Hilo, HI Cost Of Living

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Hilo cost of living index

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2019 and was released from C2ER in January, 2020; this is the most current data available.

The cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average. The breakdown for each index is as follows: goods and services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used.
Index	Hilo	Hawaii	National
Cost of living	145	176	100
Index	Hilo	Hawaii	National
Goods & Services	129	127	100
Groceries	152	156	100
Health care	119	120	100
Housing	144	250	100
Transportation	146	141	100
Utilities	203	194	100

Key findings

The cost of living in Hilo is 17% lower than the Hawaii average
The cost of living in Hilo is 45% higher than the national average
Hilo housing is 44% higher than the national average
Hawaii general sales tax is 18% lower than the national average
Hawaii state income tax is 37% lower than the national average

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Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$70,625	$5,885	$1,648	$2,119
Renters	$29,578	$2,465	$690	$887

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Hilo, HI, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Hilo have a median income of $70,625. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $1,648 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $29,578, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $690.

Hawaii Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Hawaii	4.166%	4.712%

Hawaii Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Hawaii	1.4%	11%

Goods & Services

Item	Hilo	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$12.17	$17.49	30.4%
Beauty Salon	$31.47	$38.17	17.5%
Toothpaste	$4.08	$2.32	76.0%
Shampoo	$1.72	$1.01	70.3%
Movie	$10.04	$10.72	6.4%
Bowling	$13.87	$13.86	0.1%

Groceries

Item	Hilo	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$4.25	$3.90	9.0%
Fried Chicken	$2.19	$1.40	56.8%
Milk	$3.21	$1.96	63.4%
Potatoes	$4.25	$3.18	33.6%
Pizza	$12.30	$10.39	18.3%
Beer	$7.78	$9.23	15.7%

Health Care

Item	Hilo	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$136.85	$106.34	28.7%
Doctor	$133.68	$115.25	16.0%
Dentist	$112.79	$98.38	14.6%
Ibuprofen	$13.01	$9.26	40.5%
Lipitor	$398.63	$466.47	14.5%

Housing

Item	Hilo	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$298,500.00	$184,700.00	61.6%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$2,014.49	$1,273.32	58.2%
Apartment Rent	$961.00	$949.00	1.3%

Transportation

Item	Hilo	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$3.16	$2.59	22.0%
Tire Balancing	$72.96	$48.90	49.2%

Utilities

Item	Hilo	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$431.66	$167.60	157.5%
Phone	$39.39	$163.42	75.9%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Eden Roc, HI	599	121	21%
Fern Acres, HI	1,392	129	29%
Nanawale Estates, HI	1,590	130	30%
Ainaloa, HI	3,102	130	30%
Papaikou, HI	1,198	131	31%
Hilo, HI	45,579	145	45%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Charlottesville, VA	45,538	112	12%
Lacey, WA	45,644	114	14%
Wylie, TX	45,655	95	-5%
Lincoln, CA	45,675	136	36%
Kannapolis, NC	45,685	92	-8%
Hilo, HI	45,579	145	45%