CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

20.89° N · 156.67° W · GEOID 1542950

Lahaina

Maui County, Hawaii · part of the Kahului, HI metro

HawaiiLahaina, HILahainaLahaina

The short answer

Lahaina is home to 10,162 people. Median household income is $88,889 a year and median rent is $1,997 a month, 27.0% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $881,700, about 9.9x annual median household income.

The story in Lahaina is how fast things are changing. Housing became less affordable between 2019 and 2024: rent went from 21.1% to 27% of income. Also notable: Homeowners pay a median of about 0.1% of home value a year in property tax, less than in 99% of places its size. It is the 3rd-lowest of 55 Hawaii places we track.

22OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Weak

Lahaina scores better than 22% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 36th of 55 in Hawaii.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%6
Economy 20%46
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%48
Education 10%38
Commute 10%79
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: safety, growth, for want of data (the city police department does not report a full year to the FBI). The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,997
46% above the median place
Median household income
$88,889
11% above the median place
Median home value
$881,700
176% above the median place
Unemployment
5.8%
18% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Lahaina

  • AffordabilityThe median rent takes 27% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 89% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Lahaina

Maui County loses about 9.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in4,491
Moved out5,774
Net−1,283

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Hawaii, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within HawaiiOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$86K
Leavers$77K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Maui County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.4% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.8% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Maui County report $86,400 a year in income on average; those leaving, $77,400, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$79,900 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,997 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,660 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $881,700.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 6.2% work from home; 1.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Yorkshire, VA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
2.8%
39% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
5.4%
6% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-9.6
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLahainaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year15.4%6% below
Moved from another state12.8%39% above
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure-9.6below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$86,40322% above
Income of households moving out7County figure$77,40510% above
02

What it costs to live here

The median home costs 9.9 years of the median household's income, more than in 99% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Lahaina27.0%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$79,880
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
27.0%
32% above the median place
Home price to income
9.9x
161% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
27%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$60,600
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lahaina, $1,997 a month, and local prices for everything else (107.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Lahaina, but easier on the budget

Places that match Lahaina on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
Yorkshire, VA8818.9% vs 27.0%$30,800Compare
North Amityville, NY8621.7% vs 27.0%$41,300Compare
Nogales, AZ8420.5% vs 27.0%n/aCompare
West Chicago, IL8417.6% vs 27.0%$20,300Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Lahaina.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lahaina? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.1%
85% below the median place
Median home value1
$881,700
176% above the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$1,264
61% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLahainaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,99746% above
Rent to income127.0%32% above
Property tax rate10.1%85% below
Home price to income19.9x161% above
Prices vs US average2Metro figure109.48% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$2,65664% above
HUD area median income4County figure$121,40013% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,26461% below
Median home value1$881,700176% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.3%34% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure55.4%8% above
Homeownership156.0%16% below
Renters paying 30%+153.0%5% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,66042% above
Vacant homes115.2%115% above
Median year built119830% above
03

Work and pay

Works from home is 6.2%, 50% below the median place.

Works from home1
6.2%
50% below the median place
Mean commute1
20 min
19% below the median place
Unemployment1
5.8%
18% above the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Median household income$88,889 +11%
Poverty rate11.5% +7%
Income per person$39,240 −2%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLahainaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$88,88911% above
Income per person1$39,2402% below
Unemployment15.8%18% above
Average annual pay6County figure$64,1143% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure74,40751% below
Poverty rate111.5%7% above
Mean commute120 min19% below
Works from home16.2%50% below
Commutes by transit1County figure1.4%61% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 3.3, 34% above the median place.

Household size1
3.3
34% above the median place
Born abroad1
33.5%
279% above the median place
No health insurance1
4.1%
36% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband88.8% −4%
High school or higher89.6% −3%
Bachelor's or higher26.4% −18%
Median age40.5 +4%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLahainaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population110,1624118th largest
Median age140.54% above
Bachelor's or higher126.4%18% below
High school or higher189.6%3% below
Household size13.334% above
Born abroad133.5%279% above
No health insurance14.1%36% below
Homes with broadband188.8%4% below
05

Life in Lahaina

OpenStreetMap shows 4.9 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, more than in 88% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-highest of 55 Hawaii places we track.

