Cost of living in Hawaii

Hawaii at a glance

Median rent

$1,971

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$100,389

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$839,100

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$2,239

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

26 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.9%

Census ACS, DP03

Hawaii's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 10% above the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Hawaii

These are the most populous places in Hawaii, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Honolulu County

  Population

  1M

  Rent

  $2,083

  Household income

  $106,195

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,553

  Set as targetPlan

• Hawaii County

  Population

  206K

  Rent

  $1,510

  Household income

  $78,639

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,459

  Set as targetPlan

• Maui County

  Population

  165K

  Rent

  $1,916

  Household income

  $97,161

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,466

  Set as targetPlan

Hawaii, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on August 21, 1959, as the 50th state. Captain James Cook landed at Waimea on Kauai on January 20, 1778. King Kamehameha I later took control of most of the islands, which the United States annexed in 1898 and made a territory in 1900.

• Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park

  The summits of Kīlauea and Mauna Loa, two of the world's most active volcanoes, from sea level to 13,680 feet.

• Haleakalā National Park

  Bare volcanic landscapes, subtropical rain forest and backcountry trails, home to endangered species found nowhere else.

• Pearl Harbor National Memorial

  The memorial that honors the lives affected by the attack of December 7, 1941.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Hawaii

Current owners in Hawaii pay a median 0.27% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $2,239 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $1,459 in Hawaii County to $2,553 in Honolulu County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Hawaii works differently from most states. Hawaii's counties each set their own property tax rates, classes and exemptions, and no single state rule says what happens at a sale. The county's real property tax office is the source for an address. Source: Hawaii State Data Book, real property tax rates by county.

Health in Hawaii

Life expectancy

81.4 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

4.3%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

13.1%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

65

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Hawaii as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Hawaii

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$1.1B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$4.08

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$622M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Hawaii

Side by side

Honolulu County, HI is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Hawaii

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Honolulu County1M
2. 2Hawaii County206K
3. 3Maui County165K
4. 4Kauai County73.7K
5. 5Kalawao County67

All 5 counties in Hawaii

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Hawaii next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Hawaii beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties