Overall
- Urban Honolulu
- 111.0
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 109.4
Diff -1.6 RPP
Urban Honolulu vs Kahului-Wailuku
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Kahului-Wailuku is 1.4% less expensive than Urban Honolulu.
1.4% less expensive
Kahului-Wailuku, HI is 1.4% less expensive than Urban Honolulu, HI on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 109.4 vs 111.0). A $100,000 salary in Urban Honolulu buys about the same as $98,587 in Kahului-Wailuku; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 111.0 (Urban Honolulu) vs 109.4 (Kahului-Wailuku)
- $100k in Urban Honolulu ≈ $98,587 purchasing power in Kahului-Wailuku
- Rents drives the gap (-16.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair HI:HI 111.0→109.4
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.
Urban Honolulu
111.0
Cost Index
Kahului-Wailuku
109.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Urban Honolulu, HI and Kahului-Wailuku, 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: Kahului-Wailuku is 16.4 points lower. 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 Urban Honolulu corresponds to $98,587 in Kahului-Wailuku.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Urban Honolulu
- 111.6
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 111.6
Diff 0.0 RPP
Services
- Urban Honolulu
- 187.3
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 190.6
Diff +3.3 RPP
Rents
- Urban Honolulu
- 135.5
- Kahului-Wailuku
- 119.2
Diff -16.4 RPP
| Category | Urban Honolulu | Kahului-Wailuku | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 111.0 | 109.4 | -1.6 |
| Goods | 111.6 | 111.6 | 0.0 |
| Services | 187.3 | 190.6 | +3.3 |
| Rents | 135.5 | 119.2 | -16.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Urban Honolulu 111.0
Kahului-Wailuku 109.4
Goods
Urban Honolulu 111.6
Kahului-Wailuku 111.6
Services
Urban Honolulu 187.3
Kahului-Wailuku 190.6
Rents
Urban Honolulu 135.5
Kahului-Wailuku 119.2
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Urban Honolulu would need to be in Kahului-Wailuku for the same purchasing power:
| In Urban Honolulu | In Kahului-Wailuku | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,293 | $-707 |
| $75,000 | $73,940 | $-1,060 |
| $100,000 | $98,587 | $-1,413 |
| $150,000 | $147,880 | $-2,120 |
$ in Urban Honolulu = in Kahului-Wailuku
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (111.0 → 109.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kahului-Wailuku more expensive than Urban Honolulu?
Kahului-Wailuku is 1.4% less expensive than Urban Honolulu. The overall cost index is 109.4 vs 111.0 (national average = 100).
What salary in Kahului-Wailuku equals $100K in Urban Honolulu?
A $100,000 salary in Urban Honolulu has the same purchasing power as $98,587 in Kahului-Wailuku. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Urban Honolulu and Kahului-Wailuku?
Rents in Urban Honolulu are indexed at 135.5 while Kahului-Wailuku is at 119.2 (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.