CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

20.92° N · 156.51° W · GEOID 1575510

Waihee-Waiehu

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

HawaiiWaihee-Waiehu, HIWaihee-WaiehuWaihee-Waiehu

The short answer

Waihee-Waiehu is home to 10,988 people. Median household income is $126,735 a year and median rent is $2,191 a month, 20.7% 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 $777,000, about 6.1x annual median household income.

The story in Waihee-Waiehu is how fast things are changing. Housing became less affordable between 2019 and 2024: rent went from 16.2% to 20.7% 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 2nd-lowest of 55 Hawaii places we track.

36OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Below average

Waihee-Waiehu scores better than 36% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 20th of 55 in Hawaii.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%30
Economy 20%78
Safety 20%n/a
Amenities 15%25
Education 10%20
Commute 10%62
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
$2,191
61% above the median place
Median household income
$126,735
58% above the median place
Median home value
$777,000
143% above the median place
Unemployment
4.0%
19% 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.

01

Moving to Waihee-Waiehu

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
2.9% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.3% 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
$87,600 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $2,191 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $2,359 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $777,000.
Getting to work
23 minutes each way on average; 2.4% work from home; 1.4% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
McSwain, CA matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
2.9%
50% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.3%
36% below the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people7
-9.6
below the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasureWaihee-WaiehuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year12.9%50% below
Moved from another state11.3%36% below
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

Owning with a mortgage costs only about $168 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 88% of the 2,298 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Waihee-Waiehu20.7%
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
$87,640
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.7%
1% above the median place
Home price to income
6.1x
61% 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
$93,800
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Waihee-Waiehu, $2,191 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 Waihee-Waiehu, but easier on the budget

Places that match Waihee-Waiehu 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
McSwain, CA7813.1% vs 20.7%$24,700Compare
Bonadelle Ranchos, CA7717.5% vs 20.7%$12,200Compare
Enoch, UT7217.3% vs 20.7%n/aCompare
Zuni Pueblo, NM6315.4% vs 20.7%n/aCompare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Waihee-Waiehu.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Waihee-Waiehu? 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%
87% below the median place
Property tax paid (median)1
$929
72% below the median place
Median home value1
$777,000
143% above the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureWaihee-WaiehuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$2,19161% above
Rent to income120.7%1% above
Property tax rate10.1%87% below
Home price to income16.1x61% 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$92972% below
Median home value1$777,000143% above
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.3%34% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure55.4%8% above
Homeownership183.7%26% above
Renters paying 30%+151.0%1% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,35926% above
Vacant homes1County figure22.7%222% above
Median year built119891% above
03

Work and pay

2% of workers mostly work from home, fewer than in 99% of the 2,241 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the 2nd-lowest of 55 Hawaii places we track.

Works from home1
2.4%
81% below the median place
Median household income1
$126,735
58% above the median place
Poverty rate1
6.0%
45% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Unemployment4.0% −19%
Income per person$35,555 −11%
Mean commute23 min −7%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureWaihee-WaiehuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$126,73558% above
Income per person1$35,55511% below
Unemployment14.0%19% below
Average annual pay6County figure$64,1143% below
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure3.7%0% above
Jobs6County figure74,40751% below
Poverty rate16.0%45% below
Mean commute123 min7% below
Works from home12.4%81% below
Commutes by transit1County figure1.4%61% above
04

Who lives here

Households average 3.92 people, larger than than in 98% of the 2,300 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Household size1
3.9
57% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
84.6%
8% below the median place
Bachelor's or higher1
19.6%
39% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

No health insurance4.4% −31%
Born abroad14.6% +66%
High school or higher94.3% +2%
Median age39.5 +1%
All 8 people measures
MeasureWaihee-WaiehuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population110,9883837th largest
Median age139.51% above
Bachelor's or higher119.6%39% below
High school or higher194.3%2% above
Household size13.957% above
Born abroad114.6%66% above
No health insurance14.4%31% below
Homes with broadband184.6%8% below
05

Life in Waihee-Waiehu

OpenStreetMap shows 0 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 93% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 55 Hawaii places we track.

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

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents13.7 +34%
Playgrounds per 10k0.0 −100%
Grocery stores per 10k0.0 −100%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k0.9 −92%
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi3.8 17.9×

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

  • Haleakalā Wilderness 26 miles
  • Haleakalā National Park 27 miles
  • Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement and National Historical Park 34 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.

Nearest National Park Service site10
25.9
16% below the median place
Shops per 10k8
46.2
52% above the median place
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8
8.6
110% above the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureWaihee-WaiehuAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools12County figure34278% above
Public school students12County figure19,695302% above
Students per teacher12County 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 10k913.734% above
Playgrounds per 10k90.0below (median 9.4)
Grocery stores per 10k90.0below (median 2.1)
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k90.992% below
Libraries per 10k90.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi93.8above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1025.916% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles10350% above
National Register listings11County 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 Waihee-Waiehu. 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
MeasureWaihee-WaiehuAmong 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

Waihee-Waiehu in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 22% of the median income in 2030, up from 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. On projected 2030 affordability, Waihee-Waiehu does better than 27% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 48%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$2,191/mo (2024)$2,890/mo$2,370 to $3,520/mo+4.7%
Median household income$126,735 (2024)$160,500$135,500 to $190,000+4.0%
Median home value$777,000 (2024)$1,113,000$808,000 to $1,533,000+6.2%

The median home would be worth 6.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 6.1 now.

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

09

Places like Waihee-Waiehu

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

PlaceRentIncome
Norco, CA$1,925$127,566Compare
Ewa Beach, HI$2,522$124,323Compare
Nipomo, CA$2,106$110,022Compare
San Lorenzo, CA$2,163$112,660Compare
San Lorenzo, CANipomo, CAEwa Beach, HINorco, CAWaihee-Waiehu, HIWaihee-WaiehuNorcoEwa BeachNipomoSan LorenzoWaihee-WaiehuNorcoEwa BeachNipomoSan Lorenzo

Places built like Waihee-Waiehu

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 Waihee-Waiehu performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Waihee-Waiehu, HI20.7%4.8%/yrn/a
Madera Acres, CA25.8%-2.4%/yrn/aCompare
Lake Mathews, CA23.7%-1.6%/yrn/aCompare
Phelan, CA22.9%6.1%/yrn/aCompare
Nanakuli, HI23.4%2.9%/yrn/aCompare
Nuevo, CA16.3%9.6%/yrn/aCompare
Prunedale, CA18.7%3.1%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Waihee-Waiehu a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 36 out of 100, better than 36% of the places we rate and 20th of 55 in Hawaii. On cost, space and class size it scores 80 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Waihee-Waiehu expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.7% 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 $777,000.

What salary do you need to live in Waihee-Waiehu?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $87,640 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Waihee-Waiehu?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Norco, CA, Ewa Beach, HI, Nipomo, CA and San Lorenzo, 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. 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 Waihee-Waiehu with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Waihee-Waiehu itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/waihee-waiehu-hawaii

Citytistics. “Waihee-Waiehu, Hawaii.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/waihee-waiehu-hawaii/

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