Key takeaway: Maui has the state’s lowest property tax for homeowners and the most generous home exemption, but the highest HUD rent benchmark, at $2,030 for a one-bedroom. Since the 2023 Lahaina fire, small-unit rents have come back down, while two-bedrooms remain well above pre-fire levels (Civil Beat). Numbers checked October 30, 2026.
Maui at a glance
| Figure | As of | |
|---|---|---|
| 1BR rent, HUD benchmark (Maui County) | $2,030 a month | Oct 2026 |
| Typical 1BR apartment, Kahului-Wailuku | $2,000 a month | Jan 2026 |
| Median single-family home (county) | $1,150,000 | Sep 2026 |
| Median condo (county) | $660,000 | Sep 2026 |
| Electricity, first 350 kWh | 44.59¢ per kWh; about $242 for 500 kWh | Oct 2026 |
| Regular gas, Kahului-Wailuku | $5.74 a gallon | Oct 30, 2026 |
| Property tax, owner-occupied | $1.65 per $1,000 up to $1.5M; $300,000 home exemption | FY2027 |
| Maui Bus ride | $2; $45 monthly; free for seniors 55+ and youth | 2026 |
| Bare-bones budget, single adult | $46,265 a year | 2024 data |
| Bare-bones budget, 2 adults + 2 kids | $97,905 a year | 2024 data |
| MIT living wage, single adult | $68,816 a year ($33.08/hr), the state’s highest | Feb 2026 |
| Median household income (county) | $97,161 | 2020–2024 |
| Military cost-of-living index | 118 (mainland = 100) | Jan 2025 |
Every figure links to the guide where its source is cited. Budgets are before taxes. Electric bill is our calculation from the utility’s posted rates.
Rent by area
| Area | Average 1BR asking rent |
|---|---|
| Kahului, 96732 | $1,850 |
| Kīhei, 96753 (Zumper) | $2,300 |
| Lahaina, 96761 | $2,600 |
Zillow listings, October 29, 2026, except Kīhei, where Zillow’s average is skewed by furnished vacation-style listings.
What’s different about Maui
- The rent cap is still on. On Maui island, landlords can’t charge more than the rent in effect on August 9, 2023, with limited exceptions, under an emergency proclamation running through December 15, 2026 (Office of the Governor).
- Rents split after the fire. A UHERO survey of fire-affected renters found studio and one-bedroom rents back near $1,200, about pre-fire levels, but two-bedrooms still above $2,000, against $1,600 before (Civil Beat).
- The cheapest homeowner tax in the state. Maui’s owner-occupied rate and $300,000 exemption mean a $1.1 million home owes about $1,337 a year, against about $3,465 on Oʻahu (our calculation). See property tax.
- Many households are stretched. Aloha United Way found 53% of Maui residents below its basic-needs threshold after the fires (Civil Beat).
- Tipped jobs pay well here. The median waiter or waitress on Maui earned $82,550 including reported tips, the highest in the state. See what jobs pay.
Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi are part of Maui County but have their own costs. See Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, or compare the islands.
Sources
- HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents (via StartBusinessByState)
- Civil Beat: after Maui fires, rents have dropped
- Governor: 33rd wildfire proclamation
- Civil Beat: ALICE report coverage
- Title Guaranty: statewide housing statistics, September 2026
- Hawaiian Electric: Effective Rate Summary, October 2026
- AAA: Hawaiʻi gas prices
- State report of FY2027 county tax rates
- DBEDT: Self-Sufficiency Income Standard, 2024
- MIT Living Wage: Maui County
- Census QuickFacts: Maui County
- Zumper: Kīhei