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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The way we see it, Premium market, smart picks: while Hawaii trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Honolulu at index 135 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Hawaii. A real contender.
#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
The way we see it, Premium market, smart picks: while Hawaii trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Honolulu at index 135 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Hawaii. A real contender.
Look, the numbers for Honolulu are straightforward: 135 on the cost index, $2,548/month rent, $85,428 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. Not the most exciting stat, but it matters.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
341,778 residents · Hawaii
The #1 spot goes to Honolulu, and the breakdown explains why. About what you'd guess. 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.
Cities are ranked by total population from the latest Census estimates. Growing populations typically signal economic opportunity — but also rising costs. We pair population data with affordability metrics for context. 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.
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.