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City · 13,061 residents · Honolulu County, Hawaii

Waimalu , Hawaii

In Waimalu, a typical home is worth $597,800 and typical rent is $1,931 a month. Compared with all of Honolulu County, the typical home value is 33% lower and typical household income is 16% lower.

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  • Typical home value

    $597,800

    33% below the county

    29% below Hawaii

    • Waimalu
    • Honolulu
    • Hawaii

  • Typical rent

    $1,931a month

    7% below the county

    2% below Hawaii

    • Waimalu
    • Honolulu
    • Hawaii

  • Typical household income

    $89,232a year

    16% below the county

    11% below Hawaii

    • Waimalu
    • Honolulu
    • Hawaii

  • Households that own their home

    64%

    4 points above the county

    1 points above Hawaii

    • Waimalu
    • Honolulu
    • Hawaii

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

Waimalu is in Honolulu County. The FHA loan limit ($828,000 for a one-unit home), the fair market rents and the help on this page are those of all of Honolulu County. See the county

Data updated: October 1, 2026 11 official sources

Only here

What sets Waimalu apart

What this place has that others do not, from public data, most unusual first.

  1. The typical home in Waimalu is worth $597,800, 33% less than in Honolulu County as a whole ($897,500).

  2. The typical household income in Waimalu is $89,232, 16% less than in Honolulu County as a whole ($106,195).

  3. Waimalu has the 5th smallest share of rent-burdened renters of the 57 cities in Hawaii with more than 5,000 people (44%).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024).

The homes here

Housing in Waimalu

What homes there are in Waimalu, what they cost, how that changed and how people live, from Census figures (2020–2024).

What homes there are

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Kind of home

Many people here live in apartments: 6 in 10 homes; in Honolulu County, 4.

Year built

By age, homes in Waimalu look like those in Honolulu County: the typical year built is 1976.

In Waimalu, 25% of homes have 1 bedroom or none (studios); 37% have 3 bedrooms or more, against 54% in Honolulu County.

All homes, occupied or empty. A figure the Census cannot measure precisely enough here is not shown.

Census tables: B25024, B25034, B25035, B25041

What it costs here

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Value of owner-occupied homes
Monthly rent with utilities

With a mortgage

$2,604 a month

Honolulu County: $3,111 a month

Without a mortgage

$919 a month

Honolulu County: $783 a month

Owners with a mortgage

61%

Honolulu County: 65%

In Waimalu, 61% of owners have a mortgage, and their typical cost is $2,604 a month, against $3,111 in Honolulu County. Without one it drops to $919.

Value: what owners think their home is worth. Rent: rent plus utilities, for homes of every size. The FHA limit is the most an FHA loan (Federal Housing Administration) lends for a one-unit home; the fair market rent (FMR) is the one HUD uses for housing vouchers.

Census tables: B25075, B25063, B25088, B25081

How it changed

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2015–2019 and 2020–2024

Change since 2015–2019

From 2015–2019 to 2020–2024, home values in Waimalu rose at about the same pace as in Honolulu County: 34% against 32%.

Rents in Waimalu rose more slowly than in Honolulu County: 10% since 2015–2019, against 19%.

Change between two 5-year periods that do not overlap, in each period's dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

Census tables: B25077, B25064, B19013

How people live

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

MeasureWaimaluHonolulu CountyHawaiiUnited States
Rental vacancy Unreliable estimate5.6%7.4%5.5%
Homeowner vacancy Unreliable estimate0.9%0.9%0.9%
More than one person per room 9.6%8.9%8.8%3.4%
People per household 2.262.852.852.53
Drive alone 67%63%65%69%
Carpool 15%14%14%9%
Public transit Unreliable estimate5%4%3%
Walk or bike Unreliable estimate6%5%3%
Work from home Unreliable estimate9%10%15%
Other means Unreliable estimate3%2%2%
Typical commute 20 to 29 minutes20 to 29 minutes20 to 29 minutes20 to 29 minutes

More than one person per room: that is how 9.6% of households in Waimalu live, near the figure in Honolulu County (8.9%).

Fewer people live in each home here: 2.26 on average, against 2.85 in Honolulu County.

The car rules in Waimalu: 67% of workers drive to work alone, and the typical trip takes 20 to 29 minutes.

Vacancy: empty homes offered for rent or for sale. Rooms: every room in the home, not only bedrooms. Commute: the minute range of the typical worker.

Census tables: B25004, B25003, B25014, B25010, B08301, B08303

Do the math

What would you pay each month for a home in Waimalu?

