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Buying a home in Honolulu, Hawaii

In Honolulu, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $860,800, Hawaii's effective property tax rate is 0.27%, and a purchase mortgage in Hawaii carried a median $10,901 in total loan costs in 2025.

Data as of : Census ACS 2025 1-year, Census Vintage 2024, FHFA HPI 2026Q2, Census ACS 2020-2024, HMDA 2025. Sources

Checked on against the official sources listed at the bottom of the page.

Honolulu home costs, fact by fact

  • Honolulu is the first-named city of the Urban Honolulu, HI metropolitan area. (Census Vintage 2024)
  • That metro area is the 56th largest in the United States, with 998,747 residents. (Census Vintage 2024)
  • The median value of owner-occupied homes in Honolulu is $860,800. (Census ACS 2025 1-year)
  • That figure is what owners estimate their home is worth, not a sale price. (Census ACS 2025 1-year)
  • The FHFA House Price Index shows Hawaii prices up 5.8% between the second quarters of 2025 and 2026, against 2.1% for the nation. (FHFA HPI 2026Q2)
  • Homeowners in Hawaii pay a median $2,239 a year in property tax. (Census ACS 2020-2024; Hawaii property tax by county)
  • That is 0.27% of the median home value in Hawaii, its effective property tax rate. (Census ACS 2020-2024)
  • Home-purchase mortgages in Hawaii carried median total loan costs of $10,901 in 2025, across 7,522 loans. (HMDA 2025)
  • Half of those loans fell between $6,692 and $17,480. (HMDA 2025)
  • Hawaii taxes property transfers with a conveyance tax of $0.10 to $1.00 per $100 of the full price, depending on the price, or $0.15 to $1.25 for condos and single-family homes sold to buyers who cannot claim a county homeowner's exemption. (official sources; Hawaii transfer tax)

Calculate for Honolulu

If you buy

Hawaii state transfer tax

Conveyance tax (HRS chapter 247): $0.10 to $1.00 per $100 of full consideration by price bracket; $0.15 to $1.25 per $100 for condos and single-family homes when the buyer is ineligible for a county homeowner's exemption.

Price$860,800
State transfer taxnot computed
Who paysThe seller

Default price: the Honolulu median value of owner-occupied homes, $860,800 (Census ACS 2025). Not computed: One rate, chosen by the price bracket, applies to the whole price (not slice by slice). Per $100, all other sales: under $600,000 $0.10; $600,000 to under $1,000,000 $0.20; $1,000,000 to under $2,000,000 $0.30; $2,000,000 to under $4,000,000 $0.50; $4,000,000 to under $6,000,000 $0.70; $6,000,000 to under $10,000,000 $0.90; $10,000,000 or more $1.00. Condo or single-family home, buyer not eligible for a county homeowner's exemption: $0.15, $0.25, $0.40, $0.60, $0.85, $1.10, $1.25 in the same brackets. Minimum $1.00 per transaction; Form P-64A rounds to the nearest ten cents. Who pays: The person who conveys the property pays; if a federal, state or county government is the seller, the buyer pays. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Hawaii transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Hawaii state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

In short

The median value of owner-occupied homes in Urban Honolulu is $850,100, and $920,600 in Honolulu County (all of Oahu), according to the Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey. The state’s price limit for the Hale Kamaʻāina first-time buyer loan in Honolulu County is $866,346 ($1,058,867 in targeted areas), as of June 13, 2026, according to HHFDC.

How much homes cost in Honolulu

The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) asks owners how much they think their home would sell for. The median of those answers is a useful benchmark, but it is not a sale price: it covers every owner-occupied home, including homes bought long ago. Our page on Hawaii home prices explains the method in detail.

AreaMedian value, 2024 (ACS)Margin of error (90%)
Urban Honolulu CDP$850,100±$40,453
Honolulu County (the Urban Honolulu metro area)$920,600±$16,470
Hawaii$875,900±$14,013
United States$360,600±$618

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-Year Estimates 2024, table B25077. The 2025 estimates are scheduled for October 29, 2026.

“Urban Honolulu CDP” is the Census Bureau’s name for the city core; Honolulu County covers the whole island. The county median is $70,500 above the city-core median.

Are Honolulu prices rising?

