CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

19.44° N · 155.18° W · GEOID 1568807

Royal Hawaiian Estates

Hawaii County, Hawaii · part of the Hilo, HI metro

Limited data population under 5,000

HawaiiRoyal Hawaiian Estates, HIRoyal Hawaiian EstatesRoyal Hawaiian Estates

The short answer

Royal Hawaiian Estates is home to 852 people. Median household income is $76,875 a year and median rent is $1,712 a month, 26.7% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is moderate. The median home is valued at $246,500, about 3.2x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,712
25% above the median place
Median household income
$76,875
4% below the median place
Median home value
$246,500
23% below the median place
Unemployment
6.0%
23% 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 Royal Hawaiian Estates

  • Owning with a mortgage costs about $179 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 97% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 54 Hawaii places.
  • The median resident is 51.1 years old, older than in 93% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 55 Hawaii places.
  • 87% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 85% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 54 Hawaii places.
  • Half the homes were built after 2000, newer housing than in 90% of places its size.
  • 23% of workers mostly work from home, more than in 84% of places its size. It is the 2nd-highest of 55 Hawaii places.
01

Moving to Royal Hawaiian Estates

Hawaii County gains about 6.0 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in7,086
Moved out6,143
Net+943

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$85K
Leavers$63K

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

Who moves here
4.6% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Hawaii County report $84,900 a year in income on average; those leaving, $62,500, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$68,500 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,712 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,533 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $246,500.
Getting to work
27 minutes each way on average; 23.3% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Palm Coast, FL matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6
6.0
above the median place (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6
$84,921
20% above the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureRoyal Hawaiian EstatesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure4.6%20% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure6.0above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$84,92120% above
Income of households moving out6County figure$62,52311% below
02

What it costs to live here

Property tax rate is 0.3%, 69% below the median place.

Royal Hawaiian Estates26.7%
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
$68,480
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
26.7%
31% above the median place
Home price to income
3.2x
16% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
27%
just under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$56,500
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Royal Hawaiian Estates, $1,712 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Royal Hawaiian Estates.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Royal Hawaiian Estates? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
0.3%
69% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$696
79% below the median place
Vacant homes1
17.8%
153% above the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureRoyal Hawaiian EstatesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,71225% above
Rent to income126.7%31% above
Property tax rate10.3%69% below
Home price to income13.2x16% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$2,08129% above
HUD area median income3County figure$98,3008% below
Property tax paid (median)1$69679% below
Median home value1$246,50023% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure6.1%92% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure58.5%14% above
Homeownership186.8%31% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure51.6%2% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,53318% below
Vacant homes117.8%153% above
Median year built120001% 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%)
Works from home1
23.3%
87% above the median place
Poverty rate1
14.4%
34% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureRoyal Hawaiian EstatesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$76,8754% below
Income per person1$35,30412% below
Unemployment1County figure6.0%23% above
Average annual pay5County figure$61,7576% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure6.7%81% above
Jobs5County figure74,16851% below
Poverty rate114.4%34% above
Mean commute1County figure27 min10% above
Works from home123.3%87% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Median age is 51.1, 31% above the median place.

Median age1
51.1
31% above the median place
Born abroad1
3.5%
60% below the median place
Homes with broadband1
87.6%
5% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Household size2.3 −10%
High school or higher95.3% +3%
Bachelor's or higher30.6% −5%
All 8 people measures
MeasureRoyal Hawaiian EstatesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population18526646th largest
Median age151.131% above
Bachelor's or higher130.6%5% below
High school or higher195.3%3% above
Household size12.310% below
Born abroad13.5%60% below
No health insurance1County figure4.5%30% below
Homes with broadband187.6%5% below
05

Life in Royal Hawaiian Estates

99 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 8 of them National Historic Landmarks.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.5 +8%
Shops31.2 +3%
Arts, recreation and fitness4.2 +2%
Doctors' offices and clinics17.3 −14%
Child care centers2.0 −13%

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

Public schools9
55
above the median place (median 9)
Public school students9
27,129
above the median place (median 4,897)
Child care centers per 10k7
2.0
13% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureRoyal Hawaiian EstatesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure55above (median 9)
Public school students9County figure27,129above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher9County figure14.28% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure22.58% above
Shops per 10k7County figure31.23% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure4.22% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure17.314% below
Child care centers per 10k7County figure2.013% below
National Register listings8County figure99above (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 Royal Hawaiian Estates. Larger places are fetched first.

Heat wave risk10
0.0
below the median place (median 90.1)
Tornado risk10
7.4
91% below the median place
Median air quality index11
32
26% below the median place
All 7 weather and risk measures
MeasureRoyal Hawaiian EstatesAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Natural hazard risk10County figure98.57% above
Hurricane risk10County figure68.33% below
Tornado risk10County figure7.491% below
Wildfire risk10County figure98.361% above
Heat wave risk10County figure0.0below (median 90.1)
Median air quality index11County figure3226% below
Good air days11County figure86.0%26% above
08

Royal Hawaiian Estates in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 27% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 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.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,712/mo (2024)$2,200/mo$1,810 to $2,690/mo+4.3%
Median household income$76,875 (2024)$97,500$82,500 to $115,500+4.1%
Median home value$246,500 (2024)$355,000$258,000 to $489,000+6.3%

The median home would be worth 3.6 years of the median income in 2030, against 3.2 now.

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

09

Places like Royal Hawaiian Estates

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

PlaceRentIncome
Palm Coast, FL$1,782$77,350Compare
South Venice, FL$1,852$77,097Compare
Rockledge, FL$1,820$84,255Compare
Largo, FL$1,618$62,096Compare
Largo, FLRockledge, FLSouth Venice, FLPalm Coast, FLRoyal Hawaiian Estates, HIRoyal Hawaiian EstatesPalm CoastRockledgeLargoRoyal Hawaiian EstatesPalm CoastLargo

Common questions

Is Royal Hawaiian Estates a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Owning with a mortgage costs about $179 a month less than the median rent, which is rarer than in 97% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 54 Hawaii places. The median resident is 51.1 years old, older than in 93% of places its size. It is the 3rd-highest of 55 Hawaii places. On cost, space and class size it scores 40 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Royal Hawaiian Estates expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 26.7% 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 $246,500.

What salary do you need to live in Royal Hawaiian Estates?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $68,480 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Royal Hawaiian Estates?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Palm Coast, FL, South Venice, FL, Rockledge, FL and Largo, FL.

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

Citytistics. “Royal Hawaiian Estates, Hawaii.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/royal-hawaiian-estates-hawaii/

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