Property Tax in Honolulu County, Hawaii
Homeowners in Honolulu County, Hawaii pay a median of $2,482 a year in real estate taxes, on a median home value of $873,000. Those are the Census Bureau's published medians for the county (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023) — the typical bill and the typical home value for owner-occupied households.
What the Honolulu County numbers mean
A median is the middle household: half of owner-occupied households in Honolulu County pay more than $2,482, and half pay less. Your own bill is set by your home's assessed value, the exemptions you qualify for, and the local taxing districts your property sits in — so individual bills vary widely around the median.
Dividing the median tax by the median home value gives a derived effective rate of 0.28% for Honolulu County. It is an estimate built from two survey medians, not the county's official rate, but it is a fair way to compare the local tax burden with other counties where home values are very different.
The key figures for Honolulu County
| Measure | Honolulu County |
|---|---|
| Median real estate taxes paid per year | $2,482 |
| Median home value | $873,000 |
| Derived effective rate* | 0.28% |
| Equivalent monthly tax | $207 |
| Tax per $100,000 of value (derived) | $284 |
| Illustrative tax on a $400,000 home (derived rate) | $1,136 |
For context, the Hawaii medians are $2,183 of tax on $808,200 of value, and the US medians are $2,969 on $303,400. *Derived figures are estimates from Census medians, not official rates.
Honolulu County at a glance
- Median tax rank in Hawaii: #1 of 4 counties
- Median home value rank in Hawaii: #1 of 4
- Population rank in Hawaii: #1 of 4 (1,003,666 residents)
- Population density rank: #1 of 4 (1,671 people per square mile)
- Land area rank in Hawaii: #4 of 4 (600 sq mi, 9.4% of the combined county land area)
- Median tax as a monthly figure: $207; per $1,000 of home value: $0.28
How Honolulu County compares
The median tax bill in Honolulu County is about 14% higher than the state median ($2,183 for Hawaii) and about 16% lower than the US median ($2,969 nationally). By median taxes paid, the county ranks #1 out of 4 Hawaii counties with published Census data — 0 counties in the state have a higher median bill.
Comparisons cut both ways: a county can have a modest rate but high bills because homes are expensive, or a high rate but modest bills because homes are cheaper. Honolulu County's derived rate of 0.28% sits below the derived US figure of 0.98%.
Some extra context for Honolulu County: the median bill works out to about $207 a month, and the derived rate equals roughly $284 of tax per $100,000 of home value. The county is home to 1,003,666 people — the #1 most populous county in Hawaii, spread over 600 square miles, a density of about 1,671 people per square mile. Its median home value, $873,000, ranks #1 among the state's 4 counties with data.
Zooming out: of 3133 counties nationwide with published Census figures, only 697 record a higher median tax bill than Honolulu County — it sits in the top 22% nationally. The county holds roughly 69.4% of Hawaii's people. Its homes are worth more than the state norm (median $873,000 versus $808,200), and a decade at the derived rate of 0.28% adds up to about 2.84% of the median home's value in tax. The cheapest county in the state, Hawaii County, medians $1,392 — $1,090 less than Honolulu County per year.
Counties nearest Honolulu County in the Hawaii ranking
| County | Median tax paid | Median home value | Derived rate* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kauai County, HI | $1,840 | $817,900 | 0.23% |
| Maui County, HI | $1,442 | $858,600 | 0.17% |
How the tax is worked out
Think of the final bill as three ingredients: the assessed value of the property, the exemptions subtracted from it, and the combined rate of every district the property sits in. Honolulu County's medians imply a derived rate of 0.28%; applied illustratively, a $400,000 home would owe about $1,136 a year, or around $95 a month spread evenly. Individual properties depart from the illustration in both directions.
Checking your assessment in Honolulu County
Most successful appeals are won on facts, not arguments. Start with the property record card held by the Honolulu County assessor: wrong square footage, an extra room, or a missing homestead exemption are common and fixable. Next, line your assessed value up against recent sales of genuinely similar homes nearby. Many disputes end at an informal conversation with the assessor's office; if yours does not, file the formal appeal with the review board named on your notice before its deadline, evidence attached, and keep paying the bill in the meantime so penalties do not build up.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the median property tax in Honolulu County, Hawaii?
The median real estate tax paid in Honolulu County, Hawaii is $2,482 per year, on a median home value of $873,000 (US Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2023).
What is the effective property tax rate in Honolulu County, Hawaii?
On a derived basis, 0.28%: the county's median tax bill of $2,482 divided by its median home value of $873,000. Because it is calculated from two survey medians, read it as a comparison estimate rather than an official rate.
How does Honolulu County compare with the rest of Hawaii?
By median taxes paid, Honolulu County stands at #1 among the 4 Hawaii counties the Census publishes figures for. Its $2,482 median bill is about 14% higher than the state median ($2,183), and 0 counties in the state record a higher median.
How are property taxes calculated in Honolulu County, Hawaii?
Three steps produce the bill: an assessment of market value by the local assessor, a reduction for exemptions you qualify for (a homestead exemption is the common one), and multiplication by the combined rates of the county, municipality, school district and any special districts covering the property. The median result in Honolulu County is $2,482 of tax on a $873,000 median home value.
Can I appeal my property tax assessment in Honolulu County, Hawaii?
Yes. Request your property record card from the Honolulu County assessor's office and check it for errors, then compare your assessed value with recent sales of similar homes. If it still looks too high, file a formal appeal with the local review board named on your assessment notice before the deadline printed on the notice — windows are short, often 30 to 90 days.