Open a side-by-side city comparison with Makawao, HI already selected in the first box.
Makawao Affordability Snapshot
DataByArea reads Makawao, HI as movers who want a balanced first pass on income, housing, taxes, and utilities. The score combines city-specific income and housing fields with clearly labeled state-level benchmarks, then points you to address-level checks before making a move decision.
Affordability index57/100Higher means more budget room after housing pressure.
Monthly essentials$1,958Housing proxy, property tax, and utility planning context.
Housing burden24.4%Estimated share of monthly income before address-level details.
Ownership pressure8.5x incomeMedian home value divided by household income.
Rent fit: 4.7x income-to-rent. Verify rent, mortgage terms, parcel tax, provider rates, insurance quotes, commute, and local fees for the exact address. Review methodology.
What This Means
A plain-language read before the detailed tables: use this page as a starting point, then verify address-level costs before committing to a lease, purchase, or move.
For buyers
Start with home value $819,600, property tax $1,131, insurance, and maintenance before comparing mortgage quotes.
For renters
Renters can use the two-bedroom rent marker $1,699/mo as a first screen, then compare current listings and utility load by address.
For movers
Movers should compare Makawao with nearby HI places, then verify commute, school boundaries, parcel taxes, provider rates, and insurance quotes.
Data Sources and Limits
This Makawao, Hawaii profile combines public datasets with clearly labeled planning benchmarks. It is designed for research, not as a substitute for parcel records, provider quotes, school-boundary checks, or address-level due diligence.
Census ACSCity-specific population, income, housing, education, and demographic fields where a matching place record is available.
EIAResidential electricity values used as state benchmarks, not city utility tariffs.
BLSLabor-market context used as a benchmark for statewide employment conditions.
NOAAWeather and climate context used for planning, risk screening, and seasonal cost questions.
Fast factual reference points for Makawao, combining available ACS, EIA, and BLS signals.
Makawao, HI facts
Fact
Value
Source context
Population
7,263
ACS place estimate
Median household income
$96,116
ACS household estimate
Median home value
$819,600
ACS housing estimate
Median age
43.5
ACS demographic estimate
Bachelor+ share
30.0%
ACS education estimate
Residential electric rate
$0.466/kWh
EIA state residential rate
Helpful Context
For Makawao, income is solid, so housing and taxes usually decide the budget picture.
City-specific ACS values are used when the place matches; state-level benchmarks fill statewide measures.
Use these facts as a fast HI screen before checking address-level records or provider quotes.
Makawao Local Data Brief
This section summarizes local city metrics and clearly labeled state-level benchmarks. It is meant to make the Makawao page more useful for comparing housing, income, utilities, taxes, insurance, demographics, and nearby alternatives.
Makawao, HI local metrics and source context
Metric
Value
How to read it
Population
7,263
Makawao is treated as a small-town place for comparison.
Median household income
$96,116
Income is solid, so housing and taxes usually decide the budget picture.
Median home value
$819,600
Home values are high, making down payment and insurance assumptions especially important.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,699/mo
Rent gives a renter-side affordability baseline beside owner costs.
Median property tax paid
$1,131
Property tax should be read with mortgage, insurance, and home value.
Residential electric rate
$0.466/kWh
This is a state-level EIA benchmark, not a city utility quote.
Unemployment
2.5%
This is a state-level BLS labor-market benchmark.
Median age
43.5
Age mix can affect housing demand, commute needs, and school planning.
Bachelor+ share
30.0%
Education mix can help frame labor-market and school-context questions.
Affordability Summary
Population is 7,263, so Makawao should be compared with similar-size places before using broader Hawaii averages. Median household income is $96,116, so the best affordability read for Makawao is income versus housing, taxes, utilities, and insurance together.
Median home value is $819,600, so ownership costs in Makawao should be checked with mortgage, property tax, insurance, and maintenance assumptions. Two-bedroom rent is $1,699/mo, so renters can compare Makawao against ownership costs and nearby rental markets.
Housing and Income Context
For Makawao, income is solid, so housing and taxes usually decide the budget picture. Home values are high, making down payment and insurance assumptions especially important.
Use the home value, rent, and income fields together before deciding whether Makawao looks more favorable for renting, buying, or comparing with Pukalani, HI.
Utility Cost Context
The residential electricity benchmark is $0.466/kWh, so Makawao households should treat usage, home size, heating, and cooling as the practical bill drivers. The electricity value shown for Makawao is a Hawaii state-level EIA benchmark, so it should not be read as a local provider tariff.
For Makawao, utility planning is stronger when the electric benchmark is paired with home age, square footage, insulation, HVAC equipment, and household occupancy.
Property Tax Context
Median property tax paid is $1,131, so Makawao buyers should still verify parcel-specific tax records before budgeting. Parcel boundaries, exemptions, school districts, and reassessment rules can move the actual bill for a Makawao address.
