Cost of living in Honolulu, HI
The Urban Honolulu, HI metro area (998,747 people) ranks #7 of 149 for prices among the U.S. metro areas we cover. Here's what it costs to live there.
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Price level, from cheaper to pricier.
- The Villages, FL 85.4
- McAllen, TX 85.9
- Springfield, MO 88.6
- Wichita, KS 88.9
- Jackson, MS 89.0
- Tulsa, OK 89.2
- Columbus, GA 89.3
- Little Rock, AR 89.4
- El Paso, TX 89.9
- Oklahoma City, OK 90.4
- Sioux Falls, SD 90.6
- Baton Rouge, LA 90.8
- Clarksville, TN 90.9
- Fargo, ND 90.9
- Killeen, TX 91.1
- Spartanburg, SC 91.1
- Fayetteville, AR 91.4
- Chattanooga, TN 91.5
- Toledo, OH 91.5
- Birmingham, AL 91.6
- Des Moines, IA 91.7
- Augusta, GA 91.9
- Omaha, NE 91.9
- Fayetteville, NC 92.0
- Winston-Salem, NC 92.0
- Jacksonville, NC 92.1
- Memphis, TN 92.2
- Kansas City, MO 92.5
- Fort Wayne, IN 92.6
- Knoxville, TN 92.6
- New Orleans, LA 92.6
- Dayton, OH 92.7
- Greensboro, NC 92.9
- Lexington, KY 92.9
- Huntsville, AL 93.1
- Louisville, KY 93.1
- Greenville, SC 93.3
- Akron, OH 93.4
- Billings, MT 93.5
- Myrtle Beach, SC 93.6
- Columbia, SC 93.7
- Cleveland, OH 93.9
- Daphne, AL 94.7
- Pittsburgh, PA 94.7
- San Antonio, TX 94.7
- St. Louis, MO 95.1
- Ocala, FL 95.2
- Savannah, GA 95.2
- Cincinnati, OH 95.4
- Albuquerque, NM 95.5
- Columbus, OH 95.5
- Grand Rapids, MI 95.5
- Indianapolis, IN 95.7
- Syracuse, NY 95.7
- Buffalo, NY 95.8
- Nashville, TN 96.3
- Wilmington, NC 96.4
- Asheville, NC 96.5
- Cheyenne, WY 96.5
- Gainesville, FL 96.7
- Milwaukee, WI 96.9
- Tucson, AZ 96.9
- Crestview, FL 97.0
- Rochester, NY 97.0
- Lakeland, FL 97.1
- Charlotte, NC 97.3
- Madison, WI 97.3
- Panama City, FL 97.3
- Durham, NC 97.6
- Pensacola, FL 97.7
- Richmond, VA 97.9
- Virginia Beach, VA 97.9
- Hilton Head Island, SC 98.0
- Austin, TX 98.1
- Provo, UT 98.2
- Raleigh, NC 98.2
- Prescott, AZ 98.3
- Boise, ID 98.4
- Houston, TX 98.6
- Harrisburg, PA 98.7
- Daytona Beach, FL 99.4
- Jacksonville, FL 99.5
- Albany, NY 99.6
- Allentown, PA 100.0
- Palm Bay, FL 100.0
- Atlanta, GA 100.1
- Greeley, CO 100.2
- Las Vegas, NV 100.2
- Port St. Lucie, FL 100.2
- Detroit, MI 100.3
- Ogden, UT 100.3
- Spokane, WA 100.3
- Norwich, CT 100.4
- Punta Gorda, FL 100.5
- Colorado Springs, CO 100.7
- Ann Arbor, MI 100.9
- Bakersfield, CA 100.9
- Burlington, VT 100.9
- Salt Lake City, UT 100.9
- Tampa, FL 100.9
- Charleston, SC 101.0
- Reno, NV 101.0
- Fort Collins, CO 101.1
- Orlando, FL 101.4
- Eugene, OR 101.6
- Providence, RI 101.8
- Portland, ME 101.9
- Fresno, CA 102.2
- Cape Coral, FL 102.3
- Sarasota, FL 102.4
- Worcester, MA 102.5
- Philadelphia, PA 102.6
- Hartford, CT 102.7
- Dallas, TX 103.1
- Naples, FL 103.2
- Trenton, NJ 103.2
- Phoenix, AZ 103.3
- Bend, OR 103.6
- Chicago, IL 103.6
- Olympia, WA 103.7
- Baltimore, MD 104.5
- New Haven, CT 104.6
- Minneapolis, MN 104.8
- Stockton, CA 105.1
- Boulder, CO 105.2
- Anchorage, AK 105.4
- Portland, OR 105.4
- Bremerton, WA 105.6
- Manchester, NH 105.7
- Denver, CO 105.8
- Riverside, CA 106.4
- Sacramento, CA 106.7
- Bridgeport, CT 106.9
- Santa Rosa, CA 107.8
- Boston, MA 108.3
- Vallejo, CA 108.5
- Santa Barbara, CA 108.8
- Washington, D.C. 108.9
- Salinas, CA 109.0
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- Honolulu, HI 111.0
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Los Angeles, CA 113.6
- Miami, FL 114.2
- San Francisco, CA 115.6
Compare Honolulu with your city
See what you'd need to earn in Honolulu to keep your lifestyle, after taxes and local prices. The calculator starts from Los Angeles, CA, which sends the most households here of the metros we cover (IRS, 2022–2023), at about its median household income. Pick your own city and salary.