A typical home costs more than the typical income allows

We start with a typical home in Waimalu, worth $597,800, an FHA loan with 3.5% down and the latest average rate (7.18%). That payment would take 62% of the typical household income in Waimalu, which is $89,232 a year. For that payment to be 28% of income, a household would need to earn about $197,759 a year.

The calculator's FHA and conventional loan limits are those of all of Honolulu County.

Your numbers

Local data
$

Starts at the typical home value in Waimalu. Change it to the price you have in mind.

Loan type
Your credit score

Your score changes which loans apply and FHA's minimum down payment. Your real rate also depends on your credit.

Down payment
%

That is $20,923 (3.5% of the price). The usual minimum for this loan is 3.5%.

This week's average ± a quarter or half point.

Term

National average as of November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac); your rate may be different.

Adjust advanced details

Estimated monthly payment

Local data

$4,614

at 7.18% · 30 years

Loan amount
$586,972
Total interest
$844,516
Paid off in
November 2056

Includes $10,095 FHA upfront mortgage insurance premium.

Does it fit the income?

  • Comfortable

    up to $2,082 a month

  • Tight

    $2,082 to $2,677 a month

  • Hard

    more than $2,677 a month

    Your payment · 62%

Compared with the typical household income in Waimalu ($89,232 a year). Reference: HUD calls paying more than 30% of income for housing a cost burden.

Show the result as
per month$4,614
Principal & interest$3,976
Property tax$125
Home insurance$249
FHA mortgage insurance (MIP)$264

You need at least $20,923 for the down payment, plus closing costs.

Next step

This is an estimate to give you an idea, not a loan offer. Your real payment depends on your rate, your credit, and the insurance and taxes on the home you buy.

The city and its county

Waimalu and Honolulu County

Waimalu is in Honolulu County, Hawaii. The U.S. Census Bureau publishes its own numbers for the city: home values, rent, household income, how many households own their home and the property tax. They are American Community Survey estimates (average 2020–2024).

Waimalu's own numbers

Typical home value
$597,800
Typical monthly rent
$1,931
Typical yearly household income
$89,232
Households that own their home
64%
Effective property tax rate
0.25%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (average 2020–2024).

Numbers for all of Honolulu County

FHA limit, one-unit home
$828,000
Conventional limit, one unit
$1,249,125
HUD fair market rent, 2 bedrooms
$2,542
Price change over 5 years (FHFA)
+37%
Homes in a high flood-risk zone
4.9%

HUD, FHFA and FEMA don't publish these numbers by city.

Other numbers are not published by city, only for the whole county: FHA and conventional loan limits, HUD’s fair market rents, FHFA’s price index and FEMA’s flood data. On this page, those numbers always say they are for all of Honolulu County.

Everything about Honolulu County

Buying

Buying a home in Waimalu

A typical home in Waimalu is worth $597,800: 33% below the county and 29% below Hawaii. With the typical household income in Waimalu ($89,232 a year), a typical home costs 6.7 times what the household earns in a year.

Years of income to pay for a typical home

The typical home value divided by the typical household income for one year. The lower it is, the less buying weighs.

  • Waimalu 6.7 years
  • Honolulu 8.5 years
  • Hawaii 8.4 years
  • United States 4.1 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

How prices have changed in Honolulu County

According to FHFA’s house price index, home prices in Honolulu County rose 59% in the 10 years through 2025.

FHFA does not publish this index by city: these are the numbers for all of Honolulu County.

Period County Hawaii U.S.
Last year (2025) +1.4% +2.9% +2.9%
5 years (2020–2025) +37% +46% +47%
10 years (2015–2025) +59% +73% +85%

The index follows the price of the same homes over time (sales and appraisals with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans). It is not the average price of a home. FHFA considers its annual county indexes experimental. Source: FHFA, 2025 data

Waimalu next to Honolulu County, Hawaii and the U.S.

Three numbers side by side. “Typical” means the median: half are above it and half below.

