Urban Honolulu cost of living
Prices in the Urban Honolulu, HI metro area run at 111.0 against a national average of 100, ranking it #8 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 135.5.
What drives the number
Urban Honolulu is one of the most expensive places the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures, at 111.0 against a national 100, ranking #8 of 387 metro areas. Being 11 per cent above national is the sort of gap that changes which job offers are worth taking. Against Hawaii as a whole it is 1 point more expensive, which is the usual direction: cities cost more than the states around them.
Housing is doing nearly all of the work. Rents sit at 135.5 while goods sit at 111.6, a gap of 24.5 points between what it costs to live somewhere and what it costs to buy things. That pattern is the single most useful thing the parity series shows: the cost of a place is the cost of its housing. Goods at 111.6 are themselves 11.6 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
The practical use of this number is converting pay between places. Take any salary quoted here, divide by 111.0, multiply by 100, and you have what it would need to be nationally to leave you equally well off.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Urban Honolulu is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 18,970 | $30,680 | $27,640 | $30,480 |
| Retail Salespersons | 11,950 | $35,540 | $32,018 | $34,580 |
| Registered Nurses | 9,930 | $138,690 | $124,946 | $93,600 |
| Office Clerks, General | 9,650 | $41,090 | $37,018 | $43,630 |
| General and Operations Managers | 9,230 | $105,740 | $95,261 | $102,950 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 8,480 | $39,710 | $35,775 | $33,760 |
| Security Guards | 8,280 | $41,770 | $37,631 | $38,370 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 7,680 | $39,070 | $35,198 | $36,830 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 111.0.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului-Wailuku | 109.4 | 119.2 | #12 |
Urban Honolulu: common questions
Is Urban Honolulu expensive?
Prices are 11% above the national average, a parity of 111.0 where the country is 100. It ranks #8 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against Hawaii as a whole it is 1 point more expensive.
What salary do you need in Urban Honolulu?
The median worker there earns $54,660, which buys what $49,243 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 135.5 against goods at 111.6. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.