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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Let's be honest: Hawaii isn't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Honolulu proves it with a cost index of 135 — for better or worse — , the lowest in Hawaii, and we've ranked all 1 contenders to help you find the best deal in an e…
#1 Ranked: Honolulu — cost index 135, rent $2,548/mo, income $85,428
0 of 1 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
Let's be honest: Hawaii isn't cheap. But within that premium market, there are cities where your dollar stretches meaningfully further. Honolulu proves it with a cost index of 135 — for better or worse — , the lowest in Hawaii, and we've ranked all 1 contenders to help you find the best deal in an expensive landscape.
The ranking uses a composite of 2026 data from Census Bureau population/income surveys, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary benchmarks, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Honolulu (index 135, rent $2,548). Each city profile below links to the full detail page with 12-month trends, salary breakdowns, and cost category comparisons.
Why Honolulu ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. Take it or leave it — the data is what it is. At 135 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 23% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,548/month while the median household pulls in $85,428/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 125, though Housing (189) lags behind. Home prices average $758,507 — $291,137 above the national median.
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
At $2,548/month for rent and a cost index of 135, Honolulu is pretty much what you'd expect from a mid-size city in this part of the country. Income is $85,428. That's about what we'd expect given the state context.
Honolulu ranks #1 in Hawaii for this analysis with a cost index of 135 and 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.