CitytisticsShortlist

Alhambra, CA vs Lihue, HI

Alhambra

California

vs

Lihue

Hawaii

Across 35 directional measures we can compare, Alhambra leads on 11 and Lihue on 24. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 1% higher in Lihue, and so is median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,939$1,956
Alhambra is 1% lower
Median household income
$88,024$92,850
Alhambra is 5% lower
Median home value
$857,800$878,500
Alhambra is 2% lower

The Citytistics read

  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, pay outran rent by 1.3 points a year in Alhambra, and rent outran pay by 2.4 points a year in Lihue.

How these are calculated

CaliforniaHawaiiLihue, HIAlhambra, CAAlhambraLihueAlhambraLihue

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 2 of 2 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Lihue, HIComposite 56.4 / 100
67
106867n/a9371n/a
02Alhambra, CAComposite 35.7 / 100
15
7516737213843

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureAlhambraLihueAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$1,939$1,956
Rent to income126.4%25.3%
Property tax rate10.7%0.2%
Home price to income19.8x9.5x
Prices vs US average2113.6n/a
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$2,964$2,105
HUD area median income4$108,100$120,100
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$5,717$1,848
Median home value1$857,800$878,500
Home prices, 1-year change51.7%-0.8%
Home prices, 5-year change543.3%52.1%
Homeownership141.0%63.8%
Renters paying 30%+152.5%62.1%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$3,050$3,111
Vacant homes17.1%10.5%
Median year built119601983
Jobs and income
Median household income1$88,024$92,850
Income per person1$43,562$44,331
Unemployment15.3%3.9%
Average annual pay6$86,080$62,998
Pay growth, 1 year63.0%5.5%
Jobs64,525,46033,298
Poverty rate112.6%6.3%
Mean commute130 min17 min
Works from home114.4%5.0%
Commutes by transit12.1%1.4%
People
Population181,0227,901
Population change since 20207-3.7%n/a
Median age141.542.3
Bachelor's or higher140.8%41.0%
High school or higher184.0%95.2%
Household size12.62.9
Born abroad145.0%15.0%
No health insurance14.2%2.3%
Homes with broadband194.3%90.2%
Moving
Moved here in the past year11.9%3.3%
Moved from another state10.5%2.9%
Net movers per 1,000 people8-11.4-4.4
Income of households moving in8$89,350$90,556
Income of households moving out8$94,071$75,335
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k924.234.6
Shops per 10k929.648.3
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k921.88.0
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k931.419.0
Child care centers per 10k92.02.3
Parks per 10k102.512.7
Playgrounds per 10k103.61.3
Grocery stores per 10k101.26.3
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1015.732.9
Libraries per 10k100.42.5
Named paths and bike trails100.00.1
Transit stops per sq mi1020.20.9
Nearest National Park Service site1126.892.4
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1110
National Register listings126297
Safety
Violent crime per 100k13195n/a
Property crime per 100k131,935n/a
Schools
Public schools14115
Public school students149,6323,286
Students per teacher1422.913.7
Climate
July average high1589°Fn/a
January average low1541°Fn/a
Average temperature1562°Fn/a
Annual precipitation1515.1 inn/a
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk16100.084.5
Hurricane risk160.064.9
Tornado risk1697.72.4
Wildfire risk1699.993.1
Heat wave risk1699.30.0
Median air quality index1774n/a
Good air days1710.7%n/a

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Alhambra $77,560, Lihue $78,240 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. 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. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. 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.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. 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).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

Other places people weigh against these two, and each one in full.