Compare the property tax field with home value rather than reading it by itself; a lower tax bill can still pair with a different assessment base or exemption profile.
Insurance and Risk Context
Insurance costs in Makawao depend on address-level factors such as roof condition, structure age, coverage limits, claims history, deductible choice, and carrier underwriting.
Home value, tax burden, and insurance exposure should be reviewed together for Makawao, especially when comparing with Pukalani, HI.
Population and Demographics
Median age is 43.5, so Makawao may have different school, commute, healthcare, and housing demand patterns than a statewide average. Bachelor+ share is 30.0%, so Makawao education context can be useful when reading labor-market and school sections.
Unemployment is 2.5%, so Makawao wage and job-market context should be compared with commute options and regional employment centers.
City-specific Census ACS values are used when a matching place row exists in the current source data.
Electricity and unemployment fields are state-level EIA and BLS benchmarks, so they are labeled as planning context rather than city quotes.
The page should be used as a comparison screen before checking provider rates, parcel records, insurance quotes, school boundaries, and address-level details for Makawao.
Makawao Cost Drill-Down
This dashboard keeps the fast local overview on one page, while the linked category reports go deeper into one decision at a time. For Makawao, the strongest local signals currently available are population 7,263, median household income $96,116, median home value $819,600, rent $1,699/mo, property tax paid $1,131, and the Hawaii residential electric benchmark $0.466/kWh.
Makawao category drill-down links and metric context
Makawao affordability is mostly a housing-versus-income read: income is solid, so housing and taxes usually decide the budget picture and home values are high, making down payment and insurance assumptions especially important.
Makawao insurance context should be read with housing age, replacement cost, roof condition, claim history, and nearby risk patterns.
Budget Fit
Makawao should be read as a small-town place where income, home value, rent, taxes, utilities, and insurance need to be checked together. Income is solid, so housing and taxes usually decide the budget picture, and home values are high, making down payment and insurance assumptions especially important.
Monthly Bills
The electricity value on this page is a Hawaii state-level EIA benchmark, not a city utility tariff. For Makawao, that benchmark becomes useful when paired with home square footage, cooling load, HVAC age, insulation, and household usage.
Ownership Costs
Median property tax paid is $1,131 and median home value is $819,600. That makes the ownership read stronger than a single price estimate because taxes, insurance, maintenance, and financing terms can move the real monthly cost.
Comparison Angle
Use Pukalani, HI as a local comparison before using a broad HI average. The nearby table below keeps the comparison tied to home value, taxes, and electric benchmarks instead of alphabetical city links.
Labor and Demographics
Unemployment is 2.5%, median age is 43.5, and bachelor-plus share is 30.0%. These fields help frame school demand, commute patterns, wage fit, and service-provider availability around Makawao.
Source Discipline
City-specific ACS values are used where the place matches the source record. State-level EIA and BLS fields are labeled as benchmarks, so this page does not pretend those values are address-level or city-utility quotes.
This Makawao, Hawaii dashboard was updated on 2026-07-16. The city metrics were refreshed on 2026-07-17; the nearby-city coordinates were refreshed on 2026-07-17.
City metrics: Census ACS place fields are city-specific where a matching place record exists.
State benchmarks: EIA electricity and BLS unemployment values are state-level context, not city provider tariffs or city labor surveys.
Nearby comparisons: Distance uses Census Gazetteer place coordinates when available.
Makawao FAQ
Short answers for common planning questions before you compare, rent, buy, or request a local quote.
Is Makawao, HI affordable compared with nearby cities?
Use the affordability snapshot and nearby comparison cards as a first pass. For Makawao, the most important local check is usually income against housing, property tax, utilities, insurance, and commute costs together.
Which values on this Makawao page are city-specific?
Census ACS place fields such as population, income, housing, education, and demographic values are city-specific where the source record matches the city. EIA electricity and BLS unemployment values are state-level benchmarks and are labeled as planning context.
Why should I verify address-level costs in Makawao?
Parcel taxes, school boundaries, provider rates, insurance quotes, commute times, HOA dues, flood or storm exposure, and rental availability can change from one address to another, so this page should be the start of due diligence rather than the final quote.
How should I compare Makawao with another Hawaii city?
Start with a nearby peer city, then compare home value, income, property tax, electric benchmark, demographics, and climate context. The compare tool keeps the current city selected so you can move from this page into a side-by-side view.
Regional Data Explorer
Zoom out from Makawao to nearby cities, Hawaii, and Hawaii benchmarks.
Use these home improvement guides with the Makawao dashboard to compare local housing, utility, tax, climate, and repair-cost context.
Disclosure: These home improvement guide links are planning resources. If any paid partner or contractor referral links are added later, they should be clearly labeled and kept separate from editorial data.
