CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

21.96° N · 159.39° W · GEOID 1565750

Puhi

Kauai County, Hawaii · part of the Kapaa, HI metro

Limited data population under 5,000

HawaiiPuhi, HIPuhiPuhi

The short answer

Puhi is home to 4,362 people. Median household income is $137,292 a year and median rent is $2,443 a month, 21.4% 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 $701,400, about 5.1x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$2,443
79% above the median place
Median household income
$137,292
71% above the median place
Median home value
$701,400
120% above the median place
Unemployment
3.9%
21% below 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 Puhi

  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $72 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 95% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 54 Hawaii places.
  • Households average 3.67 people, larger than in 98% of places its size.
  • Only 32% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 92% of places its size. It is the lowest of 54 Hawaii places.
  • Household income has grown 9.5% a year across the last five survey releases, faster than in 89% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 55 Hawaii places.
  • Median rent is $2,443 a month, higher than in 93% of places its size.
01

Moving to Puhi

Kauai County loses about 4.4 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,933
Moved out2,195
Net−262

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$91K
Leavers$75K

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

Who moves here
4.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 2.9% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Kauai County report $90,600 a year in income on average; those leaving, $75,300, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$97,700 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,443 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,371 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $701,400.
Getting to work
17 minutes each way on average; 8.6% work from home; 1.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Ewa Beach, HI matches it on character. Compare the two
Income of households moving in6
$90,556
28% above the median place
Moved from another state1
2.9%
46% above the median place
Moved here in the past year1
4.6%
20% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePuhiAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.6%20% below
Moved from another state1County figure2.9%46% above
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure-4.4below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$90,55628% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$75,3357% above
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 0.2%, 76% below the median place.

Puhi21.4%
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
$97,720
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
21.4%
5% above the median place
Home price to income
5.1x
34% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
21%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$107,700
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Puhi, $2,443 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Puhi, but easier on the budget

Close matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income.

PlaceRent to incomeMore left a year
Ripon, CA16.7% vs 21.4%n/aCompare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Puhi? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.2%
76% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
31.6%
38% below the median place
Median home value1
$701,400
120% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasurePuhiAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,44379% above
Rent to income121.4%5% above
Property tax rate10.2%76% below
Home price to income15.1x34% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$2,10530% above
HUD area median income3County figure$120,10012% above
Property tax paid (median)1$1,57252% below
Median home value1$701,400120% above
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure-0.8%below (median 3.2%)
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure52.1%1% above
Homeownership178.7%19% above
Renters paying 30%+131.6%38% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,37127% above
Vacant homes1County figure22.4%218% above
Median year built119951% above
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 17 min, 33% below the median place.

Mean commute1
17 min
33% below the median place
Median household income1
$137,292
71% above the median place
Poverty rate1
8.6%
21% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePuhiAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$137,29271% above
Income per person1$40,1070% above
Unemployment1County figure3.9%21% below
Average annual pay5County figure$62,9985% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure5.5%49% above
Jobs5County figure33,29878% below
Poverty rate18.6%21% below
Mean commute117 min33% below
Works from home1County figure8.6%31% below
Commutes by transit1County figure1.4%60% above
04

Who lives here

Household size is 3.7, 47% above the median place.

Household size1
3.7
47% above the median place
Born abroad1
27.2%
208% above the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
22.0%
31% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband91.5% −1%
High school or higher93.0% +1%
Median age39.2 +1%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePuhiAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population14,3626646th largest
Median age139.21% above
Bachelor's or higher122.0%31% below
High school or higher193.0%1% above
Household size13.747% above
Born abroad127.2%208% above
No health insurance1County figure4.0%38% below
Homes with broadband191.5%1% below
05

Life in Puhi

1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks.

  • Grove Farm Company Locomotives listed 1979

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents0.0 −100%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k2.3 −79%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi1.1 5.3×

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 bars34.6 +66%
Shops48.3 +59%
Arts, recreation and fitness8.0 +95%
Doctors' offices and clinics19.0 −6%
Child care centers2.3 +0%

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

Restaurants and bars per 10k7
34.6
66% above the median place
Shops per 10k7
48.3
59% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
8.0
95% above the median place
All 16 schools and local life measures
MeasurePuhiAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools10County figure21133% above
Public school students10County figure9,23689% above
Students per teacher10County figure14.28% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure34.666% above
Shops per 10k7County figure48.359% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure8.095% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure19.06% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.30% above
Parks per 10k80.0below (median 10.2)
Playgrounds per 10k80.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k80.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k82.379% below
Libraries per 10k80.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails80.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi81.1above (median 0.2)
National Register listings9192% 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 Puhi. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk11
0.0
below the median place (median 90.1)
Tornado risk11
2.4
97% below the median place
Wildfire risk11
93.1
52% above the median place
All 5 weather and risk measures
MeasurePuhiAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Natural hazard risk11County figure84.59% below
Hurricane risk11County figure64.98% below
Tornado risk11County figure2.497% below
Wildfire risk11County figure93.152% above
Heat wave risk11County figure0.0below (median 90.1)
08

Puhi in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 22% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 21% 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$2,443/mo (2024)$3,190/mo$2,620 to $3,890/mo+4.6%
Median household income$137,292 (2024)$178,000$150,500 to $211,000+4.4%
Median home value$701,400 (2024)$1,010,000$733,000 to $1,392,000+6.3%

The median home would be worth 5.7 years of the median income in 2030, against 5.1 now.

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

09

Places like Puhi

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

PlaceRentIncome
Ewa Beach, HI$2,522$124,323Compare
Waihee-Waiehu, HI$2,191$126,735Compare
Bonney Lake, WA$2,256$136,845Compare
Tracy, CA$2,478$121,119Compare
Tracy, CABonney Lake, WAWaihee-Waiehu, HIEwa Beach, HIPuhi, HIPuhiWaihee-WaiehuBonney LakeTracyPuhiWaihee-WaiehuBonney LakeTracy

Common questions

Is Puhi a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Owning with a mortgage costs about $72 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 95% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 54 Hawaii places. Households average 3.67 people, larger than in 98% of places its size. On cost, space and class size it scores 73 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Puhi expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 21.4% 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 $701,400.

What salary do you need to live in Puhi?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $97,720 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Puhi?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Ewa Beach, HI, Waihee-Waiehu, HI, Bonney Lake, WA and Tracy, CA.

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. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. 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.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  9. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  10. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

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

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

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