Key takeaway: A typical one-bedroom apartment rents for about $1,900 on Oʻahu, $2,000 on Maui and $1,400 on Hawaiʻi Island (Rentometer medians, early 2026). Listings in Honolulu right now average closer to $2,600 (Zillow). Numbers checked October 30, 2026.
Oʻahu: four reports, four answers
| Source | 1BR | What it measures | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rentometer | $1,900 | Median of apartment listings and submitted rents, Honolulu County | Feb 2026 |
| HUD | $1,951 | 40th percentile, rent plus utilities | FY2027 (Oct 2026) |
| RentCafe | $2,356 | Average in large managed buildings, Honolulu | Sep 2026 |
| Zillow | $2,597 | Average of current listings, Honolulu | Oct 2026 |
Maui
Rentometer’s median one-bedroom in the Kahului-Wailuku area was $2,000 in January 2026 (Rentometer). Maui’s rents after the 2023 Lahaina fire have split: a UHERO survey of fire-affected renters found studio and one-bedroom rents back to about $1,200, roughly where they were before the fire, but two-bedrooms still above $2,000, against $1,600 before (Civil Beat, Aug 2026; UH News).
On Maui island, the emergency rent cap is still in place: landlords can’t charge more than the rent in effect on August 9, 2023, with limited exceptions. The current proclamation runs through December 15, 2026 (Office of the Governor, 33rd wildfire proclamation).
Hawaiʻi Island
The cheapest island for rent. Rentometer’s median one-bedroom in the Hilo-Kona area was $1,374 in February 2026 (Rentometer). Zumper put Hilo at $1,550 in October (Zumper). Kona runs higher, around $2,200 in current listings.
Kauaʻi
Kauaʻi has too few one-bedroom listings for a reliable median. HUD’s 2026 figure was $1,777, and Līhuʻe listings averaged $2,400 in October (Zillow).
A budgeting rule of thumb
HUD counts a household as cost-burdened when housing, including utilities, takes more than 30% of income. Working backward (our calculation: monthly rent × 12 ÷ 0.30), a $1,900 Oʻahu one-bedroom needs about $76,000 a year; $1,374 on Hawaiʻi Island needs about $55,000. Add electricity first: it costs a lot more here. See electricity by island.
Sources
- Rentometer: Honolulu County
- Rentometer: Kahului-Wailuku
- Rentometer: Hilo-Kailua
- RentCafe: Honolulu
- Zillow: Honolulu 1BR
- Zillow: Līhuʻe 1BR
- Zumper: Hilo
- StartBusinessByState: FY2027 FMRs
- Civil Beat: after Maui fires, rents have dropped
- UH News: 3 years after the Maui wildfires
- Governor: 33rd wildfire proclamation