Before you decide to relocate to Hawaii, it’s important to research the exact cost of living around the state. And that’s what we’re going to help you do.
These are the places in Hawaii that cost a pretty penny — the most expensive cities in the state.
We used Saturday Night Science to compare the 2020-2024 American Community Survey on cost of living for the 52 places in Hawaii with more than 5,000 people.
After we saved up for months and could finally afford it, we landed on this list of the ten most expensive cities in Hawaii for 2026.
$90,000 median income · $1,523,582 median home · #1 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Maui County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$100,433 median income · $1,320,090 median home · #2 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Maui County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$159,518 median income · $1,203,141 median home · #5 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$176,250 median income · $1,191,427 median home · #6 home prices in Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$142,045 median income · $1,204,531 median home · #4 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$125,202 median income · $1,292,971 median home · #3 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Laie is a census-designated place located in the Koolauloa District on the island of Oahu in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. In Hawaiian, lie means “ie leaf”. The population was 6,138 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$140,308 median income · $838,396 median home · #34 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Aiea is a census-designated place located in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP had a total population of 9,338.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$101,396 median income · $1,085,805 median home · #9 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Maui County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$125,613 median income · $1,091,198 median home · #8 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$110,400 median income · $1,044,211 median home · #11 home prices in Hawaii
Located in
Honolulu County, Hawaii
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Hawaii’s statewide median.
Hawaii statewide median: $832,967
Hawaii statewide median: $100,389
On the map
Mapping the most expensive places in Hawaii
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Determined The Most Expensive Places To Live In The Aloha State For 2026
The two most important things to think about when it comes to being able to afford a city in Hawaii are how much money you make and how much you have to spend to live there.
You need to understand your costs in the context of how much money you make.
For example, if the median household earns $100,000 and spends $40,000 on housing, it’s actually cheaper to live there than a place with a median income of $50,000 and housing costs of $21,000. You might spend more on housing, but you have more money overall to play with.
With that example in mind, we derived several statistics from the latest Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 around incomes and costs. They are:
- Overall Cost Of Living Index
- Median Home Price / Median Income (lower is better)
- Median Income / Median Rent (Higher is better)
- Median Home Price
You can then compare these metrics in each of the places in Hawaii to figure out which is the most expensive.
You are left with a “Cost of Living Index” by taking the average rank of each of these metrics for each city.
So we used that cost of living index to rank all of the 52 places in Hawaii that have more than 5,000 people.
The place with the highest cost of living in Hawaii according to the data is Wailea. We updated this article for 2026. This article is our eleventh time ranking the most expensive places to live in Hawaii.
The full plate
