Overall
109.4
Above avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Kahului-Wailuku, HI
Cost-of-living indicators for Kahului-Wailuku, HI, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 109.4
- Overall RPP
- #13
- of 387 metros
- 119.2
- Rents RPP
- $91K
- $100K national buys
Kahului ranks #13 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh
The verdict
Kahului is more expensive than 97% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 109.4, 9.4% above the national average, led by services at 190.6.
- top 3%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 111.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 190.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $91,414 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $109,393.
Kahului vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
109 Top 3% higher than 97% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Kahului cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
119.2 RPP
- Services
Services
190.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
109.4 RPP
- Goods
Goods
111.6 RPP
What this shows Kahului's strongest departure is services at 190.6; rents follows at 119.2. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Kahului's cost comes from
Metros near Kahului's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Kahului (Kahului, this metro): goods RPP 111.6, rents RPP 119.2
- Kiryas Joel: goods RPP 110.3, rents RPP 115.8
- Salinas: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 145.7
- Santa Cruz: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 164.3
- Washington: goods RPP 104.8, rents RPP 151.1
- Santa Maria: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 151.4
- San Luis Obispo: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 144.4
Price Index Summary
Goods
111.6
Expensive
Services
190.6
Expensive
Rents
119.2
Expensive
Service-cost-led profile
How Kahului's cost structure works
Services are the defining pressure in Kahului: the BEA services component is 190.6, farther above the national baseline than local rents or tradable goods. That service-heavy pattern explains an overall RPP of 109.4 differently from a housing-led metro.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Urban Honolulu, HI, Yuba City, CA, Stockton-Lodi, CA. They resemble Kahului across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Kahului's overall index has stayed within 1.9 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.9 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2009, when the index dropped 6.4 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Kahului overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 107.5 |
| 2009 | 101.1 |
| 2010 | 103.9 |
| 2011 | 104.9 |
| 2012 | 102.7 |
| 2013 | 107.2 |
| 2014 | 102.8 |
| 2015 | 109.0 |
| 2016 | 102.9 |
| 2017 | 104.7 |
| 2018 | 109.2 |
| 2019 | 109.3 |
| 2020 | 111.5 |
| 2021 | 111.2 |
| 2022 | 108.8 |
| 2023 | 107.2 |
| 2024 | 109.4 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Kahului's overall RPP rose +2.2 points, from 107.2 in 2023 to 109.4 in 2024. The largest category movement was rents, changing from 111.4 to 119.2. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$109,393
in Kahului-Wailuku, HI purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$54,697
$75,000 nationally
$82,045
$125,000 nationally
$136,741
$150,000 nationally
$164,090
$200,000 nationally
$218,786
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
11/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
11th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Kahului's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Urban Honolulu, HI
Goods 111.6 · Services 187.3 · Rents 135.5 Yuba City, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 160.8 · Rents 108.3 Stockton-Lodi, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 158.2 · Rents 115.6 Fresno, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 161.0 · Rents 95.7 Worcester, MA
Goods 97.0 · Services 155.2 · Rents 113.0 Modesto, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 152.3 · Rents 108.5
HI-relative analysis
Goods prices places Kahului-Wailuku, HI near the bottom of HI's metros
Among the 2 HI metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Kahului-Wailuku, HI ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Kahului-Wailuku, HI only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 2
0th percentile in HI
Services prices
#1 of 2
50th percentile in HI
Rent prices
#2 of 2
0th percentile in HI
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within HI only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Kahului-Wailuku, HI: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (109.4 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (119.2 here).
Charleston-North Charleston, SC Rents 119.8 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Rents 118.2 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Rents 120.4 Ogden, UT Rents 117.9 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX Rents 117.9 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Rents 120.6 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Rents 121.2 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA Rents 116.7
Other HI Metros
View all HI metros → Cheapest in HI → Most expensive in HI →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Kahului-Wailuku, HI's index of 109.4.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
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What this means for Kahului
How to read Kahului's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $91,414 in Kahului. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 190.6, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Kahului head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Kahului-Wailuku, HI?
Kahului-Wailuku, HI has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 109.4, meaning it is 9.4% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 111.6, services at 190.6, and rents at 119.2. It ranks #13 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Kahului-Wailuku, HI to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $109,393 in Kahului-Wailuku, HI. Conversely, $100K earned in Kahului-Wailuku, HI has the purchasing power of $91,414 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Kahului-Wailuku, HI?
Rents in Kahului-Wailuku, HI are indexed at 119.2, which is 19.2% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Kahului-Wailuku, HI getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Kahului-Wailuku, HI's overall cost index changed by +1.9 points (from 107.5 to 109.4). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Kahului-Wailuku, HI?
The priciest category in Kahului-Wailuku, HI is services at 190.6, 90.6% above the national average. The most affordable category is goods at 111.6, 11.6% above average, still the lowest of the three categories.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Kahului-Wailuku, HI?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, Salinas, Santa Cruz-Watsonville. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Kahului-Wailuku, HI's 109.4.
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.