Hawaii city guide
Moving From California to Kihei, Maui, HI
Maui's driest, sunniest shore, with the island's deepest condo inventory and the clearest local rules on short-term rentals.
Housing comparison
California versus Kihei, Maui, side by side
- Median home value
- $725,800
- $919,900
- Median annual property tax
- $5,114
- $1,926
- Median monthly cost, owners with a mortgage
- $2,844
- $2,806
- Population
- 39.0 million (state)
- 21,567
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 Kihei, Maui
Kihei runs along Maui's south shore in the rain shadow of Haleakala, which makes it the driest and sunniest populated stretch of the island. That climate, combined with beach access along nearly its entire length, has made it Maui's largest concentration of condominiums and vacation-oriented housing.
The town grew up piecemeal along South Kihei Road rather than around a historic core, so it reads as a long strip of condo complexes, shopping centers, and beach parks rather than a traditional town center. Wailea, the resort area to the south, and Kahului, the commercial and airport hub to the north, bracket it.
For a California buyer, Kihei offers Maui's widest inventory of condos and townhomes at prices below Wailea's resort premium, along with Maui County's clearest published rules on which units can legally be rented short-term, which matters if income from the property is part of the plan.
Kihei, Maui fits you if
- You want beach access, reliable sun, and Maui's largest selection of condos and townhomes.
- You are considering a property with rental income potential and want zoning clarity before you buy.
- You can work remotely or are retired and do not need year-round local employment.
- You are comfortable driving 15 to 20 minutes to Kahului for the airport, hospital, and big-box shopping.
Look elsewhere if
- You want year-round green landscape. Kihei is dry and brown much of the year outside irrigated developments.
- You need robust local job diversity. Maui's economy leans heavily on tourism and its downturns hit hard.
- You are trying to buy an investment condo without checking its short-term rental zoning first.
- You want a walkable historic downtown. Kihei's commercial strip is car-oriented.
Housing in Kihei
Condominiums and townhomes dominate Kihei's housing stock, ranging from older low-rise complexes near the beach to newer gated developments further inland. Single-family homes exist mainly in North Kihei and inland subdivisions, generally at a premium to condo units.
The ACS median home value is $919,900, the median monthly owner cost for a mortgaged home is $2,806, and the median annual property tax for a mortgaged home is $1,926. Maui County has separate, higher property tax rates for homes used as short-term rentals versus owner-occupied residences, so the tax bill on a given unit depends heavily on how it is classified and used.
Before buying, check the specific parcel's zoning and any short-term rental permit against Maui County's registry. Kihei has some of the clearest boundaries in the county between areas where vacation rentals are permitted and areas restricted to longer-term or owner occupancy, and that boundary materially affects a unit's value and usability.
Work and the local economy
Tourism and the businesses that serve it, hotels, condo management, restaurants, retail, and tours, are the core of Kihei's and Maui's economy. Kihei itself has limited hotel inventory compared with Wailea, but many residents work in Wailea's resorts or in condo and property management along the south shore.
Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku and the county and state government offices in Wailuku and Kahului are the other significant local employers, along with the University of Hawaii Maui College.
The 2023 Lahaina wildfire underscored how tightly Maui's economy is tied to visitor volume; a slowdown in tourism ripples quickly through service jobs, condo occupancy, and rental income across the island, including Kihei.
Climate on the leeward south shore
Kihei sits in the rain shadow of Haleakala, which makes it one of the driest inhabited parts of Maui. Annual rainfall is light, commonly cited around 11 to 12 inches, a fraction of what falls on Maui's windward side or in upcountry Kula.
Temperatures stay warm and consistent year-round, generally in the high 70s to low 90s by day with little seasonal swing, and cloud cover tends to build through the afternoon.
The dry climate means irrigation is essential for landscaping, and it also means Kihei sees far fewer rainy-day disruptions than windward Hawaii towns, a trade-off some buyers value and others find monotonous.
Getting around, care, and schools
- Commercial air
- Kahului Airport (OGG), roughly 10 to 15 miles north, with direct mainland and interisland service.
- Highways
- Piilani Highway and South Kihei Road are the main north-south routes along the coast.
- Hospital
- Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku, the island's main acute-care hospital.
- Public schools
- Hawaii Department of Education, Maui complex area schools serving Kihei.
- Higher education
- University of Hawaii Maui College in Kahului.
- Setting
- Sea-level coastal strip on Maui's dry south shore, in the rain shadow of Haleakala.
The trade-offs
- The local economy depends heavily on tourism, and disruptions to visitor travel affect jobs and rental income quickly.
- Short-term rental zoning varies by parcel and changes periodically at the county level; verify current rules before buying for rental income.
- The climate is dry and often brown outside irrigated areas, a different look than most of California's coast.
- Specialty medical care beyond Maui Memorial Medical Center usually means a flight to Oahu.
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.
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.
Hilo
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.
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.
- Maui County Real Property Tax Division, short-term rental and residential classification information, mauicounty.gov.
- University of Hawaii Maui College, About, hawaii.edu.
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