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) tracks repeat sales of the same single-family homes. Its purchase-only index does not include a series for the Urban Honolulu metro area, so we show the state series, published August 25, 2026:

Area1-year change (Q2 2025 to Q2 2026)5-year change (Q2 2021 to Q2 2026)
Hawaii+5.8%+38.0%
United States+2.1%+33.4%

Source: FHFA House Price Index, quarterly purchase-only files. Changes calculated by Payotte from the published index values.

Closing costs, transfer tax and property tax

On top of the price, buyers and sellers pay closing costs, and the county collects property tax. These figures are covered in full, and sourced, in our Hawaii guides, so we do not repeat them here:

To see how property tax can be paid through your monthly mortgage payment, read our guide to escrow accounts.

Help for first-time buyers in Honolulu County

Honolulu County has its own limits under the state’s Hale Kamaʻāina Mortgage Program, run by HHFDC. As of June 13, 2026:

LimitNon-targeted areaTargeted area
Purchase price$866,346$1,058,867
Household income, 1-2 people$154,805$184,800
Household income, 3 or more people$178,025$215,600

Source: HHFDC, eligibility page as of September 4, 2026.

The City and County of Honolulu’s housing department uses a 2026 median family income of $133,400 for its own income guidelines. Our first-time buyer programs page explains who qualifies, how to apply and what other programs exist.

Natural hazards in Honolulu

The City’s Department of Emergency Management (DEM) publishes hazard information for Oahu. Facts you should know before you buy:

  • Tsunami. DEM says waves from a local tsunami could reach Oahu in as little as 30 minutes. It maps a Primary Tsunami Evacuation Zone and a larger Extreme Tsunami Evacuation Zone, and offers an address lookup.
  • Hurricane. DEM says a hurricane will affect all of Oahu, with risk varying by flooding, storm surge and wind exposure. It also says that, because many older homes were not built or retrofitted to withstand hurricanes, “even a Category 1 storm could leave thousands homeless on Oʻahu.”
  • Flood. DEM says Hawaii averages about 11 flood events a year, mostly from October to May, and that flash flooding can hit urban areas, valleys and streams.

Standard homeowners policies do not cover all of these. Our guide to natural hazards and insurance in Hawaii explains hurricane, flood and tsunami coverage, and the flood insurance guide covers the federal program.

Hawaii guides for Honolulu buyers

Frequently asked questions

What is the median home price in Honolulu?

The Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey puts the median value of owner-occupied homes in Urban Honolulu at $850,100 (±$40,453) and in Honolulu County at $920,600 (±$16,470). These are owners’ estimates, not the median sale price of recent sales.

Are home prices in Honolulu going up?

The FHFA purchase-only index has no series for Urban Honolulu alone. For Hawaii as a whole, it shows a 5.8% rise between the second quarters of 2025 and 2026, and 38.0% over five years.

What is the maximum home price for a Hale Kamaʻāina loan in Honolulu?

HHFDC lists $866,346 in non-targeted areas and $1,058,867 in targeted areas of Honolulu County, as of June 13, 2026.

Is Honolulu a tsunami risk area?

DEM maps tsunami evacuation zones on Oahu and says local tsunami waves could arrive in as little as 30 minutes. Use the City’s address lookup to see whether a home is inside a zone.

Where can I find the other costs of buying?

Our Hawaii pages on closing costs, transfer tax and property tax cover them, with sources.

More Hawaii guides

Sources

Questions about buying a home in Honolulu

How much is property tax in Honolulu?

Honolulu has no county figure on Payotte; across Hawaii, homeowners pay a median $2,239 a year in property tax, 0.27% of the state median home value of $839,100 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Honolulu?

Home-purchase mortgages in Hawaii carried median total loan costs of $10,901 in 2025; half of the 7,522 loans fell between $6,692 and $17,480 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Honolulu?

Hawaii taxes property transfers with a conveyance tax of $0.10 to $1.00 per $100 of the full price, depending on the price, or $0.15 to $1.25 for condos and single-family homes sold to buyers who cannot claim a county homeowner's exemption. The seller is the person subject to the tax.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Honolulu?

Across Hawaii, the main hazards for home insurance are hurricane, flood, wildfire, lava and tsunami, and the insurer of last resort is Hawaii Property Insurance Association (HPIA). A standard Hawaii homeowners policy (form HO-3) excludes hurricane, flood, tidal wave and earthquake losses, so separate policies may be needed; an NFIP policy covers up to $250,000 of building damage and takes 30 days to start unless bought with a mortgage.

Professionals by sector of Honolulu

Who licenses each trade in Hawaii

Data sources for the figures above

Hawaii · All states · Federal guides