changes with island moves

Households considering a move between islands often underestimate how much their delivery routine will change. A Kaka’ako condo with 30-minute Instacart windows and Whole Foods Prime access is a different world from a Volcano cabin with a 40-minute drive to KTA Hilo.

Delivery expectations should factor into the island decision itself, discussed in moving to Oahu vs the neighbor islands. A remote worker who orders delivery three times a week on Oahu will need to restructure their week around one weekly grocery trip on the Big Island.

What to expect during inter-island moves

During an inter-island move, arrival week is when delivery matters most. Ordering pantry basics, cleaning supplies, and paper products for delivery to the new home eliminates the need to shop before the moving truck’s contents are unpacked.

New residents on Maui often need to reset expectations after Oahu. Instacart windows in Kihei run two to four hours rather than one. Costco delivery from Kahului works well for South and West Maui but not for Upcountry areas above Makawao, where mountain roads add driver time.

Frequently asked questions

Does Instacart deliver everywhere in Hawaii?

No. Instacart covers most of Oahu, populated stretches of Maui and Kauai, and the Kailua-Kona and Hilo areas on the Big Island. Molokai, Lanai, Hana, Volcano, Ka’u, and most of Puna have no Instacart coverage. Enter the ZIP code on the Instacart site before assuming a location is served.

Can visitors use Instacart without a Hawaii address?

Yes. Visitors enter their condo, hotel, or short-term rental address at checkout. Instacart accounts work from any state, and delivery windows populate based on the destination ZIP, not the account holder’s home address. A local phone number helps for shopper texts but isn’t required.

Is Costco delivery worth it without a Costco membership?

Rarely. Non-members pay a 5% surcharge on top of Costco’s already-inflated Instacart pricing, plus delivery and service fees. A Gold Star membership at $65 a year usually pays back within three or four delivered orders if Costco is the primary grocer for the household.

Why do Costco Instacart prices differ from warehouse prices?

Costco marks up items on Instacart by roughly 15–20% to cover the cost of the delivery partnership. Promotional pricing, member-only coupons, and rotating deal items generally don’t apply through Instacart. The convenience premium is transparent — the app shows the delivered price, not the warehouse price.

Are there grocery delivery options for Molokai or Lanai?

No third-party delivery services operate on either island. Residents rely on Friendly Market and Misaki’s on Molokai and Richard’s Market on Lanai for daily shopping. Some households consolidate a monthly bulk purchase from Costco Kahului and barge or fly items over as freight through Young Brothers.

How much should visitors tip Instacart shoppers in Hawaii?

Fifteen to twenty percent is standard, with $8 as an absolute minimum for any order. Shoppers cover long distances at their own gas expense, and tips below 10% often leave orders unclaimed during peak periods. Add extra for bulky items, walk-up condos without elevators, or gate-code hassles.

Can food stamps or EBT pay for Instacart deliveries in Hawaii?

Yes for eligible SNAP-approved items at Foodland, Safeway, Sack N Save, and Costco through Instacart. Delivery fees, service fees, and tips cannot be paid with EBT, so a separate credit or debit card must be on file. Alcohol, prepared hot foods, and household supplies remain non-EBT.

Does Amazon Fresh deliver on Maui, Kauai, or the Big Island?

No. Amazon Fresh is not operational statewide and Whole Foods delivery through Amazon Prime covers only a limited set of Oahu ZIP codes, primarily central Honolulu, Waikiki, Kaka’ako, Manoa, and parts of Kailua. Neighbor-island residents order shelf-stable Amazon items through standard Prime shipping instead.