Moving to
Urban Honolulu.

All Urban Honolulu data Compare Urban Honolulu

345,482people live here $86,504median household incomeNear US average $1,823median rent per month▲ 29% above US $843,400median home value▲ 154% above US

Urban 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 Urban Honolulu

Urban Honolulu is a large unincorporated community in Hawaii with county unemployment below the national average, commutes that run shorter than most cities, 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. Urban Honolulu 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 very rainy.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Short commutes
Clean air
Highly educated workforce
Several well-rated hospitals
Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
High rent burden for renters
Very rainy — 151" of rain per year

How Urban Honolulu compares

Median household income

Urban Honolulu$86,504

Hawaii avg$100,389

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

Urban Honolulu$1,823

Hawaii avg$1,971

US$1,413

Median home value

Urban Honolulu$843,400

Hawaii avg$839,100

US$332,700

What it takes to move to Urban Honolulu

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

To rent

$3,646

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

Income to keep rent under 30%: $72,920 a year
51% of Urban Honolulu renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$168,680

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $84,340
Homes cost 9.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 29% above US

$1,823/mo median rent

Rent runs on the higher side, at $1,823 a month median. Whether that premium makes sense usually comes down to the local job market and what it pays. Home prices are steep, with a median around $843,400. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $843,400 · 51% 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

Urban 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▼ 16% below US

22 min average commute

Commutes are reasonable, averaging 21.9 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% take public transit; 10% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

55%

Carpool

14%

Work from home

9.8%

Walk

8.1%

Public transit

7.3%

Other

5.4%

Climate

Summers are comfortable, with highs around 79°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 64°F. It's a wet climate overall.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

7 hospitals

There are 7 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 3.8 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 15% above US

42% bachelor's degree or higher

The population is well-educated, with 42% holding college degrees. That points to a strong professional base and generally a healthy local economy.

Schools

61 public schools inside the boundary

There are 61 public schools inside the boundary and 23 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, 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 (7 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

Urban Honolulu's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and commutes that run shorter than most cities; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,823/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), people who want short commutes, and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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