CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

20.83° N · 156.91° W · GEOID 1543700

Lanai City

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

Limited data population under 5,000

HawaiiLanai City, HILanai CityLanai City

The short answer

Lanai City is home to 3,393 people. Median household income is $92,167 a year and median rent is $1,051 a month, 13.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $630,000, about 6.8x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,051
23% below the median place
Median household income
$92,167
15% above the median place
Median home value
$630,000
97% above the median place
Unemployment
5.5%
12% 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 Lanai City

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 10.6% a year while rent rose -0.2%, so pay gained on rent more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 55 Hawaii places.
  • The median rent takes only 13.7% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 90% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 55 Hawaii places.
  • The median home is worth 6.8 years of the median household's income, more than in 93% of places its size.
  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $1,173 a month more than the median rent, a wider gap than in 90% of places its size.
  • 27% of residents were born outside the US, more than in 91% of places its size.

Rent is light relative to pay, but the county has a FEMA natural hazard risk score of 93 out of 100. Budget for insurance before counting the savings.

01

Moving to Lanai City

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
5.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.7% from another state. County figure.
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
$42,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,051 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,224 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $630,000.
Getting to work
16 minutes each way on average; 10.2% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Kanab, UT matches it on character. Compare the two
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-9.6
below the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7
$86,403
22% above the median place
Moved from another state1
2.7%
38% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureLanai CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.0%14% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.7%38% 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

Property tax rate is 0.1%, 86% below the median place.

Lanai City13.7%
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
$42,040
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
13.7%
33% below the median place
Home price to income
6.8x
80% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
14%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$73,900
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Lanai City, $1,051 a month, and local prices for everything else (107.4 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Lanai City? 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%
86% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$793
76% below the median place
Vacant homes1
22.4%
217% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureLanai CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,05123% below
Rent to income113.7%33% below
Property tax rate10.1%86% below
Home price to income16.8x80% 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$79376% below
Median home value1$630,00097% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.3%34% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure55.4%8% above
Homeownership153.0%20% below
Renters paying 30%+1County figure55.9%10% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,22419% above
Vacant homes122.4%217% above
Median year built119870% above
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Mean commute1
16 min
36% below the median place
Poverty rate1
6.7%
38% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureLanai CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$92,16715% above
Income per person1$42,4886% above
Unemployment1County figure5.5%12% above
Average annual pay6County figure$64,1143% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure74,40751% below
Poverty rate16.7%38% below
Mean commute116 min36% below
Works from home1County figure10.2%18% below
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 27.3%, 209% above the median place.

Born abroad1
27.3%
209% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
87.1%
6% below the median place
Median age1
42.1
8% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.7 +10%
Bachelor's or higher28.0% −13%
High school or higher92.0% −0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureLanai CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population13,3936646th largest
Median age142.18% above
Bachelor's or higher128.0%13% below
High school or higher192.0%0% below
Household size12.710% above
Born abroad127.3%209% above
No health insurance1County figure4.1%36% below
Homes with broadband187.1%6% below
05

Life in Lanai City

69 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 5 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents11.8 +16%
Playgrounds per 10k17.7 +88%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k23.6 2.1×
Libraries per 10k5.9 6.8×
Named paths and bike trails2 km −15%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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.

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.

Shops per 10k8
46.2
52% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
8.6
110% above the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k8
28.4
37% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasureLanai CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools11County figure34278% above
Public school students11County figure19,695302% above
Students per teacher11County figure14.09% 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 10k911.816% above
Playgrounds per 10k917.788% above
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k923.6111% above
Libraries per 10k95.9above (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails91.715% below
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
National Register listings10County figure69above (median 13)
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 Lanai City. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk12
0.0
below the median place (median 90.1)
Good air days13
98.1%
43% above the median place
Median air quality index13
21
51% below the median place
All 7 weather and risk measures
MeasureLanai CityAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Natural hazard risk12County figure93.11% above
Hurricane risk12County figure69.52% below
Tornado risk12County figure5.993% below
Wildfire risk12County figure95.356% above
Heat wave risk12County figure0.0below (median 90.1)
Median air quality index13County figure2151% below
Good air days13County figure98.1%43% above
08

Lanai City in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 13% of the median income in 2030, down from 14% 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,051/mo (2024)$1,310/mo$1,080 to $1,600/mo+3.8%
Median household income$92,167 (2024)$120,000$101,500 to $142,000+4.5%
Median home value$630,000 (2024)$893,000$648,000 to $1,230,000+6.0%

The median home would be worth 7.4 years of the median income in 2030, against 6.8 now.

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

09

Places like Lanai City

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

PlaceRentIncome
Kanab, UT$986$85,486Compare
Doney Park, AZ$1,212$104,967Compare
Birch Bay, WA$1,222$86,854Compare
Blaine, WA$1,450$84,030Compare
Blaine, WABirch Bay, WADoney Park, AZKanab, UTLanai City, HILanai CityKanabDoney ParkBirch BayLanai CityKanabDoney ParkBirch Bay

Common questions

Is Lanai City a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, household income rose 10.6% a year while rent rose -0.2%, so pay gained on rent more than in 98% of the 2,476 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 55 Hawaii places. The median rent takes only 13.7% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 90% of places its size. It is the 2nd-lowest of 55 Hawaii places. On cost, space and class size it scores 59 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Lanai City expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 13.7% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $630,000.

What salary do you need to live in Lanai City?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $42,040 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Lanai City?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Kanab, UT, Doney Park, AZ, Birch Bay, WA and Blaine, WA.

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 Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  11. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  12. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  13. 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 Lanai City with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Lanai City itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/lanai-city-hawaii

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

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