9 days ago
57
3
Posted On: October 27th 2026, 10:05 pm
Phoenix vs Big Island: which one actually costs more?
Lots of Arizona folks have the Big Island on their list. Here's the honest breakdown.
HOME PRICES. Phoenix's median single-family home was about $475,000 in September. The Big Island's was about $499,000. But the island is two markets: Puna's median was about $392,000, while North Kona's was about $1.4 million.
PROPERTY TAX. Close to a tie. About $2,200 a year on a median Phoenix home vs about $2,600 on the Big Island after the $50,000 homeowner exemption. Owner-occupants here also get a 3% cap on yearly assessment increases.
INCOME TAX. Arizona is a flat 2.5%. A middle-income single filer in Hawaii is in the 7.6% bracket. That's the biggest gap.
SALES TAX. Phoenix runs 9.1%. Hawaii's general excise tax is 4.5%, but it applies to almost everything, including rent and services.
POWER AND GAS. Arizona averages about 15 cents per kWh vs about 48 cents in Hawaii. Gas was $4.50 in Phoenix vs $5.72 in Hilo this week.
HOME INSURANCE. Arizona averages about $3,415 a year. Hawaii about $900, but that excludes hurricane coverage, and lava zones 1 and 2 cost far more.
PAY. Average weekly wages run about $1,570 in Maricopa County vs $1,190 on the Big Island. Keeping a mainland remote salary changes the math.
THE WEATHER. Phoenix had 39 days at 110 degrees or hotter this summer. Hilo gets about 120 inches of rain a year instead.
Comment PRICE and we'll send you our Hawaii Cost Checklist to compare the true cost of each island before you choose.
Sources: Phoenix REALTORS, Title Guaranty Sept 2026, Ownwell, Hawaii County, HI Dept. of Taxation, EIA, AAA Oct 26, NerdWallet 2026, BLS Q1 2026, NOAA
#movingtohawaii #bigislandrealestate #phoenix #arizonatohawaii #costofliving
Lots of Arizona folks have the Big Island on their list. Here's the honest breakdown.
HOME PRICES. Phoenix's median single-family home was about $475,000 in September. The Big Island's was about $499,000. But the island is two markets: Puna's median was about $392,000, while North Kona's was about $1.4 million.
PROPERTY TAX. Close to a tie. About $2,200 a year on a median Phoenix home vs about $2,600 on the Big Island after the $50,000 homeowner exemption. Owner-occupants here also get a 3% cap on yearly assessment increases.
INCOME TAX. Arizona is a flat 2.5%. A middle-income single filer in Hawaii is in the 7.6% bracket. That's the biggest gap.
SALES TAX. Phoenix runs 9.1%. Hawaii's general excise tax is 4.5%, but it applies to almost everything, including rent and services.
POWER AND GAS. Arizona averages about 15 cents per kWh vs about 48 cents in Hawaii. Gas was $4.50 in Phoenix vs $5.72 in Hilo this week.
HOME INSURANCE. Arizona averages about $3,415 a year. Hawaii about $900, but that excludes hurricane coverage, and lava zones 1 and 2 cost far more.
PAY. Average weekly wages run about $1,570 in Maricopa County vs $1,190 on the Big Island. Keeping a mainland remote salary changes the math.
THE WEATHER. Phoenix had 39 days at 110 degrees or hotter this summer. Hilo gets about 120 inches of rain a year instead.
Comment PRICE and we'll send you our Hawaii Cost Checklist to compare the true cost of each island before you choose.
Sources: Phoenix REALTORS, Title Guaranty Sept 2026, Ownwell, Hawaii County, HI Dept. of Taxation, EIA, AAA Oct 26, NerdWallet 2026, BLS Q1 2026, NOAA
#movingtohawaii #bigislandrealestate #phoenix #arizonatohawaii #costofliving
Comments (3)
4 days agohogue1230
Median home size and bed/bath count would vary even though the prices are comparable. This is an assumption on my part.
More posts
