Honolulu County · Hawaii
Honolulu cost of living (HI)
Price levels published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for Urban Honolulu, HI, with the national average set to 100 — so 108 means things cost 8% more here than the US average.
Quick answer
Honolulu costs 11.0% above the national average — all-items price level 111.0, rank 12 of 94 covered metros. A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $110,961 here. Utilities is the reason, at 187.3.
- All items
- 111.0US average = 100
- Housing
- 135.535.5% above the national average
- Goods
- 111.611.6% above the national average
- Other services
- 102.92.9% above the national average
Price level by component
Where the difference actually comes from.
| Component | Index | vs US | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods | 111.6 | +11.6% | Groceries, fuel, clothing, durable purchases. |
| Housing | 135.5 | +35.5% | Rents and imputed rents — the biggest single swing factor. |
| Utilities | 187.3 | +87.3% | Electricity, gas, water and other household energy. |
| Other services | 102.9 | +2.9% | Healthcare, dining, repairs, personal services. |
Reading the Honolulu price level
What the 111.0 figure actually means for a household here.
Honolulu prices sit 11.0% above the US average — an all-items parity of 111.0, rank 12 of 94 covered metros. That is expensive. The median covered metro reads 100.8.
Utilities drives it: 187.3, 87.3% above average. Other services pull the other way at 102.9. The spread between the cheapest and dearest component is 84.4 points, so the headline number hides real variation — a renter and an owner in Honolulu do not face the same cost gap versus the rest of the country.
A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $110,961 here to buy the same basket. Run it the other way: the $88,894 median household income in Honolulu is worth $80,113 in national-average dollars, 2.0% above the $78,538 US median. Local pay more than covers the local price level.
Parities are published for Urban Honolulu, HI as a whole. Neighbourhood prices inside that metro diverge widely, and BEA revises the series annually.
What your salary is worth in Honolulu, HI
Enter a salary. We deflate it by the local price level (111.0 where 100 is the US average) and show what you would need to earn here to match the same pay somewhere average.
- Real value here
- $80,113
- Needed to match US average
- $98,638
- Monthly difference
- $812
What a local paycheck is really worth
Nominal pay is only half the story.
$88,894 median household income in Honolulu is worth $80,113 in national-average dollars. BEA calls that real income: income × 100 ÷ 111.0.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- Is Honolulu expensive?
- Yes — 11.0% above the US average, rank 12 of 94 covered metros. utilities is the component furthest from average at 187.3.
- What salary do you need to live in Honolulu, HI?
- $110,961 to match a $100,000 national-average salary. The local median household earns $88,894, worth $80,113 after adjusting for the 111.0 price level.
- Why is the cost of living high in Honolulu?
- Utilities at 187.3 versus other services at 102.9. A 84.4-point spread between components means one category, not general inflation, sets the headline figure.
More Honolulu data
Other Honolulu datasets on this site.
- Honolulu population and income
- Honolulu sales tax rate
- Honolulu property tax
- Honolulu home values and rent
- Honolulu crime rates
- Honolulu public schools
- Honolulu weather normals
- Honolulu commute times
- Honolulu jobs and wages
Statewide: Hawaii cities · Hawaii ZIP codes · Hawaii sales tax · Hawaii counties
2024 BEA Regional Price Parities, published for Urban Honolulu, HI. Parities are metro-wide, so a single neighbourhood can sit well above or below these figures.