Moving to
East Honolulu.

All East Honolulu data Compare East Honolulu

51,360people live here $159,518median household income▲ 98% above US $3,313median rent per month▲ 134% above US $1,212,000median home value▲ 264% above US

East Honolulu is an unincorporated community in Honolulu County, HI. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in East Honolulu

East Honolulu is a large unincorporated community in Hawaii with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. East Honolulu deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Higher-than-average incomes
Clean air
Highly educated workforce
Growing population
Average class sizes

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Above-average commute times
High rent burden for renters

How East Honolulu compares

Median household income

East Honolulu$159,518

Hawaii avg$100,389

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

East Honolulu$3,313

Hawaii avg$1,971

US$1,413

Median home value

East Honolulu$1,212,000

Hawaii avg$839,100

US$332,700

What it takes to move to East Honolulu

Based on East Honolulu's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$6,626

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $132,520 a year
53% of East Honolulu renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$242,400

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $121,200
Homes cost 7.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 134% above US

$3,313/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $3,313 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $1,212,000. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,212,000 · 53% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

2.3% county unemployment

Unemployment in Honolulu County is 2.3%, well below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Honolulu County (county-wide)

Safety

181 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

East Honolulu doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Honolulu Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1459/100k · Policed by Honolulu Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 19% above US

31 min average commute

Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.9 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 17% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

66%

Work from home

17%

Carpool

12%

Other

2.1%

Public transit

1.3%

Walk

0.8%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 66°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 66% above US

60% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

7 public schools inside the boundary

There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Pearl Harbor National Memorial (15 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

East Honolulu's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($3,313/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), remote workers (17% of workers here already work from home), and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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