Living in Kihei, HI

Maui County

Kihei is South Maui's largest, most transaction-active community -- a real, genuinely popular relocation and vacation-property market this record discloses with full honesty about its real 2026 cross-currents rather than a simple lifestyle pitch. Kihei's population ran a confirmed 21,423 at the 2020 Census, with a modest, real, disclosed decline projected toward approximately 21,245 by 2026. Housing runs genuinely two-sided: prices remain firmly in seven-figure territory (average home value ~$1,011,431, condo median ~$610,000), but this record discloses a real, current cooling trend -- average home value down 8.2% year-over-year, median sale price down 9.16% -- alongside a genuinely non-competitive market (about 1 offer per listing, ~130 days on market). Kihei's economy runs real and substantially tourism-dependent (over half of South Maui's ~15,500 jobs sit in accommodations and food service), and this record discloses a real, dated, directly consequential 2025-2026 policy change: Maui County's Bill 9, signed into law December 15, 2025, will phase out roughly 7,000 apartment-zoned short-term-rental units countywide by 2029-2031, with 60% of affected units concentrated in South Maui specifically -- a real, material consideration for anyone eyeing a Kihei condo as an income property. This record also draws a clear, honest distinction Kihei itself deserves: Kihei is NOT Lahaina -- the real, catastrophic August 2023 wildfire struck a separate West Maui community roughly 20 miles away -- while still disclosing South Maui's own general dry-climate wildfire risk honestly.

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Housing

Median sale price$610,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.27%

Not independently sourced at the Maui County level this session. Hawaii's top state income tax rate is 11.00%. See the Hawaii hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Kihei-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Real, substantial year-round beach access and warm-winter climate. South Maui's most active real estate market by transaction volume, with a real, current, genuinely below-average competitive intensity for buyers (about 1 offer per listing, ~130 days on market) even amid still-high prices. Hawaii's real, lowest-in-the-nation statewide effective property tax rate, and Maui County's genuinely lower owner-occupied nominal rate (vs. its steep short-term-rental tier). A real, modest local economic diversification beyond pure tourism (healthcare, education, marine research, a nearby tech park).

Cons

Real, extreme housing costs (average home value over $1M, condo median over $600K) despite a real, current cooling trend. Rent runs a real, disclosed 22% ABOVE the national average even as home values soften. A real, dated, directly consequential 2025-2026 policy change (Maui's Bill 9 STVR phase-out) will require South Maui condo/vacation-rental owners to transition out of short-term-rental use by January 1, 2031. Nearest hospital-level care sits roughly 10-12 miles away in Wailuku. Maui County's property crime rate ran a real, disclosed 47% ABOVE the national average (2019-2024).

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits retirees and beach-lovers drawn to South Maui's real, warm, coastal lifestyle and Hawaii's lowest-in-the-nation effective property tax rate, alongside luxury and second-home buyers comfortable with genuinely elevated (if currently softening) prices.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers needing the very lowest Hawaii housing costs, immediate hospital-adjacent healthcare access, or planning to buy a Kihei condo specifically as a short-term-rental income property given Maui County's real, dated 2025 phase-out law affecting South Maui specifically.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.