Cost Of Living in Makawao, HI

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. For example, if the cost of living is 90, then it is 10% lower than average. If the cost of living is 110, then it is 10% higher than average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods & services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). If the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Makawao	Hawaii	National
Cost of living	176	173	100
Goods & Services	127	130	100
Groceries	117	137	100
Health care	123	126	100
Housing	284	250	100
Transportation	135	143	100
Utilities	151	180	100

New Real Estate Listings in Makawao Area

For Sale For Rent

Search

Search Homes for Sale in Makawao, HI

See How Much House You Can Afford. Get Pre-Approved Today

Cost Of Living Quick Facts

The cost of living in Makawao is 2% higher than the Hawaii average
The cost of living in Makawao is 76% higher than the national average
Makawao housing is 184% higher than the national average
Hawaii general sales tax is 22% lower than the national average
Hawaii state income tax is 46% lower than the national average

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Makawao

See all the best places to live around Makawao

Compare Makawao, HI Cost of Living

Write a review to give others more information about this area.

See all Makawao poll results

The best places in Hawaii

Here are the best places to live in Hawaii

These are the 10 cheapest cities in Hawaii

Safest Cities In The US

Most Dangerous Cities In The US

Salary Calculator

This is how much you would need to earn in

Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$107,732	$8,978	$2,514	$3,232
Renters	$42,750	$3,563	$997	$1,283

The percent of monthly income spent on housing can be a good indicator of the affordability of housing in Makawao, HI, as well as the overall cost of living. As a general rule of thumb, the debt-to-income ratio (DTI) for homeowners or renters should be not more than 28 percent of gross income to be spent on housing related costs and not more than 36 percent of income on all expenses, including debts. The median income for Makawao homeowners, is $107,732. This would allow for a maximum of $2,514 per month to be spent on housing costs. For renters, the median monthly income is $42,750 which would result in a maximum of $997 to be spent on rental costs.

Hawaii Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Hawaii	4%	4.712%

Hawaii Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Hawaii	1.4%	11%

Goods & Services

Item	Makawao	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$19.47	$24.26	19.8%
Beauty Salon	$76.67	$45.56	68.3%
Toothpaste	$3.68	$3.70	0.6%
Shampoo	$1.73	$1.28	34.8%
Movie	$15.08	$12.13	24.3%
Bowling	$25.33	$18.00	40.7%

Groceries

Item	Makawao	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$5.42	$5.84	7.2%
Fried Chicken	$2.85	$1.57	81.0%
Milk	$5.38	$4.67	15.1%
Potatoes	$5.94	$4.93	20.4%
Pizza	$14.99	$12.09	24.0%
Beer	$12.01	$10.41	15.4%

Health Care

Item	Makawao	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$236.67	$125.68	88.3%
Doctor	$191.36	$135.78	40.9%
Dentist	$114.44	$113.29	1.0%
Ibuprofen	$11.35	$10.65	6.6%
Lipitor	$573.90	$468.60	22.5%

Housing

Item	Makawao	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$630,700.00	$184,700.00	241.5%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$8,008.77	$2,346.69	241.3%
Apartment Rent	$1,435.00	$949.00	51.2%

Transportation

Item	Makawao	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$4.80	$3.46	38.8%
Tire Balancing	$75.37	$59.92	25.8%

Utilities

Item	Makawao	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$359.53	$193.99	85.3%
Phone	$184.47	$192.25	4.0%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Maalaea, HI	258	151	50.8%
Waihee-Waiehu, HI	10,771	169	69.4%
Wailuku, HI	17,523	170	69.9%
Kahului, HI	29,993	173	73.4%
Haliimaile, HI	997	177	76.5%
Makawao, HI	7,989	176	75.9%

Cities with similar population

City	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Minnetrista, MN	7,989	143	43.1%
Argyle, NS	7,989	n/a
Brentwood, MO	7,986	105	4.7%
Beckwith, ON	7,986	n/a
Brazeau County, AB	7,986	n/a
Makawao, HI	7,989	176	75.9%

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2023 and was released from C2ER in January, 2024; this is the most current data available.

Cost of Living in Makawao, HI