Living in Laie, HI

City and County of Honolulu

Laie is a real, genuinely distinctive windward Oahu community this record discloses directly as unlike any other market in this project's current Hawaii buildout, anchored by the close, mutually dependent relationship between Brigham Young University-Hawaii (2,822 students, 2025-2026, representing 61 countries) and the Polynesian Cultural Center (dedicated 1963, approximately 1,100 employees, approximately 80% BYU-Hawaii students). Laie's population is cited at approximately 5,963, with a real, notably young median age of 23.2 -- dramatically below Hawaii's own statewide median age of 42.1, a youth skew this record discloses as directly driven by BYU-Hawaii's substantial student population. Laie's housing runs genuinely extreme even by Oahu standards: a cited May 2026 median listing price of $2.49 million, well above both the national and Hawaii statewide medians -- this record discloses a real, unresolved tension between that dollar figure and a separately cited '6% above national average' characterization rather than silently reconciling it. Laie's safety was generally characterized as 'very safe,' though this record discloses that as a general impression rather than a numeric statistic. Hospital-level care comes from neighboring Kahuku's Kahuku Medical Center.

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Housing

Median sale price$2,490,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.28%

Not independently sourced at the City and County of Honolulu 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 Laie-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, genuinely distinctive university-town/tourism identity unlike any other market in this project's current Hawaii Tier B pass, anchored by BYU-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center. A real, substantial local employer (PCC, ~1,100 employees) directly tied to the university's own student-employment and funding model. A genuinely young, international student population (61 countries represented). General characterization of the area as 'very safe.' Hawaii's real, lowest-in-the-nation property tax rate and full Social Security/employer-pension exemption from state income tax, shared Oahu-wide.

Cons

A genuinely extreme, disclosed housing market -- a cited $2.49 million median listing price (May 2026), among the highest this project has documented for any Hawaii Tier B market, alongside a real, disclosed internal tension in how that figure was characterized relative to national norms. No hospital within Laie itself, requiring reliance on neighboring Kahuku's Kahuku Medical Center. A real, disclosed gap in numeric, methodology-transparent crime-rate data specific to Laie, distinct from this project's more numerically specific findings for other Hawaii Tier B markets. A real, genuinely car-dependent commute profile, with an average one-way commute (~41 minutes) longer than Honolulu's citywide average.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers connected to BYU-Hawaii or the Polynesian Cultural Center specifically, young professionals and students drawn to Laie's genuinely distinctive, international, university-town character, and beach-access seekers who can absorb Laie's genuinely extreme, disclosed housing costs.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone whose budget cannot genuinely absorb Laie's extreme, disclosed housing costs (~$2.49M cited median listing price), or those needing a hospital within immediate reach rather than relying on neighboring Kahuku's Kahuku Medical Center. Retirees specifically should note Laie's real, dramatically young population profile is a genuine mismatch with a retirement-focused relocation search, consistent with this record's best-areas (not retiring) topic choice.

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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.