Typical home value
  • Waimalu $597,800
  • Honolulu $897,500
  • Hawaii $839,100
  • United States $332,700
Typical monthly rent
  • Waimalu $1,931
  • Honolulu $2,083
  • Hawaii $1,971
  • United States $1,413
Typical yearly household income
  • Waimalu $89,232
  • Honolulu $106,195
  • Hawaii $100,389
  • United States $80,734
See the full table
Waimalu next to Honolulu County and Hawaii
Measure Waimalu Honolulu County Hawaii U.S.
Typical home value $597,800 $897,500 $839,100 $332,700
Typical monthly rent $1,931 $2,083 $1,971 $1,413
Typical yearly household income $89,232 $106,195 $100,389 $80,734
Households that own their home 64% 60% 63% 65%
Typical yearly property tax $1,522 $2,553 $2,239 $3,119
Effective property tax rate 0.25% 0.28% 0.27% 0.94%
Renters with high rent for their income 44% 58% 57% 51%

“Typical” means the median: half are above and half are below. ▲ and ▼ say whether the city is above or below Honolulu County. “High rent” is the Census measure: renter households that pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

Four ways to pay for a typical home in Waimalu

For a typical $597,800 home in Waimalu, at Freddie Mac's average rate (7.18% as of November 5, 2026) over 30 years. The monthly payment adds principal and interest, Waimalu's typical property tax, an example home insurance and mortgage insurance when it applies.

  • FHA, 3.5% down $4,614a month

    Least cash to close
    Down payment
    $20,923
    Cash to close
    $38,857
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    FHA MIP · $264

  • Conventional, 5% down $4,505a month

    Down payment
    $29,890
    Cash to close
    $47,824
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    PMI · $284

  • Conventional, 20% down, no PMI $3,613a month

    Down payment
    $119,560
    Cash to close
    $137,494
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

  • ITIN, 15% down (example) $4,166a month

    Down payment
    $89,670
    Cash to close
    $107,604
    Rate
    8.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

The option that asks for the least cash to close is FHA, 3.5% down.

  • Cash to close = down payment plus 3% of the price in closing costs (example).
  • Minimum score: FHA requires 580 or higher for the minimum down payment (HUD Handbook 4000.1). * Fannie Mae requires 620 when a loan is underwritten by hand; its automated system has no fixed minimum.
  • The ITIN row is an example with a rate 1 percentage point higher: ITIN loans follow no federal rule and each lender sets its own down payment and rate. Nothing in this table promises an approval.

How much house can I afford? Estimate closing costs

Taxes and floods

Two costs that change from place to place

Property tax and flood insurance raise or lower what you pay each month. Here are the numbers for Waimalu and for Honolulu County.

Property tax

Effective rate in Waimalu

0.25%of the home’s value each year

$1,522 a year for the typical owner in Waimalu.

  • Waimalu 0.25%
  • Honolulu 0.28%
  • Hawaii 0.27%

What Hawaii publishes Each county runs its own property tax (Hawaii Department of Taxation)

Exemptions and deadlines in Hawaii

Flood risk in Honolulu County

FEMA does not publish these numbers by city: they are for all of Honolulu County.

Homes in the high-risk zone
4.9%
8,317
Of those, with NFIP insurance
54%
County Hawaii U.S.
Homes in the high-risk zone 4.9% 2.7% 3.5%
Of those, with NFIP insurance 54% 88% 48%

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage.

Look up your address on FEMA’s map

Renting

Renting in Waimalu

Typical rent in Waimalu is $1,931 a month: 7% below the county. In Waimalu, 44% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

HUD publishes a fair market rent for all of Honolulu County, by unit size. To pay the 2-bedroom one ($2,542 a month) without spending more than 30% of your income, you would need to earn $48.88 an hour working full time.

HUD fair market rent for all of Honolulu County

What you need to earn to pay it without spending more than 30% of income, working full time.

Size Fair rent a month Hourly wage Yearly income
Studio $1,836 $35.31 $73,440
1 bedroom $1,951 $37.52 $78,040
2 bedrooms $2,542 $48.88 $101,680
3 bedrooms $3,520 $67.69 $140,800
4 bedrooms $4,249 $81.71 $169,960

Includes basic utilities. It isn't the lowest or highest rent: it's a reference point. Source: HUD, Fiscal year 2027

By ZIP code

Fair market rent by ZIP code in Waimalu

HUD also publishes a fair market rent for each ZIP code (Small Area FMR, fiscal year 2027). Waimalu is in ZIP code 96701.

For 2 bedrooms it is $2,360: $182 less than the fair market rent for Honolulu County ($2,542).

  • 96701 $2,360$3,270

1 of these ZIP codes crosses the city line: HUD sets the rent by ZIP code, not by city. A ZIP code counts for Waimalu when at least 50% of its land is inside the city or it covers at least 15% of the city (Census 2020 boundaries). Source: Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Source: Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file Data from 2020 data Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file

Is your rent high for your ZIP?

