What it's like to live in Kailua (Honolulu County)

Kailua (Honolulu County) is a small city 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. Kailua (Honolulu County) deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.

The good

  • Low unemployment in the county
  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Clean air
  • Highly educated workforce
  • Growing population
  • Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Above-average commute times

How Kailua (Honolulu County) compares

Median household income

Kailua (Honolulu County)$148,582
Hawaii avg$100,389
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Kailua (Honolulu County)$3,093
Hawaii avg$1,971
US$1,413

Median home value

Kailua (Honolulu County)$1,353,700
Hawaii avg$839,100
US$332,700

What it takes to move to Kailua (Honolulu County)

Based on Kailua (Honolulu County)'s median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$6,186

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

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $123,720 a year
  • 48% of Kailua (Honolulu County) renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$270,740

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $135,370
  • Homes cost 9.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 119% above US

$3,093/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $3,093 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 $1,353,700. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $1,353,700 · 48% 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

Kailua (Honolulu County) 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▲ 12% above US

29 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 29.1 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 13% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
70%
Work from home
13%
Carpool
11%
Walk
2.3%
Other
2.3%
Public transit
2.0%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 69°F.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
60°70°80°90°100°4"Jan: 2.81" precipitationFeb: 3.16" precipitationMar: 3.62" precipitationApr: 1.62" precipitationMay: 1.32" precipitationJun: 1.27" precipitationJul: 1.31" precipitationAug: 1.42" precipitationSep: 1.50" precipitationOct: 2.58" precipitationNov: 3.68" precipitationDec: 3.53" precipitation68°JJan: high 79°F, low 68°FFFeb: high 78°F, low 69°FMMar: high 78°F, low 69°FAApr: high 80°F, low 71°FMMay: high 81°F, low 72°FJJun: high 82°F, low 74°FJJul: high 83°F, low 75°F84°AAug: high 84°F, low 75°FSSep: high 84°F, low 76°FOOct: high 83°F, low 75°FNNov: high 81°F, low 73°FDDec: high 79°F, low 70°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 4.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 54% above US

56% 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

11 public schools inside the boundary

There are 11 public schools inside the boundary and 6 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, well below 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 (13 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Kailua (Honolulu County)'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 ($3,093/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) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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