State cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Cost of Living in Hawaii
Statewide Regional Price Parities for Hawaii from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100, across 2 metro areas.
- 110.0
- Statewide RPP
- #2
- of 51 states by cost
- 125.3
- Rents RPP
- 2
- Metro areas
Hawaii ranks #2 of 51 states by cost, and its statewide price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- rose +0.2 points in the 2023-2024 release
- similar cost to District of Columbia
The verdict
Hawaii is more expensive than 96% of U.S. states, a statewide cost index of 110.0, 10.0% above the national average.
- Services
- furthest category from 100, at 190.2
- District of Columbia
- closest statewide cost peer, 0.0 points away
- Urban Honolulu
- highest-cost metro, 111.0
- Kahului-Wailuku
- lowest-cost metro, 109.4
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $90,950 when earned in Hawaii.
Metro areas in Hawaii, ranked by cost
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban Honolulu | 111.0 | 111.6 | 187.3 | 135.5 |
| 2 | Kahului-Wailuku | 109.4 | 111.6 | 190.6 | 119.2 |
The Rents RPP index measures housing costs relative to the national average (100). For the federal 40th-percentile Fair Market Rent by bedroom size and county, see the HUD Fair Market Rents dataset.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Hawaii's overall RPP rose +0.2 points, from 109.7 in 2023 to 110.0 in 2024. The largest category move was rents, changing from 128.7 to 125.3. RPP is a relative price index, so this reports a change against the national benchmark rather than a household's dollar bill.
Hawaii RPP history, 2008–2024
The statewide index has changed by only 0.2 points from 2008 to 2024. The line shows every retained BEA release against the national benchmark of 100; the table preserves the component detail.
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 109.8 |
| 2009 | 112.7 |
| 2010 | 109.6 |
| 2011 | 109.9 |
| 2012 | 108.4 |
| 2013 | 112.3 |
| 2014 | 110.6 |
| 2015 | 111.5 |
| 2016 | 109.9 |
| 2017 | 110.5 |
| 2018 | 110.9 |
| 2019 | 111.8 |
| 2020 | 113.3 |
| 2021 | 112.6 |
| 2022 | 111.1 |
| 2023 | 109.7 |
| 2024 | 110.0 |
Reading the Hawaii Cost of Living Picture
Hawaii's nearest statewide cost peers are District of Columbia, California, New Jersey. Those names define the relevant comparison lane: the question is which premium is driven by housing, services, or goods, not whether the state clears the national benchmark. Services and the lowest category are 80.2 points apart, so the statewide average joins two materially different household experiences.
Hawaii captures 2 metro areas in the BEA dataset, and the range across them is meaningful. Urban Honolulu, HI leads on cost at 111.0, while Kahului-Wailuku, HI sits at the opposite end at 109.4 - a gap of 1.6 index points inside a single state. For goods the state indexes at 111.6, for services 190.2, and for rents 125.3. Rents run 15.4 points above the statewide index here, so housing is carrying this state's cost position; the goods and services lines would place it noticeably cheaper on their own.
Over time, Hawaii's statewide index has held steady within 0.2 points, suggesting a stable competitive position against other states. Practically, this means a $100,000 national salary delivers the purchasing power of about $90,950 of national buying power when earned inside Hawaii, and a household relocating here would need roughly $109,951 to reproduce a $100K lifestyle. Because the premium is real and the state spans 2 reporting metros, the statewide number is the ceiling of a range — check the specific metro before accepting it as your cost.
Hawaii vs every U.S. state
Where this state sits in the national cost distribution
110 Top 4% higher than 96% of 51 US states
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. 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
What this means in Hawaii
The statewide index is a starting point, cost varies metro to metro within Hawaii.
- Don't rely on the state figure alone: Urban Honolulu (111.0) and Kahului-Wailuku (109.4) sit 2 index points apart inside Hawaii. Check your specific metro.
- Rents index at 125.3 (25.3% above average) - the largest swing in the RPP. Review the housing line before any relocation decision. Highest rents
- Weighing Hawaii against another state? Convert your salary to local purchasing power first. Salary calculator
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark (national average = 100) for the data year shown, pair it with local wages and current rents before deciding.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive rankings, cost of living vs wages, and how BEA constructs RPP data.
States with Similar Cost of Living
These states have RPP indices closest to Hawaii, making them useful peers for relocation or budget comparison.
Nationwide states with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Hawaii: nearest states by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are labelled nationwide neighborhoods, distinct from the closest-RPP list above.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest states by overall regional price parity (110.0 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest states by rents regional price parity (125.3 here).
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities Index where national average = 100
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Hawaii more expensive than the U.S. average?
Hawaii has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 110.0, meaning it is 10.0% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 111.6, services at 190.2, and rents at 125.3.
What salary in Hawaii equals $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $109,951 in Hawaii. Conversely, $100K earned in Hawaii has the purchasing power of $90,950 at the national average.
Is housing what makes Hawaii expensive?
Rents in Hawaii are indexed at 125.3, which is 25.3% above the national average. Housing costs are significantly higher than typical U.S. levels.
Which is the most expensive metro in Hawaii?
The most expensive metro area in Hawaii is Urban Honolulu, HI with an RPP of 111.0. The most affordable is Kahului-Wailuku, HI at 109.4. There are 2 metro areas in Hawaii with BEA price data.
Is Hawaii getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Hawaii's overall cost index changed by +0.2 points (from 109.8 to 110.0). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
Which categories pull Hawaii away from the national average?
The most expensive category in Hawaii is services at 190.2, which is 90.2% above the national average. All other categories are at or above the national average.
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 2024. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.