Most Expensive Cities In Hawaii
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Cost Of Living | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | Home/Income Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wailea | 236 | 6,352 | $90,000 | $1,523,582 | 16.9x |
| 2 | Kula | 228 | 6,791 | $100,433 | $1,320,090 | 13.1x |
| 3 | East Honolulu | 224 | 51,360 | $159,518 | $1,203,141 | 7.5x |
| 4 | Heeia | 213 | 5,144 | $176,250 | $1,191,427 | 6.8x |
| 5 | Kahaluu | 212 | 5,619 | $142,045 | $1,204,531 | 8.5x |
| 6 | Laie | 209 | 5,699 | $125,202 | $1,292,971 | 10.3x |
| 7 | Aiea | 207 | 9,087 | $140,308 | $838,396 | 6.0x |
| 8 | Haiku-Pauwela | 203 | 9,178 | $101,396 | $1,085,805 | 10.7x |
| 9 | Kaneohe | 201 | 37,355 | $125,613 | $1,091,198 | 8.7x |
| 10 | Halawa | 198 | 14,385 | $110,400 | $1,044,211 | 9.5x |
| 11 | Mililani Mauka | 192 | 21,278 | $138,942 | $980,878 | 7.1x |
| 12 | Ocean Pointe | 191 | 17,085 | $149,767 | $893,620 | 6.0x |
| 13 | Pearl City | 189 | 44,547 | $118,112 | $944,249 | 8.0x |
| 14 | Lahaina | 189 | 10,162 | $88,889 | $981,024 | 11.0x |
| 15 | Hickam Housing | 188 | 9,425 | $121,667 | $0 | 0.0x |
| 16 | Ahuimanu | 188 | 8,452 | $135,438 | $903,944 | 6.7x |
| 17 | Wailua Homesteads | 185 | 5,431 | $89,717 | $936,504 | 10.4x |
| 18 | Napili-Honokowai | 184 | 7,308 | $105,565 | $872,476 | 8.3x |
| 19 | Mililani Town | 183 | 27,668 | $127,363 | $917,147 | 7.2x |
| 20 | Makakilo | 181 | 20,735 | $118,550 | $860,861 | 7.3x |
| 21 | Royal Kunia | 181 | 13,555 | $135,361 | $856,096 | 6.3x |
| 22 | Pukalani | 179 | 8,679 | $102,976 | $966,583 | 9.4x |
| 23 | West Loch Estate | 178 | 5,544 | $122,422 | $848,850 | 6.9x |
| 24 | Kahaluu-Keauhou | 178 | 5,150 | $96,212 | $880,417 | 9.2x |
| 25 | Kihei | 177 | 21,567 | $87,772 | $1,013,506 | 11.5x |
| 26 | Kapolei | 175 | 22,232 | $128,324 | $848,166 | 6.6x |
| 27 | Lihue | 175 | 7,901 | $92,850 | $864,447 | 9.3x |
| 28 | Makawao | 175 | 7,353 | $96,444 | $1,103,697 | 11.4x |
| 29 | Iroquois Point | 174 | 5,158 | $109,561 | $0 | 0.0x |
| 30 | Waipahu | 173 | 40,482 | $103,895 | $868,669 | 8.4x |
| 31 | Schofield Barracks | 173 | 16,270 | $80,388 | $0 | 0.0x |
| 32 | Ewa Beach | 172 | 14,376 | $124,323 | $836,184 | 6.7x |
| 33 | Waikele | 172 | 7,528 | $120,525 | $699,549 | 5.8x |
| 34 | Waimanalo | 171 | 6,054 | $116,581 | $1,078,074 | 9.2x |
| 35 | Kahului | 170 | 28,288 | $98,077 | $1,035,498 | 10.6x |
| 36 | Ewa Gentry | 170 | 26,563 | $135,684 | $810,036 | 6.0x |
| 37 | Wailuku | 170 | 16,926 | $102,942 | $924,156 | 9.0x |
| 38 | Kapaa | 169 | 11,094 | $89,477 | $948,644 | 10.6x |
| 39 | Waipio | 169 | 10,870 | $109,877 | $744,022 | 6.8x |
| 40 | Wahiawa | 166 | 17,996 | $87,143 | $858,314 | 9.8x |
| 41 | Ewa Villages | 166 | 7,415 | $88,813 | $861,258 | 9.7x |
| 42 | Maili | 165 | 11,570 | $111,542 | $635,918 | 5.7x |
| 43 | Waihee-Waiehu | 165 | 10,988 | $126,735 | $771,321 | 6.1x |
| 44 | Waikoloa Village | 156 | 7,543 | $81,703 | $796,733 | 9.8x |
| 45 | Waimalu | 154 | 13,061 | $89,232 | $593,430 | 6.7x |
| 46 | Waipio Acres | 153 | 5,332 | $94,861 | $748,389 | 7.9x |
| 47 | Nanakuli | 144 | 12,383 | $86,597 | $485,029 | 5.6x |
| 48 | Makaha | 144 | 10,066 | $64,970 | $391,120 | 6.0x |
| 49 | Kailua CDP (Hawaii County) | 143 | 21,818 | $88,211 | $662,522 | 7.5x |
| 50 | Waianae | 142 | 12,918 | $81,733 | $574,227 | 7.0x |
| 51 | Hilo | 136 | 50,404 | $81,779 | $548,368 | 6.7x |
| 52 | Hawaiian Paradise Park | 132 | 13,203 | $88,348 | $453,759 | 5.1x |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, Zillow research. 52 places with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: Taking A Chunk Out Of Your Paycheck In Hawaii For 2026
Well, there you have it, the places in Hawaii that have the highest cost of living, with Wailea ranking as the most expensive city in the Aloha State.
The most expensive cities in Hawaii are Wailea, Kula, East Honolulu, Heeia, Kahaluu, Laie, Aiea, Haiku-Pauwela, Kaneohe, and Halawa.
