Key takeaway: Līhuʻe is Kauaʻi’s county seat and job center, with the island’s shortest commutes (17 minutes on average) and the main bus hub. HUD’s 2026–27 one-bedroom benchmark for ZIP 96766 is $1,740 a month, and the Līhuʻe district’s median single-family sale was $1.15 million in the first quarter of 2026. Numbers checked October 31, 2026.
A one-bedroom in Līhuʻe costs about $1,750 to $2,200 a month, and a typical house sells for over $1 million. Līhuʻe holds the county and state offices, Wilcox Medical Center, the airport and Nāwiliwili Harbor, and sits in the middle of the island’s one coastal highway.
How much is rent in Līhuʻe?
| Measure | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Small Area FMR, ZIP 96766 | $1,740 | $2,270 | $2,790 | FY2027 (from Oct 1, 2026) |
| Zillow average asking rent | $2,200 | not reliable | not reliable | Sep 14, 2026 |
| Rentometer, 2BR listings | not enough data | $2,500 median | not enough data | Jan 10, 2026 |
HUD figures: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026), as republished by FairMarketRentMap; HUD’s summary pages show only county figures for the neighbor islands. These are 40th-percentile rents including utilities, a voucher benchmark rather than an asking price. The HUD 1BR benchmark for 96766 was $1,870 in FY2026. Zillow had only 7 Līhuʻe rentals listed.
Kauaʻi has very few rentals listed at any time, so listing averages move a lot. The HUD benchmark is the steadier number. See rent by island.
What do homes cost in Līhuʻe?
The median single-family sale in the Līhuʻe district was $1,150,000 for January–March 2026 (6 sales), and the median condo was $630,850 (18 sales) (Kauaʻi Board of REALTORS via Fidelity National Title). Monthly figures since then rest on one to five sales each: single-family sales ran from $1.1 million in July to $1.57 million on a single September sale (Island Properties, Hawaiʻi Information Service data).
Kauaʻi’s owner-occupied property tax rate is $2.59 per $1,000 for FY2027 after a $220,000 home exemption (owners under 60), and owner-occupied assessments can rise no more than 3% a year. On a $1.15 million house that is about $2,400 a year. See property tax by county.
For lower-priced ownership, the county’s Lima Ola project in ʻEleʻele, about 20 minutes west, sold its first 38 houses for $460,000 to $535,000 to households earning up to 120% of the area median income (Hawaiʻi Public Radio, Dec 2025).
What do Līhuʻe households earn?
The median household income is $100,678 (±$6,719) for ZIP 96766, which takes in Puhi and Hanamāʻulu, and $92,850 for the smaller Līhuʻe census-designated place, where the margin of error is wide (±$28,137) (ACS 2020–2024).
How do people get around Līhuʻe?
Līhuʻe workers have the shortest average commute on the island, 16.9 minutes (ACS 2020–2024). It is the hub of the Kauaʻi Bus, with routes to Kekaha, Hanalei and Wailua (County of Kauaʻi); fares are $2 a ride or $50 a month for adults, and there is no Sunday service (bus fares).
What costs are specific to Līhuʻe?
- Hurricane Lowell. Lowell passed Kauaʻi overnight September 7–8, 2026; at its peak, KIUC reported 33,000 of its 36,000 members without power (Civil Beat), and the governor put initial damage above $400 million (Hawaii News Now). KIUC has asked regulators for permission to defer and later recover its storm costs, so a future rate effect is possible (Kauaʻi Now). Listing rents from September and October 2026 may be distorted by the storm. Central Kauaʻi was largely spared direct damage compared with the north and south shores (Hawaii News Now).
- Electricity from a co-op. All of Kauaʻi is served by the Kauaʻi Island Utility Cooperative. See electricity rates by island.
- Few listings. With only a handful of rentals and sales each month, be ready to move quickly and expect landlords to ask for references and deposits up front.
How does Līhuʻe compare with other towns on Kauaʻi?
| Town | 1BR rent, HUD benchmark | Median single-family sale | Mean commute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Līhuʻe (96766) | $1,740 | $1.15 million (Līhuʻe district, 6 sales) | 17 min |
| Kapaʻa–Wailua (96746) | $1,720 | $940,000 (Kawaihau district, 21 sales) | 27 min |
| North Shore: Princeville (96722) | $2,420 | $2.63 million (Hanalei district, 21 sales) | 16 min |
Rent: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026), as republished by FairMarketRentMap; HUD’s summary pages show only county figures for the neighbor islands. These are 40th-percentile rents including utilities, a voucher benchmark rather than an asking price. Sales: Kauaʻi Board of REALTORS district medians for January–March 2026, via Fidelity National Title. Commute: American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, via Census Reporter (census-designated place).
More: Kauaʻi cost of living · compare the islands · rent vs. buy calculator.
Sources
- FairMarketRentMap: HUD FY2027 SAFMR, ZIP 96766
- Zillow Rental Manager: Līhuʻe rent trends
- Rentometer: Līhuʻe
- Kauaʻi Board of REALTORS Q1 2026 statistics (Fidelity National Title)
- Island Properties: Kauaʻi market report, September 2026
- Census Reporter: ZIP 96766 (ACS 2020–2024)
- Census Reporter: Līhuʻe CDP (ACS 2020–2024)
- County of Kauaʻi: bus schedules
- County of Kauaʻi: bus fares
- Hawaiʻi Public Radio: Lima Ola (Dec 2025)
- Civil Beat: Hurricane Lowell (Sep 2026)
- Hawaii News Now: Lowell damage estimate (Sep 2026)
- Kauaʻi Now: Lowell recovery