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Moving to
Kapaa.
Kapaa is an unincorporated community in Kauai 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 Kapaa
Kapaa is an unincorporated community in Hawaii with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Kapaa deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Low unemployment in the county
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- High rent burden for renters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Kapaa compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Kapaa
Based on Kapaa's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,040
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $80,800 a year
- 52% of Kapaa renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$172,260
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $86,130
- Homes cost 9.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 43% above US
$2,020/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,020 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 $861,300. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $861,300 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
2.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Kauai County is 2.2%, 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.
Kauai County (county-wide)
Safety
232 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Kapaa doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Kauai 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 1967/100k · Policed by Kauai Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 67°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 18% below US
30% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 30%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
2 public schools inside the boundary
There are 2 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Honouliuli National Historic Site (94 miles away).
Bottom line
Kapaa'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 ($2,020/mo) equals 27% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Kapaa
All Hawaii guides →Not sure Kapaa is the one?
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