Honolulu, HI short-term rental market report (2026)
Honolulu County, Hawaii. Rules, revenue, home values, demand, climate, reach and risk, each figure with its source.
- RulesVery strict (5/5)
- Average revenue$81K a year
- 4-BR typical value$1.2M
- Gross yield6.8%
- FEMA riskRelatively High
- Demand drivers within 50 mi5
Everything STR HUB holds on Honolulu, HI in one place, in the order an investor needs it: whether you can operate, what the numbers are, why and when people come, who can reach it, and what could go wrong.
Every figure comes from a named dataset listed under Sources and method, dated September 21, 2026. Where we do not hold a figure, that part of the report is left out rather than estimated.
Can you operate in Honolulu?
What the rating rests on: Extremely restrictive. Non-hosted STRs banned in most residential zones. Heavy fines for violations.
Rules change, and a city rating does not cover HOA or deed restrictions. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction before you buy or list.
Which way the rules are moving
Tightening. The rules we hold report a recent or pending change.
Bill 62 (CO 25-02) - Effective September 2025 90-Day Minimum: All non-B&B, non-NUC residential rentals must have 90-day minimum rental terms Advertising Ban: Advertising shorter stays in non-permitted areas prohibited
Classified from the regulation text we publish; a direction is only kept when the sentence it rests on appears word for word in that text.
The numbers
Revenue
Gross market averages from STR HUB market analytics, the same figures shown on the market page. They are before cleaning, management, utilities, taxes and financing, and an individual property can earn more or less.
Home values in Honolulu County
Zillow Home Value Index: county-wide typical values for Honolulu County, not list prices. A specific property can sit well above or below them.
Gross yield
Gross yield is before every operating cost and before financing. It is a screening ratio, not a cash-on-cash return.
What it costs to own
Screening figures, not a bill or a quote. The tax rate is a county-wide median for owner-occupied homes (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022); second homes and rentals are often taxed more heavily, and a purchase usually resets the assessed value. Expected annual loss is from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Housing market momentum
County-level, for-sale housing market: it says nothing directly about STR bookings. A relative ranking among tracked markets, not a forecast. Sources: Realtor.com Economic Research, U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow Home Value Index.
Why people come
5 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Honolulu. Ordered by published attendance. Attendance appears only where a source publishes it.
Attractions
- Wai Kai Lagoon & Wave Pool
- When
- Year-round
- STR angle
- Oahu's first artificial-wave attraction, giving the leeward Ewa/Kapolei area (traditionally a secondary Oahu lodging market) its own draw independent of Waikiki; supports family STR stays on the west side of the island.
- Waikiki
- When
- Year-round; peaks mid-December to March and June to August.
- STR angle
- Hawaii's hotel district and the base for most Oahu visits. Honolulu permits stays under 30 days only in resort-zoned areas (which include parts of Waikiki) or with a legacy certificate, and enforces it, so the building's zoning and house rules decide everything.
- Source
- Wikipedia: Waikīkī
Outdoor activities
- North Shore of Oahu (Pipeline, Sunset, Waimea)
- When
- Northern-hemisphere winter swells; December hosts the Triple Crown of Surfing.
- STR angle
- The center of the surfing world each winter, with pros, media and spectators all needing beds. Honolulu County tightly restricts short-term rentals outside resort zones, so legality of any specific property must be verified first.
Landmarks
- Pearl Harbor National Memorial (USS Arizona Memorial)
- When
- Year-round; busiest months by 2025 NPS recreation visits were Jul, Jun, Mar.
- Attendance
- 1,534,226 (NPS recreation visits, full calendar year 2025 — includes the USS Arizona Memorial, which is reached by shuttle boat from the visitor centre)
- STR angle
- Pearl Harbor is steady in every month and part of nearly every first trip to Honolulu. Oahu requires long minimum stays outside resort zones, so legal nightly rentals are confined to Waikiki, Ko Olina and similar resort-zoned condo buildings.
- Polynesian Cultural Center
- When
- Year-round; summer and winter holidays peak.
- Attendance
- 700,000 (Wikipedia: "attracting 700,000 visitors annually" (undated); over 32 million visitors since opening in 1963.)
- STR angle
- One of Oahu's largest paid attractions brings evening crowds to the windward North Shore, about an hour from Waikiki, where hotels are almost absent. Legal short-term supply is extremely limited under Honolulu's rules, so the few permitted units around Turtle Bay and Laie are scarce assets.
When they come
Year-round climate: at least nine months of the year have an average high between 60°F and 88°F. 12 of 12 months have an average high between 60°F and 88°F. Warmest month: August (average high 85°F). Coldest: February (average low 68°F).
