Key takeaway: Kīhei has Maui’s highest HUD rent benchmark, $2,390 for a one-bedroom in ZIP 96753, though typical apartment listings run closer to $2,000 to $2,300. The median condo sold for $600,000 and the median house for $1.3 million in January–April 2026. Under Bill 9, vacation rentals in many Kīhei apartment-zoned condos must end by January 1, 2031. Numbers checked October 31, 2026.
Kīhei is South Maui’s condo town: sunny and dry, with lots of rentals, but many of its condos are vacation units, and the town floods. The Kīhei census-designated place has 21,567 residents (ACS 2020–2024). Wailea and Mākena, to the south, are a separate, far pricier market.
How much is rent in Kīhei?
| Measure | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Small Area FMR, ZIP 96753 | $2,390 | $3,120 | FY2027 (from Oct 1, 2026) |
| Zumper average | $2,300 | $3,000 | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Rentometer median, apartments | $2,000 | $2,800 | Feb 18, 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. Zumper figures are averages of current listings, all property types.
Zillow’s Kīhei one-bedroom average of $4,274 in October 2026 is about twice the other sources, which fits furnished and short-stay listings pulling it up, so we don’t use it.
What do homes cost in Kīhei?
The median condo sold for $600,000 on 86 sales and the median single-family home for $1,300,000 on 45 sales in January–April 2026, both below a year earlier ($675,000 and $1,361,500) (REALTORS Association of Maui MLS via Fidelity National Title). For context, Wailea–Mākena condos had a median of $1,975,000. Maui’s owner-occupied tax rate is $1.65 per $1,000 after a $300,000 exemption: about $500 a year on a $600,000 condo.
What do Kīhei households earn?
The median household income in the Kīhei census-designated place is $87,772 (±$5,322), the lowest of the three Maui areas we cover (ACS 2020–2024).
How do people get around Kīhei?
Kīhei workers average 22.2 minutes one way (ACS 2020–2024), many driving the Mokulele Highway to Kahului. Maui Bus runs the Kīhei Islander and Kīhei Villager routes (Maui County).
What costs are specific to Kīhei?
- The vacation-rental phase-out. Bill 9, signed December 15, 2025, ends vacation rentals in about 6,100 apartment-zoned “Minatoya list” condos, with a South Maui deadline of January 1, 2031; two lawsuits are pending (Maui Now, Jan 2026). Bill 88, passed in June 2026, lets owners of some condos apply for hotel zoning to keep vacation use (Hotel Online, citing the Star-Advertiser). How many units return to long-term rental is still uncertain.
- Flooding. Back-to-back storms in March 2026 brought Kīhei nearly double its typical yearly rainfall and damaged South Kīhei Road; the county’s drainage plan lists about $200 million of projects, none funded for construction (Civil Beat, May 2026).
- Older oceanfront condos. At one 1970 oceanfront complex, a building collapsed in the March 2026 storm and owners kept paying condo fees of about $1,300 a month on damaged units (Maui Now, Apr 2026). Ask for reserve studies and special assessments before buying an older building.
- The rent cap. On Maui island, the governor’s 33rd wildfire proclamation (October 16, 2026) keeps rents from rising above what was charged on August 9, 2023, with exceptions for documented added operating costs and some affordable projects, through December 15, 2026 unless extended (Office of the Governor).
How does Kīhei compare with other Maui towns?
| Town | 1BR rent, HUD benchmark | Median single-family sale | Mean commute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahului–Wailuku (96732 / 96793) | $1,800 / $1,890 | $1,100,000 (both towns, YTD Apr) | 19–23 min |
| Kīhei (96753) | $2,390 | $1,300,000 (YTD Apr) | 22 min |
| West Maui: Lahaina (96761) | $2,280 | $2,000,000 (Lahaina, 9 sales, YTD Apr) | 20 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: REALTORS Association of Maui MLS district medians, January–April 2026, via Fidelity National Title. Commute: American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, via Census Reporter (census-designated place).
More: Maui cost of living · rent vs. buy calculator.
Sources
- FairMarketRentMap: HUD FY2027 SAFMR, ZIP 96753
- Zumper: Kīhei
- Rentometer: Kīhei
- Fidelity National Title: Maui statistics, YTD April 2026
- Census Reporter: Kīhei CDP
- Maui County: bus route maps
- Maui Now: Bill 9 lawsuits (Jan 2026)
- Hotel Online: Bill 88 exemption path (July 2026)
- Civil Beat: Kīhei flooding (May 2026)
- Maui Now: Kīhei oceanfront condo (Apr 2026)
- Governor: 33rd wildfire proclamation
- Maui County: FY2027 tax rate resolution