Overall
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 109.4
- Urban Honolulu
- 111.0
Diff +1.6 RPP
Kahului-Wailuku vs Urban Honolulu
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Urban Honolulu is 1.4% more expensive than Kahului-Wailuku.
1.4% more expensive
Urban Honolulu, HI is 1.4% more expensive than Kahului-Wailuku, HI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 111.0 vs 109.4). A $100,000 salary in Kahului-Wailuku buys about the same as $101,433 in Urban Honolulu; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 109.4 (Kahului-Wailuku) vs 111.0 (Urban Honolulu)
- $100k in Kahului-Wailuku ≈ $101,433 purchasing power in Urban Honolulu
- Rents drives the gap (+16.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair HI:HI 109.4→111.0
PHOTO-FINISH · SAME-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-ABOVE · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- SAME-STATE Same state · 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.
Kahului-Wailuku
109.4
Cost Index
Urban Honolulu
111.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Kahului-Wailuku, HI and Urban Honolulu, HI are a photo finish on overall price level, only 1.6 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Urban Honolulu is 16.4 points higher. But services and goods 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 housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Kahului-Wailuku corresponds to $101,433 in Urban Honolulu.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 111.6
- Urban Honolulu
- 111.6
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 190.6
- Urban Honolulu
- 187.3
Diff -3.3 RPP
Rents
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 119.2
- Urban Honolulu
- 135.5
Diff +16.4 RPP
| Category | Kahului-Wailuku | Urban Honolulu | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 109.4 | 111.0 | +1.6 |
| Goods | 111.6 | 111.6 | 0.0 |
| Services | 190.6 | 187.3 | -3.3 |
| Rents | 119.2 | 135.5 | +16.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Kahului-Wailuku 109.4
Urban Honolulu 111.0
Goods
Kahului-Wailuku 111.6
Urban Honolulu 111.6
Services
Kahului-Wailuku 190.6
Urban Honolulu 187.3
Rents
Kahului-Wailuku 119.2
Urban Honolulu 135.5
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Kahului-Wailuku would need to be in Urban Honolulu for the same purchasing power:
| In Kahului-Wailuku | In Urban Honolulu | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,717 | +$717 |
| $75,000 | $76,075 | +$1,075 |
| $100,000 | $101,433 | +$1,433 |
| $150,000 | $152,150 | +$2,150 |
$ in Kahului-Wailuku = in Urban Honolulu
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (109.4 → 111.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Urban Honolulu more expensive than Kahului-Wailuku?
Urban Honolulu is 1.4% more expensive than Kahului-Wailuku. The overall cost index is 111.0 vs 109.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Urban Honolulu equals $100K in Kahului-Wailuku?
A $100,000 salary in Kahului-Wailuku has the same purchasing power as $101,433 in Urban Honolulu. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Kahului-Wailuku and Urban Honolulu?
Rents in Kahului-Wailuku are indexed at 119.2 while Urban Honolulu is at 135.5 (national average = 100). Urban Honolulu 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.