5 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Lahaina Historic District listed 1966Landmark
  • Wo Hing Society Building listed 1982
  • King Kamehameha III's Royal Residential Complex listed 1997
  • Kaluakini, William K., House listed 2013
  • The Bookkeeper's House, Pioneer Mill-Lahaina Ice Co. listed 2025

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents10.8 +6%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k4.9 2.3×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k19.7 +77%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi2.4 11.6×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement and National Historical Park 28 miles
  • Haleakalā Wilderness 34 miles
  • Haleakalā National Park 35 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars28.4 +37%
Shops46.2 +52%
Arts, recreation and fitness8.6 2.1×
Doctors' offices and clinics20.8 +3%
Child care centers2.2 −4%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Students per teacher12
11.7
24% below the median place
Public schools12
4
56% below the median place
Public school students12
2,028
59% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureLahainaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12456% below
Public school students122,02859% below
Students per teacher1211.724% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure28.437% above
Shops per 10k8County figure46.252% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure8.6110% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure20.83% above
Child care centers per 10k8County figure2.24% below
Parks per 10k910.86% above
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k94.9132% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k919.777% above
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi92.4above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1027.99% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10350% above
National Register listings11562% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Heat wave risk is 0.0, below the median place (median 90.1).

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Lahaina. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk13
0.0
below the median place (median 90.1)
Good air days14
98.1%
43% above the median place
Median air quality index14
21
51% below the median place
All 7 weather and risk measures
MeasureLahainaAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Natural hazard risk13County figure93.11% above
Hurricane risk13County figure69.52% below
Tornado risk13County figure5.993% below
Wildfire risk13County figure95.356% above
Heat wave risk13County figure0.0below (median 90.1)
Median air quality index14County figure2151% below
Good air days14County figure98.1%43% above
08

Lahaina in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 28% of the median income in 2030, up from 27% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Lahaina does better than 5% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 9%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,997/mo (2024)$2,600/mo$2,130 to $3,170/mo+4.5%
Median household income$88,889 (2024)$111,500$94,500 to $132,000+3.9%
Median home value$881,700 (2024)$1,223,000$888,000 to $1,684,000+5.6%

The median home would be worth 10.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 9.9 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Lahaina

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Garden Grove, CA$2,012$92,174Compare
Makawao, HI$1,908$96,444Compare
Alondra Park, CA$1,877$87,169Compare
Waipio Acres, HI$2,003$94,861Compare
Waipio Acres, HIAlondra Park, CAMakawao, HIGarden Grove, CALahaina, HILahainaGarden GroveMakawaoWaipio AcresLahainaGarden GroveMakawaoWaipio Acres

Places built like Lahaina

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Lahaina performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Lahaina, HI27.0%3.2%/yrn/a
Pacific, WA17.6%13.8%/yr-2.5%Compare
Kahului, HI18.2%2.6%/yrn/aCompare
Goulds, FL27.7%8.5%/yrn/aCompare
Charter Oak, CA25.8%3.5%/yrn/aCompare
Kodiak, AK20.9%4.3%/yr-5.3%Compare
Lakeland North, WA26.7%2.4%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Lahaina a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 22 out of 100, better than 22% of the places we rate and 36th of 55 in Hawaii. The median rent takes 27% of the median household's income, a bigger share than in 89% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 39 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lahaina expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 27.0% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $881,700.

What salary do you need to live in Lahaina?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $79,880 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lahaina?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Garden Grove, CA, Makawao, HI, Alondra Park, CA and Waipio Acres, HI.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  13. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  14. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Lahaina with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lahaina itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lahaina-hawaii

Citytistics. “Lahaina, Hawaii.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/lahaina-hawaii/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.