Free help

Help to buy or rent in Waimalu

You do not have to do this alone. A HUD-approved housing counseling agency helps for free or at low cost: getting ready to buy, understanding your credit, or solving a problem with your rent.

There are 9 HUD-approved agencies with an office in Honolulu County; 2 say they serve in Spanish.

A man leans over the armchair where a girl is reading a book.

HUD counseling is free or low-cost

Assistance programs in Waimalu

1 program is for Waimalu or Honolulu County, by its own record: they come first, each with what its official page says about being open. The ones below are statewide in Hawaii: they work in Waimalu the same as in the rest of the state.

Which programs do I qualify for? All programs in Hawaii

  • Down Payment Loan Program

    For Honolulu County

    City and County of Honolulu loan, with federal HOME funds, of up to $40,000 at 0% and with no fees, for the down payment only, repaid over 20 years; for first-time buyers on Oʻahu with incomes up to 80% of the area median who put down at least 5% of the price. Offered by City and County of Honolulu Department of Community Services (DCS).

    Repayable

    See the program Official page

  • Hale Kamaʻāina Mortgage Program

    Statewide in Hawaii

    Hawaii state corporation 30-year fixed mortgage for first-time buyers, with optional down payment assistance whose terms the agency has not yet published. Offered by Hawaiʻi Housing Finance & Development Corporation (HHFDC).

    Type not stated

    See the program Official page

Housing counselors near Waimalu

The HUD-approved agencies closest to the center of Waimalu, in a straight line, nearest first. If one says it serves in Spanish, its card says so.

  • Hawaii Homeownership Center

    1259 Aala St Ste 201, Honolulu · 7 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 5 more
    (808) 523-9500

  • Legal Aid Society of Hawaii

    924 Bethel Street, Honolulu · 7 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    (808) 536-4302

  • Money Management International - Honolulu

    500 Ala Moana Blvd Ste 7400, Honolulu · 8 miles away · Spanish

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 2 more
    (866) 232-9080

Every agency in Honolulu County All counseling agencies in Hawaii

Help in Spanish near Waimalu

1 of the 3 agencies on this list says it serves in Spanish.

Ask for service in Spanish

When you call, say “Spanish, please” or ask if someone speaks Spanish. If not, ask whether they offer an interpreter.

Housing authorities of Waimalu

HUD’s record names them for Waimalu or Honolulu County. They run public housing or Section 8 vouchers. Ask whether their waiting list is open.

2 other authorities have an office in Honolulu County: see the list Source: HUD

Cities

Other cities in Honolulu County

These cities are also in Honolulu County. They share its loan limits and fair market rents, but home values and rent change from one to the next.

Everything about Honolulu County Housing in Hawaii
See 24 more cities in Honolulu County, with prices and rents

Every city has its own page with prices, rents and help.

Nearby cities

The cities closest to Waimalu, with the typical home value.

Neighboring counties

If Honolulu County is out of reach, look next door. Each number is that county's own.

Keep going

Guides for your next step

Short explanations, in plain language and with official sources, for buying or renting in Waimalu.

All guides
Three generations of a family gather on the porch of their home.

Questions

Housing questions about Waimalu

Short answers with the numbers for Waimalu and all of Honolulu County. If your case is different, a HUD-approved counseling agency can guide you for free or at low cost.

How much does a typical home cost in Waimalu?

The typical home value in Waimalu is $597,800, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (average 2020–2024). For comparison, in Honolulu County it is $897,500.

How much does it cost to rent in Waimalu?

Typical rent in Waimalu is $1,931 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms in Honolulu County is $2,542.

What is the FHA loan limit in Waimalu?

Waimalu uses the FHA limit for all of Honolulu County (2026): $828,000 for a one-unit home and $1,592,350 for a four-unit home.

How much property tax do owners pay in Waimalu?

The typical homeowner in Waimalu pays $1,522 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is 0.25% of the home’s value; in Honolulu County, the rate is 0.28%.

Where can I find free help to buy or rent in Waimalu?

There are 9 HUD-approved counseling agencies with an office in Honolulu County. 2 say they serve in Spanish. They can help you get ready to buy, with your credit, or with rent.

Sources: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (Average 2020–2024); FHA mortgage limits (HUD) (2026 data); Conforming loan limits (FHFA) (2026 data); Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file (2020 data); HUD-approved housing counseling agencies (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Public Housing Agencies (HUD) (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) (As of November 5, 2026); FHFA House Price Index (HPI) (2025 data); Homes with flood insurance (NFIP, FEMA) (As of August 3, 2026).