Shipping Your Car and Belongings From Hawaii: What It Costs

Written by a couple who've made this move both directions.

Shipping a car from Hawaii generally costs anywhere from $1,000 to $2,500. Household goods can cost between $5,000 to $14,000 or more based on volume.

In this post, I’ll cover some real numbers for shipping a car and household items as well as two carriers that ship the route. I’ll also share what we did to get our car delivered to our door when we moved from Hawaii to Texas. Let’s get started!

How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Car From Hawaii?

When you’re ready to ship a car from Hawaii, the cost can range from $1,000-$2,500. For household items, a 20-foot container can cost approximately $5,000-$14,000 based on volume and the season.

Moving to Hawaii, it cost us around $1,500 to ship our vehicle to Oahu with Matson. The rate has gone up. When we left Hawaii, it cost us $1,020 to ship to Long Beach, CA. That didn’t include the cost of having our car delivered to Texas by a third-party carrier which I will cover below.

Key Takeaways

• Only two carriers handle this route reliably: Matson and Pasha Hawaii
• Car shipping off-island starts around $1,020 with Matson, while a full household container runs $5,000–$14,000 depending on size
• Door-to-door service adds $1,400–$4,000 over port-to-port pricing
• Peak season (June–August) can add 15–25% to household shipping costs
• Booking early (4–6 weeks out) and comparing both carriers directly affects your final price

Why Shipping Off Hawaii Costs What It Does

The cost of shipping a car and household goods to Hawaii is costly because everything moves by ocean freight. That is 2,400 miles of Pacific Ocean separating Hawaii from the continent. There are no other options to get it done.

Only two carriers serve this route which limits price competition in comparison to a move on the continent. You’ll also have to keep in mind the pricing shifts with fuel costs and demand so getting new quotes will help you to estimate better.

What It Costs to Ship a Car Off Hawaii

As of this writing (2026), Matson’s published rate for shipping a car from Hawaii to the continent starts at $1,020. It is cheaper to ship from Hawaii versus shipping to Hawaii. Our paid receipt from Matson was $1,020 when we shipped our car to Long Beach, CA. There are only two ports Matson ships to on the continent that include Long Beach and Oakland.

Matson vs. Pasha

Hawaii’s largest shipper is Matson. They’ve been operating since 1882 with departures from Oakland and Long Beach, CA. Pasha is the second major carrier departing from San Diego and Oakland. Prices tend to be slightly lower than Matson on some routes and they offer both Roll-On/Roll-Off and enclosed container options.

I recommend getting quotes from both before booking since the pricing can vary by route and vehicle size. Note: beware of scams. If you receive quotes below $1,500, that is a red flag. A legitimate carrier can always tell you their vessel and departure port.

What It Costs to Ship Household Belongings Off Hawaii

Keep in mind that these costs are all estimates based on research and can change over time. However, they should offer a ballpark figure to give you an idea of possible costs to ship your household items off Hawaii.

Cost will vary by load size. A studio or small load (200-200 cu ft) can run about $2,500-$5,000. A 1-bedroom (400-800 cu ft) is around $4,000-$8000. A 2-3 bedroom (800-1,200 cu ft) can range from $7,000-$14,000. A 4+ bedroom runs $12,000-$22,000 and up.

For reference, a 20- or 40-foot container that bundles a car and household good can cost between $6,500-$12,000. And if you need door-to-door service like we did to get our car from Long Beach, CA to Texas, it can cost another $1,400 on top of that.

Container Shipping (FCL) vs. Partial/LCL Shipping

You also have the option of FCL (full container load) or LCL (less-than-container-load). FCL is your own dedicated container where as LCL is when your goods are sharing space with other people’s shipments.

LCL tends to be used for smaller loads such as a studio or 1-bedroom while FCL is the more cost-effective option for a larger household.

Hidden or Unexpected Costs to Watch For

What we didn’t realize when shipping our vehicle was that we’d have to pay another service to deliver our car from Long Beach to Texas. We were not going to fly to California to drive our car to Texas. Door-to-door delivery of your car and/or household items can add from $1,400 to $4,000.

Another possible fee to be aware of is the neighbor-island surcharges if shipping off an island other than Oahu. This fee can be around $200. Season also makes a difference in pricing with peak season (June-August) adding a possible 15-25% more.

Cost Comparison: Shipping vs. Selling and Rebuying

Now that we’ve covered the possible costs associated with shipping household items, you may begin deciding what you want to keep and what you don’t. One way to deciper this is to use the “replacement multiplier” rule. This works by dividing what an item costs to ship by what it costs to replace. Anything above 1.0 usually makes more sense to sell.

Fortunately for us, we didn’t have any furniture to ship. Chances are if we did, we’d likely would have sold it or simply got rid of it.

Tips to Lower Your Shipping Costs

Try to book your shipping outside of peak season and at least 4-6 weeks in advance. October through May tends to cost less than in the summer months. Get quotes from both Matson and Pasha before booking.

Save money on door-to-door for your car if you can drive from the port it is delivered to. Finally, use replacement-cost to decide what is worth shipping versus what to sell and rebuy later.

Check out: Signs It’s Time to Leave Hawaii

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to ship a car from Hawaii to the continent?

It can cost around $1,020 and up with Matson. Using door-to-door deliver can add on another $1,400 or more depending on the service you choose.

How much does it cost to ship household goods off Hawaii?

It can cost around $2,500 for a small studio or 1-bedroom up to $22,000 or more for a large household.

Is it cheaper to ship your car or sell it before leaving Hawaii?

This is going to depend on the type of vehicle you have. If it’s 8 years old or less and in good condition, it may be worth shipping.

How far in advance should I book shipping off Hawaii?

Booking 4-6 weeks in advance is usually the general recommendation.

What’s the cheapest way to move belongings off Hawaii?

Using LCL shipping for smaller loads during off-peak season is a good way to save some money on shipping.

Do I need insurance when shipping a car off Hawaii?

From our experience, the answer is Yes. When shipping with Matson, we had to get a letter from the lien holder authorizing shipment from Hawaii. The lien holder wanted proof that our insurance covered port-to-port shipping. If you own your vehicle, you will need to provide your certificate of ownership (Title). Your vehicle must also have a current registration.

Final Thoughts

Thankfully, we didn’t have to ship any major household items. We shipped some books using media mail and a few boxes of items that were important to us. Our car was the most costly thing to ship and using the door-to-door service from Long Beach to Texas was worth it for us. We used Montway for door-to-door delivery of our car.

More than anything, ask questions, get quotes, and be ready for unexpected challenges like we did getting our lien holder authorization letter for our car. We had a difficult time obtaining it but once we did, the rest of the shipping process was smooth.