?WhereToHQ

Ranked · Renting · Hawaii

Best cities for renters in Hawaii

Cities of 25,000+ residents, scored with the “Renting” weighting the live tool uses, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability. Scores are relative to this set; open the tool to change the weights and re-rank.

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Top 10 · computed ranking

  1. 1.Hilo, HI50k residents

    66/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,318/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $946/mo · walkability: 34/100

  2. 2.Waipahu, HI40k residents

    60/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,620/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,191/mo · walkability: 30/100

  3. 3.Wailuku, HI17k residents

    60/100

    2-bedroom rent: $2,008/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,219/mo · walkability: 30/100

  4. 4.Wahiawa, HI18k residents

    59/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,662/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,017/mo · walkability: 30/100

  5. 5.Kahului, HI28k residents

    58/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,676/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,036/mo · walkability: 30/100

  6. 6.Makakilo, HI21k residents

    56/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,999/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,146/mo · walkability: 30/100

  7. 7.Kailua CDP (Hawaii County), HI22k residents

    54/100

    2-bedroom rent: $1,779/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,673/mo · walkability: 30/100

  8. 8.Ewa Gentry, HI27k residents

    53/100

    2-bedroom rent: $2,269/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,739/mo · walkability: 30/100

  9. 9.Kaneohe, HI37k residents

    52/100

    2-bedroom rent: $2,112/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,777/mo · walkability: 30/100

  10. 10.Mililani Town, HI28k residents

    52/100

    2-bedroom rent: $2,107/mo · 1-bedroom rent: $1,783/mo · walkability: 30/100

Methodology: each city is scored 0–100 by min–max normalizing every weighted facet across this candidate set (direction-aware), identical math to the tool's “Best fit” tab. A different weighting produces a different order, which is the point: this is a starting shortlist, not a verdict.

Questions & answers
Which city is best for renters in Hawaii?
Hilo, HI ranks first with a fit score of 66/100, followed by Waipahu (60) and Wailuku (60), using the "Renting" weighting.
How is this ranking calculated?
Each of the 10 candidate cities (25,000+ residents) is scored 0 to 100 by min-max normalizing the weighted facets, heaviest on 2-bedroom rent, 1-bedroom rent, rent yoy, walkability, across this set. Change the weights in the live tool and the order changes with them.