What actually sets Hawaii apart
Hawaii has the lowest effective property tax rate in the country and some of the highest home prices, so the tax line is a small share of a very large payment. The rate only stays low if you actually claim the home exemption: an unclaimed property is taxed as an investment at several times the owner-occupier rate.
Property taxes in Hawaii at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 0.27% of home value per year
- Median home value: $808,200
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $2,183 per year (about $182 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 50th of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 32nd of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the Hawaii statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
Why the Hawaii rate understates the bill
Ranked by rate, Hawaii is 50th of the fifty. Ranked by what an owner actually pays, it is 32nd — 18 places higher. The rate is not doing that work; the $808,200 median home value is. A modest percentage of an expensive house is still an expensive bill.
Missouri makes the point. It charges 0.88%, roughly 3.3 times the Hawaii rate, and its median owner still pays about $1,887 a year — some $296 less than a Hawaii owner on a median-value home.
How Hawaii works out what you owe
Each of the four counties sets its own classes and rates, and homes are assessed at 100% of market value. Owner-occupied property is taxed at a much lower rate than second homes, hotels and short-term rentals.
Hawaii sets no statutory limit on how fast a home's taxable value can rise, so a Hawaii assessment tracks the market more closely than it would in a capped state.
Exemptions Hawaii homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces a Hawaii bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Home exemption: A substantial reduction in assessed value for an owner-occupier who claims the property as a primary residence, increasing with the owner's age in most counties.
- Owner-occupant classification: Claiming the exemption also moves the property into the owner-occupied class, which carries a materially lower rate than the residential investor classes.
Where you buy inside Hawaii changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in Hawaii:
- City and County of Honolulu: Oahu holds most of the state's population and applies a separate, much higher rate to residential properties above a value threshold that are not owner-occupied
- Maui County: the widest gap in the state between the owner-occupied rate and the short-term rental rate
- Hawaii County: the Big Island, where lava zone designations affect insurance availability more than they affect assessment
How Hawaii compares with the mainland
Hawaii does not border another state, so the useful comparison is with the national spread. Its 0.27% average is the lowest of any state in the country, against a 50-state average near 0.99%.
At the extremes, New Jersey averages about 2.23% and Hawaii about 0.27%. On a $808,200 home that spread is worth roughly $15,841 a year.
Appealing a Hawaii assessment
If the assessed value on your Hawaii home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the county Board of Review or the Tax Appeal Court. The window is generally by 9 January following the December assessment notice, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are Hawaii property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
The fiscal year begins in July, with instalments due 20 August and 20 February. Applications are filed with the county real property assessment division, typically by 30 September or 31 December depending on the county.
Does this calculator use my exact Hawaii county tax rate?
No — it applies the Hawaii statewide average of 0.27%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside Hawaii is wide enough to matter: on a $808,200 home, $5,783 a year separates Hawaii from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its Hawaii county before relying on this figure.
Reference sources
Related calculators
How this estimate is built
Principal and interest come from the standard amortization formula, worked through in full on the formula reference page. Property tax, insurance, PMI and loan-program figures layer on top from published assumptions — each one sourced, dated and listed on the methodology page. Every result here is an estimate built from public data, not a quote: confirm the specifics with a lender before relying on it.
For developers
This calculation is also available as a REST API and through an MCP server, both running the same engine as this page — so the figures match by construction rather than by convention. No key required.