Moving to Hawaii
New residents have 30 days to get a Hawaii driver license and must register a car within 30 days. Prices are 10.0% above the U.S. average, and a single filer earning $100,000 pays about $5,796 in Hawaii income tax. 25,026 households moved here from other states in 2022–2023, most often from California and Texas.
New resident checklist for Hawaii
Driver license
Within 30 days of establishing residency; the vision test is required, written and road tests waived with a valid mainland license, which you must surrender. Handled by county offices. Bring proof of identity, your Social Security number and two proofs of your Hawaii address.
Vehicle title and registration
Within 30 days of the vehicle's arrival. You need a Hawaii safety inspection first (it 'fails' until registered, then passes), plus the bill of lading, out-of-state title/registration, and form CS-L(MVR)1. Switch your auto insurance to a Hawaii policy.
Taxes or fees on a car you bring: No specific new-resident fee published by county registration offices. You pay the standard state and county registration fees and weight taxes at first registration.
Annual registration: Weight-based: state $46 + county $20 (Honolulu) registration fees, plus state and county weight taxes by vehicle weight, $10 beautification fee and $0.50 emblem.
Extra yearly fee for an electric vehicle: $50.
Establishing residency
Residency begins when you have a Hawaii physical address and intend to remain; each county runs its own DMV. Residency also decides where you pay income tax in the year you move; see taxes the year you move.
Your first-month checklist in Hawaii
- Register to vote at your new address.
- Update your address with the IRS (Form 8822), your employer and your bank.
- Make sure your employer withholds Hawaii income tax from your move date.
- Set up utilities and get renters or homeowners insurance. Owners with a mortgage here paid a median $1,494 a year for homeowners insurance in 2024 (Census ACS); premiums have risen in most states since, so get quotes.
- Keep your lease or closing papers and your license date as proof of when you became a resident.
Still planning the move itself? The moving out of state checklist covers the weeks before you go, and the moving timeline turns your move date into dated deadlines. Our guide to moving with pets covers vet records, travel and local pet rules. Hawaii has strict entry rules for dogs and cats. Without a microchip, two rabies vaccinations, a passing rabies antibody (FAVN) test at least 30 days before arrival and paperwork that reaches the state at least 10 days ahead, a pet can be quarantined for up to 120 days. Start months ahead. See the state's pet entry rules. Shipping a car? See shipping a car to another state, or take the Where should I move? quiz.
Official site: honolulu.gov. Sources: capitol.hawaii.gov, hidot.hawaii.gov, vrl.hawaiicounty.gov, dab.hawaii.gov, dab.hawaii.gov (2). Reviewed 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change; confirm with the Hawaii motor vehicle agency before you go.
Compare your move to Hawaii
Pick the state you're leaving and your salary to see your take-home pay, rent and the salary that keeps your buying power the same in Hawaii.
Equal salary in HI: $99,000
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $99,000 in Hawaii to match $100,000 in California ($1,000 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
These changes cover taxes, housing and electricity. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. They are not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $100,000 | California | Hawaii |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $13,170 | $13,170 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $7,650 | $7,650 |
| State income tax | $5,055 | $5,796 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $1,300 | $390 |
| Take-home pay | $72,825 | $72,994 |
Full reports for the most common moves to Hawaii: California to Hawaii, Texas to Hawaii, Washington to Hawaii, Florida to Hawaii, Virginia to Hawaii and Colorado to Hawaii.
Living in Hawaii: costs, taxes and risk
Of the 51 (the 50 states and D.C.), Hawaii is in the best 10 for property tax rate, car insurance and household income, and in the worst 10 for cost to own a home, electric bills, overall prices, rent, state income tax and natural hazard risk.
- Median rent
- $1,942/mo U.S. $1,487
- Cost to own the median home
- $4,962/mo U.S. $2,298
- Take-home on $100,000
- $72,994 $2,085 less than in the median state
- Property tax (effective)
- 0.27% median $2,385/yr
- FEMA risk score
- 97.4 of 100 Among the highest of U.S. counties
- Moved in from other states
- 25,026 households, IRS 2022–2023
Pros and cons of living in Hawaii
How Hawaii ranks among all 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) on 11 measures of costs, taxes, risk and income. Top 10 means among the 10 best for someone moving in, Bottom 10 among the 10 worst.
Where Hawaii ranks best
- Top 5 Lowest property tax rate: 0.27% of home value a year, the lowest of 51.
- Top 5 Lowest car insurance costs: $888 a year per car on average (NAIC 2023), 5th lowest of 51.
- Top 5 Highest household incomes: $100,745 median household income (Census ACS 2024), 5th highest of 51.
Where Hawaii ranks worst
- Bottom 5 Highest cost to own a home: $4,962 a month for the median home with 20% down, the highest of 51.
- Bottom 5 Highest electric bills: $212 a month on average (EIA 2024), the highest of 51.
- Bottom 5 Highest overall prices: price level 110.0 (U.S. = 100, BEA 2024), 2nd highest of 51.
- Bottom 5 Highest rent: $1,942 a month at the median (Census ACS 2024), 2nd highest of 51.
- Bottom 5 Highest state income tax: $5,796 on a $100,000 salary, 3rd highest of 51.
- Bottom 5 Highest natural hazard risk: FEMA risk score 97.4 of 100, 4th highest of 51.
Measures: state income tax, overall prices, rent, cost to own a home, property tax rate, homeowners insurance, electric bills, car insurance, health premiums, natural hazard risk, household income. State income tax is for a single filer earning $100,000 under 2026 rules, including the average county income tax in Indiana and Maryland. Ties share a rank.
