What is the median rent in Hilo, HI?

Name: Median rent in Hilo, HI, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

The median gross rent in Hilo, HI is $1,427 (±$89) a month, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey.

That is across 5,414 rented homes; gross rent is the contract rent plus the utilities and fuels a renter pays separately.

In Hilo, the median gross rent went from $1,045 in 2015–2019 to $1,427 in 2020–2024 (+36.6%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Median gross rent: $1,427 (±$89)
Rented homes: 5,414 (±570)
$2,000 or more: 11.8%
Since 2015–2019: +36.6%

How much rent costs in Hilo

Share of rented homes in each gross-rent range, 2020–2024
Monthly gross rent	Hilo	Hawaii County	Hawaii	United States
Less than $500	12.0% (±4.2 points)	7.5%	4.9%	6.3%
$500 to $999	12.4% (±3.3 points)	15.3%	7.8%	20.2%
$1,000 to $1,499	30.1% (±6.3 points)	26.6%	16.8%	28.1%
$1,500 to $1,999	33.7% (±5.5 points)	28.0%	21.7%	21.1%
$2,000 to $2,499	9.1% (±4.0 points)	11.7%	16.5%	12.0%
$2,500 to $2,999	1.8% (±1.2 points)	6.3%	10.1%	5.5%
$3,000 or more	0.9% (±0.9 points)	4.5%	22.1%	6.8%

The most common range is $1,500 to $1,999, paid by 33.7% of renting households.

11.8% of rented homes in Hilo cost $2,000 or more a month.

Hilo against Hawaii County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
	Hilo	Hawaii County	Hawaii	United States
Median gross rent	$1,427 (±$89)	$1,510 (±$66)	$1,971 (±$23)	$1,413
Rented homes paying rent	5,414 (±570)	16,858 (±914)	170,371 (±3,084)	42,849,984

In Hilo, median gross rent is not measurably different from Hawaii County ($1,510).

It is also lower than in Hawaii ($1,971).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

In Hawaii County, Hilo ranks 15 of 31 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest median gross rent.

Statewide, it ranks 96 of 121.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How rent in Hilo has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Median gross rent	$1,045 (±$52)	$1,427 (±$89)	+36.6%	Up after inflation
Households that rent	39.3% (±2.3 points)	33.9% (±2.7 points)	−5.4 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Rental vacancy rate	5.5% (±2.4 points)	6.5% (±2.7 points)	+1.0 percentage points	Not a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Median gross rent in places near Hilo

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Hilo
Place	Distance	Median gross rent	Compared with this place
Hilo	—	$1,427 (±$89)	—
Keaau	5.0 mi	$827 (±$333)	Lower
Kurtistown	7.1 mi	$1,406 (±$1,021)	Not measurably different
Papaikou	7.2 mi	$1,495 (±$221)	Not measurably different
Hawaiian Paradise Park	10 mi	$1,310 (±$232)	Not measurably different
Pepeekeo	10 mi	$750 (±$309)	Lower
Orchidlands Estates	10 mi	$1,398 (±$333)	Not measurably different
Hawaiian Acres	11 mi	$1,351 (±$665)	Not measurably different
Fern Acres	12 mi	$1,375 (±$470)	Not measurably different

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Keaau, HI ($827), Pepeekeo, HI ($750).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Median gross rent across Hawaii County, place by place

Rank	Place	Median gross rent
9	Kaloko	$1,758 (±$741)
10	Kailua (Hawaii County)	$1,754 (±$93)
11	Discovery Harbour	$1,688 (±$322)
12	Hawaiian Beaches	$1,658 (±$342)
13	Hawaiian Ocean View	$1,506 (±$1,009)
14	Papaikou	$1,495 (±$221)
15	Hilo	$1,427 (±$89)
16	Honokaa	$1,420 (±$230)
17	Kurtistown	$1,406 (±$1,021)
18	Orchidlands Estates	$1,398 (±$333)
19	Leilani Estates	$1,392 (±$517)
20 (tie)	Fern Acres	$1,375 (±$470)
20 (tie)	Mountain View	$1,375 (±$1,023)

Showing 13 of 31 places in Hawaii County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Hilo is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Hilo

What is the average rent in Hilo, HI?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Hilo is $1,427 (±$89) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much has rent gone up in Hilo?

In Hilo, the median gross rent went from $1,045 in 2015–2019 to $1,427 in 2020–2024 (+36.6%).

Prices (CPI-U) rose 22.7% over the same years, so it rose faster than prices: a measurable increase after inflation.

How many rentals in Hilo cost more than $2,000 a month?

11.8% of rented homes in Hilo have a gross rent of $2,000 or more a month, and 12.0% cost less than $500.

Is rent in Hilo higher than in Hawaii County?

In Hilo, median gross rent is not measurably different from Hawaii County ($1,510).

It is also lower than in Hawaii ($1,971).

It is not measurably different from the national figure ($1,413).

Is this the rent for an apartment listed today?

No: these are rents households reported paying across 2020–2024, not asking rents for vacant homes, which usually run higher.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Hilo CDP, Hawaii (place:14650, in state:15).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B25064_001E, B25064_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0005E, DP04_0005M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP04_0126E, DP04_0126M, DP04_0127PE, DP04_0127PM, DP04_0128PE, DP04_0128PM, DP04_0129PE, DP04_0129PM, DP04_0130PE, DP04_0130PM, DP04_0131PE, DP04_0131PM, DP04_0132PE, DP04_0132PM, DP04_0133PE, DP04_0133PM

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.