Cities with the Lowest Rent in Hawaii (2026)

Here's Honolulu by the numbers — and there's a lot to like. Cost index: 135. Rent: $2,548/month. Income: $85,428/year. Home price: $758,507. Population: 341,778. The strongest category is Utilities at 125; the most expensive is Housing at 189. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are costing renters $7,836 more per year vs. the national median. This alone could tip the scales (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).

Rent data is sourced from Zillow's Observed Rent Index (ZORI), which tracks the median rent across all active listings — not just new leases. And generally speaking, this gives a more representative and stable signal than asking prices alone. Honolulu: $2,548/mo.

With that foundation in place: State context matters: Hawaii's 1 cities average a 135 cost index with $2,548/month median rent and $85,428 household income. The most isolated and expensive housing market in the US. The table is nice. The insights below it are nicer.

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. If you've been scrolling through listings in high-cost metros and feeling defeated, look at these numbers again. Seriously. The difference between renting here and renting in a major coastal city could literally fund a retirement account. That's not hyperbole — run the math yourself. A thousand dollars a month saved, compounded over a decade, is a down payment on a house. In this city, that math actually works.