Overall
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 108.3
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 109.4
Diff +1.1 RPP
Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Kahului-Wailuku
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kahului-Wailuku is 1% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton.
1% more expensive
Kahului-Wailuku, HI is 1% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 109.4 vs 108.3). A $100,000 salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton buys about the same as $101,041 in Kahului-Wailuku; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 108.3 (Boston-Cambridge-Newton) vs 109.4 (Kahului-Wailuku)
- $100k in Boston-Cambridge-Newton ≈ $101,041 purchasing power in Kahului-Wailuku
- Services drives the gap (+41.8 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MA:HI 108.3→109.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MA × HI
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-ABOVE Both above 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Boston-Cambridge-Newton
108.3
Cost Index
Kahului-Wailuku
109.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH and Kahului-Wailuku, HI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Kahului-Wailuku is 41.8 points higher. But rents move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros exceed the U.S. benchmark of 100. The choice is between two national premiums, so local wages need to clear the higher baseline in either market.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton to $101,041 in Kahului-Wailuku, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 111.6
Diff +11.9 RPP
Services
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 148.8
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 190.6
Diff +41.8 RPP
Rents
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton
- 148.4
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 119.2
Diff -29.2 RPP
| Category | Boston-Cambridge-Newton | Kahului-Wailuku | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 108.3 | 109.4 | +1.1 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 111.6 | +11.9 |
| Services | 148.8 | 190.6 | +41.8 |
| Rents | 148.4 | 119.2 | -29.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 108.3
Kahului-Wailuku 109.4
Goods
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 99.7
Kahului-Wailuku 111.6
Services
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 148.8
Kahului-Wailuku 190.6
Rents
Boston-Cambridge-Newton 148.4
Kahului-Wailuku 119.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton would need to be in Kahului-Wailuku for the same purchasing power:
| In Boston-Cambridge-Newton | In Kahului-Wailuku | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,520 | +$520 |
| $75,000 | $75,781 | +$781 |
| $100,000 | $101,041 | +$1,041 |
| $150,000 | $151,561 | +$1,561 |
$ in Boston-Cambridge-Newton = in Kahului-Wailuku
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (108.3 → 109.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kahului-Wailuku more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
Kahului-Wailuku is 1% more expensive than Boston-Cambridge-Newton. The overall cost index is 109.4 vs 108.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kahului-Wailuku equals $100K in Boston-Cambridge-Newton?
A $100,000 salary in Boston-Cambridge-Newton has the same purchasing power as $101,041 in Kahului-Wailuku. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Kahului-Wailuku?
Rents in Boston-Cambridge-Newton are indexed at 148.4 while Kahului-Wailuku is at 119.2 (national average = 100). Boston-Cambridge-Newton has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.