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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
After service, the right city means keeping more of what you've earned. We scored 1 cities across Hawaii for veterans: cost, taxes, and healthcare. Honolulu takes #1 for 2026.
#1 Ranked: Honolulu — cost index 135, rent $2,548/mo, income $85,428
Veteran scoring: cost index 135, state tax 11%, healthcare index 140 — preserving earned benefits
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
After service, the right city means keeping more of what you've earned. We scored 1 cities across Hawaii for veterans: cost, taxes, and healthcare. Honolulu takes #1 for 2026.
The #1 spot goes to Honolulu, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $2,548/month — costing renters $7,836 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Utilities is the standout at index 125, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 189. The 36% rent-to-income ratio is a pressure point — for median earners, housing takes more than recommended.
Bottom line: Honolulu leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
341,778 residents · Hawaii
Dive into Honolulu's numbers: cost index 135 (23 points above national average), rent $2,548/month, income $85,428, and a home price of $758,507. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 125, while Housing runs 189. With 341,778 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Our persona scoring model weights cost of living, income, rent, healthcare costs, tax burden, and population size differently based on what matters most to military veterans. Each factor contributes 10-25 points to a 0-100 composite score. Cities with the highest composite rank first. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Honolulu ranks #1 in Hawaii for this analysis with a cost index of 135 and median income of $85,428.
Honolulu scores highest for military veterans due to its strong income potential, median rent of $2,548/mo, and above-average median income of $85,428.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Honolulu is $2,548/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $653 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Honolulu is $758,507, which is 8.9× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Hawaii has a 11% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 4.44%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.27%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.