Best PlacesWailea, Kihei, HI Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Wailea, Kihei, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Wailea, Kihei ranks 2,167th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Wailea, Kihei
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Wailea, Kihei's strengths and weaknesses
Where Wailea, Kihei ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Short commute15.4 minutes each way, better than 97% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
Where Wailea, Kihei ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Wailea, Kihei
A household needs to earn about $427,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Wailea, Kihei home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $98,110, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Wailea, Kihei's effective rate of 0.29%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Wailea, Kihei
Wailea, Kihei runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Wailea, Kihei.
Who works in Wailea, Kihei, and how
Work in Wailea, Kihei centers on health care & social and hospitality & food. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 31%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in Wailea, Kihei
Wailea, Kihei has more restaurants and bars per resident than 92% of neighborhoods. The coast is about 2 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of Wailea, Kihei and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Wailea, Kihei, month by month
Wailea, Kihei sees roughly 160 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 83, with lows near 63. The comfortable stretch runs December through April.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 83° | 73° | 63° |
| April | 85° | 75° | 66° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 90° | 79° | 69° |
Flying in and out of Wailea, Kihei
Kahului sits about 14 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 3.4 million passengers in 2025, with 32 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Wailea, Kihei
Schools across Wailea, Kihei average a B, better than 71% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Kamalii Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Kula Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lokelani Intermediate SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Samuel Enoka Kalama Intermediate SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top high schools
- Maui High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- King Kekaulike High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Wailea, Kihei school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Wailea, Kihei measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Wailea, Kihei against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Wailea, Kihei
Is Wailea, Kihei a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Wailea, Kihei ranks 2,167th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on clean air, quiet, and low property taxes, and lowest on biking and empty homes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Wailea, Kihei expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $1,756,514. The overall cost of living runs about 61% above the national average. Set against a $98,110 median income, cost of living beats 31% of neighborhoods.
Is Wailea, Kihei safe?
Yes, Wailea, Kihei is safer than 73% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $415 per resident a year.
Compare Wailea, Kihei with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Wailea, Kihei. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Wailea, Kihei represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Wailea, Kihei detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Wailea, Kihei: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Wailea, Kihei: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Wailea, Kihei: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Wailea, Kihei: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Wailea, Kihei detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.