Hawaii city guide
Moving From California to Hilo, HI
The most affordable real town in Hawaii, a genuine working city with a university and a regional hospital, and the rainfall that keeps prices down.
Housing comparison
California versus Hilo, side by side
- Median home value
- $725,800
- $483,000
- Median annual property tax
- $5,114
- $1,517
- Median monthly cost, owners with a mortgage
- $2,844
- $2,060
- Population
- 39.0 million (state)
- 50,404
Figures are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates for the city place. Property tax and monthly cost rows cover owner-occupied units with a mortgage, so they describe what current owners pay, not what a new buyer would pay at today's prices. California column is the statewide baseline used across this site.
Why Californians look at Hilo
Hilo is Hawaii Island's largest town and its county seat, sitting on the windward east coast facing Hilo Bay. Unlike the resort towns on the dry Kona and Kohala coasts, Hilo grew as a working sugar and shipping port and later a university and government town, and it still functions like a real small city rather than a vacation destination.
The ACS median home value is $483,000, the lowest among the cities in this Hawaii guide by a wide margin, and the reason is straightforward: Hilo is one of the wettest cities of its size in the United States, which has kept tourism-driven condo and resort development away and kept housing demand closer to what local wages can support.
For a California household that wants an actual Hawaii community rather than a resort address, with a university, a regional hospital, and a lower cost of entry, Hilo is the plainest option on Hawaii Island. The trade-off is weather that some people never get used to.
Hilo fits you if
- You want the lowest home prices among sizable Hawaii Island towns, with genuine local infrastructure.
- You are affiliated with the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaii Community College, or Hilo Medical Center.
- You want a real downtown, farmers markets, and a working local economy rather than a resort strip.
- You do not mind, or actively prefer, a lush, green, frequently rainy climate.
Look elsewhere if
- You are moving to Hawaii for sun and dry beach weather. Hilo receives roughly 120 inches of rain a year.
- You want walkable resort amenities or a large short-term rental market.
- You need frequent, direct mainland flights; most Hilo air travel connects through Honolulu.
- You want a strong private-sector job market outside government, healthcare, and education.
Housing in Hilo
Hilo's housing stock includes older plantation-era homes near downtown and Keaukaha, mid-century subdivisions further out, and newer construction toward Panaewa and Puna-facing edges of town. Wood-frame construction with covered lanais is standard, built for the rain.
The ACS median home value is $483,000, the median monthly owner cost for a mortgaged home is $2,060, and the median annual property tax for a mortgaged home is $1,517, all meaningfully lower than Oahu or Maui figures in this guide. This is the most attainable entry point among the Hawaii cities profiled here for a buyer without a very large California equity cushion.
Because Hilo lacks the vacation-rental demand that inflates prices elsewhere in Hawaii, the market behaves more like an ordinary local housing market, with normal inventory turnover rather than resort-driven competition.
Work and the local economy
Hilo Medical Center is one of the largest employers on Hawaii Island and the main hospital for the entire eastern side of the island. The University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College add faculty, staff, and student population, and Hawaii County government, headquartered in Hilo, is another major employer.
The port of Hilo still handles agricultural exports and shipping, and small agriculture, particularly tropical flowers, papaya, and macadamia, remains part of the surrounding economy, though at a smaller scale than the old sugar era.
Private-sector white-collar employment is limited. Most households moving here for work are tied to the university, the hospital, county government, or are bringing remote income; the town does not offer a deep corporate job market.
Climate and rainfall
Hilo is one of the rainiest cities of its size in the United States, averaging around 120 inches of rain a year according to NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals, with November typically the wettest month. Rain is frequent but often comes as short, moving showers rather than daylong downpours.
Temperatures stay mild and consistent year-round, with daytime highs generally in the high 70s to low 80s and little seasonal swing, since elevation is near sea level and trade winds keep the air moving.
The rainfall is also why Hilo is lush, with rainforest, waterfalls, and gardens close to town. It is a defining, not incidental, feature of living here, and anyone considering the move should visit during a rainy stretch before committing.
Getting around, care, and schools
- Commercial air
- Hilo International Airport (ITO), with interisland service and limited direct mainland flights.
- Highways
- Highway 19 (Hawaii Belt Road) and Highway 11 connect Hilo to Kona and the rest of the island.
- Hospital
- Hilo Medical Center, the largest hospital on Hawaii Island's east side.
- Public schools
- Hawaii Department of Education, Hilo complex area schools.
- Higher education
- University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College.
- Setting
- Sea-level coastal town on Hawaii Island's wet windward side, facing Hilo Bay.
The trade-offs
- Roughly 120 inches of rain a year is a defining fact of life here, not an occasional inconvenience.
- Mainland flights typically connect through Honolulu rather than flying nonstop.
- The private-sector job market outside the university, hospital, and county government is limited.
- Resort and short-term rental infrastructure is minimal compared with Kona or Waikiki, which suits year-round residents but not vacation-rental investors.
Other Hawaii towns people compare
Kailua, Oahu
A windward Oahu beach town with the state's highest home prices outside resort areas, built around Marine Corps Base Hawaii and a regional hospital.
Mililani
A planned central Oahu community on a cooler plateau, the closest layout on the island to a mainland suburban subdivision.
Kihei, Maui
Maui's driest, sunniest shore, with the island's deepest condo inventory and the clearest local rules on short-term rentals.
Waimea, Hawaii Island
An upcountry ranch town at roughly 2,670 feet, cooler and greener than the coast, built around Parker Ranch, a regional hospital, and the Mauna Kea observatories.
Lihue, Kauai
Kauai's county seat and practical base, near the island's only major airport and its main hospital, rather than a resort address.
Statewide figures, tax detail, and the full Hawaii picture are on the Hawaii page. Compare property, income, and sales tax across all 49 destination states on Taxes, and see where Californians are actually moving on Stats.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25077 (median home value), retrieved via Census Reporter, September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25088 (median selected monthly owner costs, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B01003 (total population), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, US Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, Hilo International Airport station, ncei.noaa.gov.
- Hilo Medical Center, hilomedicalcenter.org.
See what your California equity buys in Hilo
Four short questions. We match you with one local agent and apply a closing cost credit funded from our referral fee.
Start your Hilo move
Four short questions. We use them to decide which agent fits your move, and to build your equity report.