Maili vs Waipahu

Which is the better fit for you?

Maili, HI
56
Area Score
Bottom 41% nationally
Waipahu, HI
55
Area Score
Bottom 36% nationally

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Maili receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Maili to Waipahu

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 111.4 against 111.4 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
+$70 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $2,430 in Waipahu against $2,360 in Maili.
The median home
36% more
$868,600 in Waipahu against $640,600 in Maili.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 65°F in Waipahu against 65°F in Maili; July highs are 88°F against 88°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Maili
Waipahu
Opportunity: Maili is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
76 · Top 14%
vs
75 · Top 16%
Growth
46 · Bottom 41%
vs
46 · Bottom 41%
Climate
89 · Top 8%
vs
89 · Top 8%
Physical resilience
21 · Bottom 15%
vs
21 · Bottom 15%
Housing affordability: Maili is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
50 · Bottom 20%
vs
39 · Bottom 9%
Schools
40 · Bottom 37%
vs
40 · Bottom 37%
Access
97 · Top 31%
vs
97 · Top 31%
Economic stability: Waipahu is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
44 · Bottom 27%
vs
57 · Bottom 49%

Measured values

MetricMailiWaipahuSource period
Population11,57040,4822024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$111,542 ±$11,142$103,895 ±$9,3642024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$30,846 ±$3,088$31,626 ±$1,3862024 ACS 5-Year
Population density6,770/sq mi15,117/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$640,600$868,6002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$2,420$1,658 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$2,360 — more favorable$2,430FY2026
Cost of living index111.4111.42023
Homeownership rate75.0%59.7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate2.8%2.8%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−0.4%−0.4%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher — the two are too close to separate22.9% ±5%20.1% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate11.0% ±5%12.0% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)1,6151,61512 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.61.612 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+7.2%+7.2%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high88°F88°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low65°F65°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation13.9"13.9"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport10 mi7 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute46.2 min35.8 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age31.540.22024 ACS 5-Year
Students per teacher14.314.32024-25 school year
Math proficiency44.2%44.2%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency57.6%57.6%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

4 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

Maili

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding, wildfire, tsunami.

Waipahu

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding, wildfire, tsunami.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Maili
—
Maili: Your Score
56
Area Score
Waipahu
—
Waipahu: Your Score
55
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Maili, HI · Waipahu, HI · How this is calculated: methodology