Key takeaway: Kailua is one of the most expensive towns on Oʻahu: HUD’s 2026–27 one-bedroom benchmark for ZIP 96734 is $2,810, the highest of the Oʻahu towns we cover, and the Kailua–Waimānalo median single-family sale was $1,685,000 for the first half of 2026. Households earn more too, with a median income of $132,782. Numbers checked October 31, 2026.
Renting or buying in Kailua costs well above the Oʻahu average, and getting to Honolulu jobs means driving over the Pali or H-3. ZIP 96734 covers Kailua town, Lanikai and Enchanted Lake, with 50,670 residents (ACS 2020–2024). This is the Oʻahu Kailua; for Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island, see Kailua-Kona cost of living.
How much is rent in Kailua?
| Measure | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Small Area FMR, ZIP 96734 | $2,810 | $3,660 | FY2027 (from Oct 1, 2026) |
| Apartments.com average (apartments only) | $2,425 | $2,904 | Sep 2026 |
| Zumper average | $2,000 | $3,225 | Oct 27, 2026 |
HUD figures: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026). These are 40th-percentile rents including utilities, a voucher benchmark rather than an asking price. Listing figures are averages of current listings and move a lot month to month.
Kailua has few apartments, so most rentals are houses, cottages and ʻohana units, and listing averages swing widely: Zumper’s one-bedroom average fell 24% in 30 days.
What do homes cost in Kailua?
The median single-family sale in the Kailua–Waimānalo region was $1,685,000 for January–June 2026 and $1,749,000 in June alone; the median condo was $800,000 year to date (Honolulu Board of REALTORS). Homeowners in 96734 estimate their homes are worth a median of $1,367,600 (ACS 2020–2024). Honolulu’s owner-occupant property tax is $3.50 per $1,000 after a $120,000 exemption: about $5,500 a year on a $1.685 million house. See property tax by county.
What do Kailua households earn?
The median household income in ZIP 96734 is $132,782 (±$8,093) (ACS 2020–2024), well above the Oʻahu median. At HUD’s $2,810 one-bedroom benchmark, rent takes 25% of that income.
How long is the commute from Kailua?
Kailua workers average 25.7 minutes one way (ACS 2020–2024), mostly by car over the Pali Highway or H-3 into Honolulu. There is no rail service on the windward side; TheBus runs express and local routes over the Pali (TheBus).
What costs are specific to Kailua?
- Vacation-rental limits. Outside resort zones, Oʻahu bans rentals shorter than 30 days, and a 2022 ordinance raised the minimum to 90 days; a December 2023 federal court ruling lets rentals that were already operating keep the 30-day minimum (Courthouse News via VRMA). Kailua has no resort zone, so the limits apply across town; that keeps more homes in the long-term rental market.
- New flood maps. FEMA’s updated Oʻahu flood maps took effect June 10, 2026, moving more than 8,000 properties into higher-risk zones (Hawaii News Now). Owners with a federally backed mortgage who are newly in a high-risk zone must buy flood insurance, estimated at about $1,200 a year inland and up to $9,000 oceanfront (Hawaiʻi Public Radio, Apr 2026). Check any address on the city’s flood map page before you buy or rent.
How does Kailua compare with other Oʻahu towns?
| Town | 1BR rent, HUD benchmark | Median single-family sale | Mean commute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urban Honolulu (Waikīkī 96815) | $2,450 | $1,395,000 (Kapahulu–Diamond Head, YTD) | 22 min |
| Kailua (96734) | $2,810 | $1,685,000 (Kailua–Waimānalo, YTD) | 26 min |
| Kāneʻohe (96744) | $2,150 | $1,272,500 (YTD) | 29 min |
| Kapolei–ʻEwa (96707 / 96706) | $2,400 / $2,460 | $950,000 (ʻEwa Plain, YTD) | 33–35 min |
| Mililani (96789) | $2,160 | $1,100,000 (YTD) | 30 min |
Rent: HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2027 (effective Oct 1, 2026). These are 40th-percentile rents including utilities, a voucher benchmark rather than an asking price. Sales: Honolulu Board of REALTORS Local Market Update (HiCentral MLS data), June 2026 and year to date through June, by MLS region; the newest regional report we could reach. Commute: American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, via Census Reporter (ZIP). Honolulu commute shown for 96815.
More: Oʻahu cost of living · rent vs. buy calculator · salary calculator.
Sources
- HUD: FY2027 Small Area FMRs, Urban Honolulu (ZIP 96734)
- Apartments.com: Kailua rent trends
- Zumper: Kailua
- Honolulu Board of REALTORS: Local Market Update, June 2026
- Census Reporter: ZIP 96734
- TheBus
- VRMA / Courthouse News: Hawaiʻi short-term rental ruling (Dec 2023)
- Hawaii News Now: Oʻahu flood map changes (June 2026)
- Hawaiʻi Public Radio: flood maps (Apr 2026)