Where new Hawaii residents come from
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 25,026 households filed their taxes in Hawaii after filing in another state the year before. California sent the most, 5,598 households (22% of the total). Hawaii lost a net 2,597 households to other states that year.
Five-year trend
Moves to Hawaii from other states peaked in 2021–22 at 25,286 households, then held roughly steady to 25,026 in 2022–23, up 4% from 2018–19. Hawaii lost households to other states on net in all five years.
IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23. Net gain or loss by year: 2018–19 −3,524, 2019–20 −3,152, 2020–21 −4,044, 2021–22 −3,350, 2022–23 −2,597.
Cost of living in Hawaii vs the U.S.
Overall prices in Hawaii are 10.0% above the U.S. average, 50th cheapest of 51. The widest gap is in utilities (190.2), 90% above the U.S. level.
The vertical line marks the U.S. average (100). BEA Regional Price Parities 2024.
- Average electric bill
- $212/mo U.S. $142
- Car insurance, per car
- $888/yr U.S. $1,282
- Health plan, age 40
- $541/mo U.S. $625
EIA 2024 average residential bills, NAIC 2023 average auto insurance expenditure, KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium before subsidies.
Taxes in Hawaii: take-home pay at three incomes
Hawaii taxes wages. Workers also pay about $390 a year in state payroll programs at $100,000, which the take-home figures include. Here is what a single filer keeps after 2026 federal and state taxes, compared with the middle of all 51.
| Salary | HI income tax | Take-home | vs. median state |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $2,025 | $40,080 | -$698 |
| $100,000 | $5,796 | $72,994 | -$2,085 |
| $150,000 | $9,644 | $103,757 | -$3,829 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. Take-home is after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Hawaii income and payroll taxes. "vs. median state" is the difference from the median take-home of all 51 at the same salary. For married filing jointly, change the filing status in the calculator above.
The statewide sales tax rate is 4% before any local sales taxes. Homeowners pay a median $2,385 a year in property tax, 0.27% of the median home value (property tax by county). Retiring? See how Hawaii taxes Social Security and pensions. Moving mid-year? Read about taxes the year you move.
Cities in Hawaii: where a paycheck goes furthest
The Honolulu metro area is the only one of the 149 U.S. metro areas we cover that is centered in Hawaii. About $92,600 there buys what $75,000 buys in an average-priced area with no state income tax.
| Metro area | Salary to match $75k | Price level | Median rent | Median home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | $92,600 | 111.0 | $2,001 | $920,600 |
Salary to match $75k: the pay that leaves the same after-tax, price-adjusted income as $75,000 in an area at U.S. average prices with no state income tax, single filer, including the principal city's own income tax where it has one. BEA 2024 price levels (U.S. = 100) and Census ACS 2024 rent and home values for each metro area.
Housing and home insurance in Hawaii
| Measure | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,942 | $1,487 |
| Median home value | $875,900 | $360,600 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $4,962 | $2,298 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $212,642 | $98,486 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $2,385 | $3,211 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,494 | $1,450 |
Census ACS 2024 rent, home value and property tax, and ACS 2024 homeowners insurance. Cost to own: principal and interest at the Freddie Mac 30-year average (6.95%) with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance paid by owners with a mortgage. Premiums have risen since 2024, especially in high-risk areas, so get quotes. See buying a home in Hawaii for other down payments.
Natural disaster risk in Hawaii
Hawaii's population-weighted score on FEMA's National Risk Index is 97.4 of 100, among the highest of U.S. counties and 48th safest of 51. Expected losses from natural hazards average about $741 per resident a year, and about 84% of residents live in counties FEMA rates relatively high or very high.
The vertical line marks the middle of U.S. counties (50).
See disaster risk for every Hawaii county and how to check a home's risk before you move.
Frequently asked questions
Where do people moving to Hawaii come from?
In IRS migration data for 2022–2023, 25,026 households moved to Hawaii from other states. The most came from California (5,598 households), Texas (1,891) and Washington (1,761).
What are the pros and cons of living in Hawaii?
Where Hawaii ranks best among the 50 states and D.C.: lowest property tax rate, the lowest of 51; lowest car insurance costs, 5th lowest of 51; highest household incomes, 5th highest of 51. Where it ranks worst: highest cost to own a home, the highest of 51; highest electric bills, the highest of 51; highest overall prices, 2nd highest of 51; highest rent, 2nd highest of 51; highest state income tax, 3rd highest of 51; highest natural hazard risk, 4th highest of 51.
Is Hawaii expensive to live in?
Overall prices in Hawaii are 10.0% above the U.S. average (BEA price level 110.0, 2024), 50th cheapest of 51. Median rent is $1,942 a month and the median home is worth $875,900.
How long do I have to get a Hawaii driver license after moving?
30 days after becoming a resident. Within 30 days of establishing residency; the vision test is required, written and road tests waived with a valid mainland license, which you must surrender. Handled by county offices.
How long do I have to register my car in Hawaii?
30 days. Within 30 days of the vehicle's arrival. You need a Hawaii safety inspection first (it 'fails' until registered, then passes), plus the bill of lading, out-of-state title/registration, and form CS-L(MVR)1.
Do new residents pay tax on a car brought to Hawaii?
No specific new-resident fee published by county registration offices. You pay the standard state and county registration fees and weight taxes at first registration.
What makes me a Hawaii resident?
Residency begins when you have a Hawaii physical address and intend to remain; each county runs its own DMV.