Key takeaway: Puna has the lowest home prices on Hawaiʻi Island: the district’s median single-family sale was $392,000 in September 2026, and HUD’s one-bedroom benchmark is about $1,450 to $1,480. The savings come with trade-offs: lava-zone insurance, catchment water instead of county lines in most subdivisions, unpaved private roads, cesspools and a 33- to 35-minute average commute. Numbers checked October 31, 2026.
Puna is where Hawaiʻi Island’s cheapest houses are, but a low price in Puna often means paying for water, roads, wastewater and insurance yourself. The district stretches southeast of Hilo through Keaʻau, Hawaiian Paradise Park, Pāhoa and Leilani Estates. It had 51,704 residents in the 2020 Census, up from 5,154 in 1970, and is the fastest-growing part of the state (Civil Beat, May 2023).
How much is rent in Puna?
| Measure | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HUD Small Area FMR, Pāhoa 96778 | $1,480 | $1,910 | $2,400 | FY2027 (from Oct 1, 2026) |
| HUD Small Area FMR, Keaʻau / HPP 96749 | $1,450 | $1,870 | $2,360 | FY2027 (from Oct 1, 2026) |
| Zillow average asking rent, Pāhoa | $1,100 | $1,760 | $2,200 | Oct 1, 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. Zillow figures are averages of 45 Pāhoa listings; with so few, treat them as a rough guide.
ZIP 96749 has the lowest HUD one-bedroom benchmark of any Hawaiʻi Island ZIP we checked. Most Puna rentals are houses, not apartments.
What do homes cost in Puna?
The median single-family sale in the Puna district was $392,000 in September 2026, on 66 sales, the most of any district on the island; in July it was $375,000 (Title Guaranty Hawaiʻi). There were no condo sales. Homeowners estimate their homes are worth a median of $273,800 in ZIP 96778 and $442,200 in 96749 (ACS 2020–2024). Financing can be hard: many Puna homes were built without permits, and lenders and insurers treat lava zones 1 and 2 differently.
What do Puna households earn?
Incomes vary widely within the district. The median household income is $39,750 in ZIP 96778 (Pāhoa and lower Puna, ±$9,671) and $85,399 in ZIP 96749 (Keaʻau and Hawaiian Paradise Park, ±$16,785) (ACS 2020–2024, 96778; 96749).
How do people get around Puna?
Puna has the longest commutes on the island: an average of 34.7 minutes one way in ZIP 96778 and 32.8 minutes in 96749 (ACS 2020–2024), mostly on Highway 130 into Hilo. The roughly 19-mile drive from Pāhoa can take 1.5 hours at rush hour (Civil Beat, May 2023). Hele-On is free through 2028 and runs routes 40, 401 and 402 through Pāhoa and Keaʻau (Hawaiʻi DOE route list, July 2026), but most of the subdivisions are far from a stop.
What costs are specific to Puna?
- Lava zones and insurance. About 44% of Puna subdivisions are in USGS lava hazard zones 1 and 2 (2008 county report, cited by Civil Beat). After a major private insurer left Hawaiʻi in 2023, many zone 1–2 owners were left with the state-run insurer of last resort, the Hawaiʻi Property Insurance Association, and reported premium increases of 300% to 1,000% (Hawaiʻi Tribune-Herald via InsuranceNewsNet, Aug 2023). Get an insurance quote before you make an offer. See homeowners insurance.
- Catchment water. Most Puna subdivisions have no county water lines, so homes rely on rainwater catchment or private wells, with the cost of tanks, pumps, filters and UV treatment on the owner (Civil Beat).
- Private roads. Many subdivision roads are unpaved and privately owned, some need four-wheel drive, and hundreds of miles have no agency responsible for maintaining them (Civil Beat). Some subdivisions charge owners a road assessment; ask for the amount.
- Cesspools. Hawaiian Paradise Park has the highest concentration of cesspools in the state, about 4,300 disposal sites. Converting one to a septic system usually costs $25,000 to $45,000, and all must be converted by 2050 (Civil Beat, Aug 2025).
- Even county water can be cut. After a March 2026 storm, the Pāhoa county water system was put on essential-use-only restrictions (Big Island Video News).
How does Puna compare with other towns on Hawaiʻi Island?
| Town | 1BR rent, HUD benchmark | Median single-family sale | Mean commute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hilo (96720) | $1,500 | $502,000 (South Hilo, 8 sales) | 20 min |
| Kailua-Kona (96740) | $1,890 | $1.4 million (North Kona, 20 sales) | 20 min |
| Puna (Pāhoa 96778 / Keaʻau 96749) | $1,480 / $1,450 | $392,000 (Puna, 66 sales) | 33–35 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: Title Guaranty Hawaiʻi Residential Sales Report, September 2026, by tax district. Commute: American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates, via Census Reporter.
More: Hawaiʻi Island cost of living · compare the islands · rent vs. buy calculator.
Sources
- FairMarketRentMap: HUD FY2027 SAFMR, ZIP 96778
- FairMarketRentMap: HUD FY2027 SAFMR, ZIP 96749
- Zillow Rental Manager: Pāhoa rent trends
- Title Guaranty Hawaiʻi: Residential Sales Report, Hawaiʻi Island, September 2026
- Census Reporter: ZIP 96778 (ACS 2020–2024)
- Census Reporter: ZIP 96749 (ACS 2020–2024)
- Civil Beat: Puna is the fastest-growing place in Hawaiʻi (May 2023)
- InsuranceNewsNet: lava zone insurance options (Aug 2023)
- Civil Beat: Big Island cesspools (Aug 2025)
- Big Island Video News: storm water restrictions, Mar 2026
- Hawaiʻi DOE: Hele-On to Schools (July 2026)