Equal salary in Honolulu: $92,400
Compare any two of 149 U.S. metro areas. All cities
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $92,400 in Honolulu, HI to match $95,000 in Los Angeles, CA ($2,600 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary. Uses California and Hawaii state income tax; neither city levies a resident income tax.
What things cost in Honolulu
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 for the metropolitan area.
Taxes in Honolulu
On a $105,000 salary (about the area's median household income), a single filer keeps $76,131 after 2026 federal tax ($14,270), Social Security and Medicare ($8,033) and Hawaii income tax ($6,176), plus $390 in state payroll programs.
Housing
| Measure | Honolulu area |
|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,001/mo |
| Median home value | $920,600 |
| Median property tax | $2,701/yr |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $5,225 |
| Median household income | $105,205 |
Climate and jobs in Honolulu
In the Honolulu area the average January low is 67°F and the average July high 88°F, and the area has about 32 days a year at 90°F or hotter. Unemployment averaged 2.3% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%), and the median wage across all jobs was $57,220 a year, 12% above the U.S. median.
| Climate | 1991–2020 average |
|---|---|
| January low | 67°F |
| July high | 88°F |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 32 a year |
| Precipitation | 16 in a year |
| Snowfall | 0 in a year |
| Jobs and pay | Metro area | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate, 2025 average | 2.3% | 4.3% |
| Median wage, all jobs (May 2025) | $57,220 | $50,980 |
| Wage and salary jobs (May 2025) | 446,380 | 155.5 million |
Climate: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages at the Honolulu International Airport station (USW00022521), with snowfall from Moanalua 770 (USC00516395) because the main station doesn't record it. Weather varies across a metro area, especially with elevation and distance from the coast. Jobs: unemployment from BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics; wages and job counts from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, which count wage and salary jobs, not the self-employed; wages are before taxes. The 2025 average covers 11 months: October 2025 data were not collected during the federal government shutdown.
Retiring in Honolulu
A single retiree spends about $3,566 a month here if they own their home outright, or $5,036 renting, based on typical spending for households 65 and older (BLS 2024) adjusted for local prices. See where your budget goes furthest.
Where people move to and from Honolulu
IRS county-to-county migration data, 2022–2023, aggregated to the 149 metro areas we cover.
Natural hazard risk
FEMA rates the Honolulu area among the highest for natural hazard risk (score 98.8 of 100), with expected losses of about $510 per resident per year. Disaster risk by county in Hawaii.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
Frequently asked questions
What salary do you need to live in Honolulu?
To match the buying power of $75,000 in an average-priced area with no state income tax, you need about $92,600 in Honolulu. Renting the median home at 30% of income takes $80,040, and buying the median home with 20% down takes about $223,916.
Is Honolulu expensive?
The Honolulu metro area's price level is 111.0 (U.S. = 100), #7 of the 149 metro areas we cover, from most to least expensive. Its housing price index is 135.5, 36% above the U.S. average.
Are people moving to Honolulu?
Counting moves to and from the other 148 metro areas we cover, Honolulu had a net loss of about 2,154 households in 2022–2023 (IRS county migration data).
What is the weather like in Honolulu?
In NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Honolulu area (Honolulu International Airport weather station), the average January low is 67°F and the average July high 88°F. The area has about 32 days a year at 90°F or hotter and gets 16 inches of precipitation a year and almost no snow.
What are jobs and pay like in Honolulu?
The Honolulu metro area's unemployment rate averaged 2.3% in 2025, below the U.S. rate (4.3%). The median wage across all jobs was $57,220 a year in May 2025, 12% above the U.S. median of $50,980 (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
What natural disasters affect Honolulu?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the area among the highest overall (score 98.8). The highest relative risks are lightning, landslide, riverine flooding.
Compare Honolulu with other cities
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Cities with similar prices
- Seattle, WA 111.1
- Oxnard, CA 110.5
- San Jose, CA 110.4
- San Diego, CA 111.9
- New York, NY 112.6
- Poughkeepsie, NY 109.4
- Moving from Hawaii