- Jan78°68°Comfortable
- Feb76°68°Comfortable
- Mar77°68°Comfortable
- Apr79°70°Comfortable
- May81°71°Comfortable
- Jun83°73°Comfortable
- Jul84°74°Comfortable
- Aug85°75°Comfortable
- Sep85°75°Comfortable
- Oct83°73°Comfortable
- Nov81°72°Comfortable
- Dec78°70°Comfortable
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high (°F) | 78 | 76 | 77 | 79 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 85 | 83 | 81 | 78 |
| Average low (°F) | 68 | 68 | 68 | 70 | 71 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 75 | 73 | 72 | 70 |
| Precipitation (in) | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 3.0 |
| Sunshine (hours a day) | 9.9 | 10.4 | 10.6 | 11.7 | 12.2 | 12.7 | 12.7 | 12.5 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 10.1 | 9.6 |
This is climate and events, not booking data. Monthly normals are 2019-2023 averages from the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (ERA5 reanalysis) at the market pin. We do not hold monthly occupancy or rate data for this market.
Who can reach it
Largest counties within 150 miles
| County | Population |
|---|---|
| Honolulu County, HI | 1,010,100 |
| Maui County, HI | 164,765 |
| Kauai County, HI | 73,511 |
County populations (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2018-2022) summed for every county whose centre lies within each straight-line radius. Straight lines are shorter than roads, so read these as generous upper bounds, not drive-time counts.
What could go wrong
| Hazard | FEMA rating | Score (0-100) |
|---|---|---|
| River flooding | Very High | 99.3 |
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 99.0 |
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 98.6 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively Moderate | 75.6 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 73.3 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 33.2 |
| Hail | Very Low | 10.9 |
| Winter weather | No Rating | 0.0 |
This is a county-level index, not an insurance quote or a flood-zone determination. A coastal or wildfire-fringe rental can carry far more exposure than its county average suggests. Get property-level flood, wind and wildfire quotes before you buy.
Market context
Housing and jobs in Honolulu County
U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2018-2022. Vacation-home share is housing units held for seasonal, recreational or occasional use. All three describe the whole county, not one town or neighbourhood.
What is within 15 km of the Honolulu pin
Counts of features mapped in OpenStreetMap within 15 km of the market pin. A fixed radius favours dense metros, and map coverage varies by area.
Similar markets
The 4 tracked markets whose numbers sit closest to Honolulu's. Each links to its own report.
Closest by normalised distance across the figures both markets hold (typical 4BR value, revenue, occupancy, regulation rating, vacation-home share, tourism job share, 4+ bedroom share, amenity score, population within 300 miles, comfortable months and FEMA risk score). At most 2 of the 4 come from Hawaii, so the list is not just the neighbours. Similar numbers do not mean similar rules: check each market's regulation section.
See Honolulu on the map
Open Honolulu on the National STR Map to see it against its neighbours, switch overlays and run the deal calculator on your own assumptions.
Honolulu STR questions, answered from the data
Is Airbnb legal in Honolulu?
STR HUB rates Honolulu's short-term rental rules 5/5 (Very strict) on a scale from 1 (relaxed) to 5 (very strict). Rules change, so confirm current requirements with the local jurisdiction before you buy or list.
How much does an Airbnb make in Honolulu?
The average short-term rental in Honolulu, HI grosses $81,000 a year, on a $285 average nightly rate and 78% occupancy. That ranks #11 of the 88 tracked markets with revenue data. It is a gross market average before cleaning, management, taxes and financing, and an individual property can earn more or less.
How much does a 4-bedroom home cost in Honolulu?
The typical 4-bedroom home in Honolulu County is valued at $1,189,274 (Zillow Home Value Index), and the typical home of any size at $856,332, with all-home values up 2.3% over the past year. These are county-wide typical values, not list prices.
What is the gross rental yield in Honolulu?
6.8%: average annual short-term rental revenue of $81,000 divided by the county's typical 4-bedroom home value of $1,189,274. It is before every operating cost and before financing, so treat it as a screening ratio, not a cash-on-cash return.
What brings visitors to Honolulu?
5 demand drivers sit within 50 miles of Honolulu, including Pearl Harbor National Memorial (USS Arizona Memorial) (1,534,226 published attendance), Polynesian Cultural Center (700,000 published attendance) and North Shore of Oahu (Pipeline, Sunset, Waimea). Attendance is shown only where a source publishes it, and each driver's source is linked in the report.
Sources and method
- Regulation summary and strictness rating: STR Agent HUB regulation research.
- Revenue, nightly rate and occupancy: STR Agent HUB market analytics.
- Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), county level. Data provided by Zillow Group.
- Housing, employment and population figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, 2018-2022.
- Natural hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, county level.
- Amenity counts: © OpenStreetMap contributors.
- Climate normals: Open-Meteo Historical Weather API (CC BY 4.0), 2019-2023 averages.
- Demand drivers: each entry links its own published source in the list above.
Figures come from the STR HUB national dataset dated September 21, 2026 and this page is regenerated whenever that dataset is rebuilt. County-level figures describe Honolulu County as a whole, not one street or neighbourhood. The Opportunity Score (0-100) is a screening heuristic that weighs revenue (35%), regulatory climate (25%), tourism employment (15%), nearby amenities (15%) and large-home supply (10%) relative to the other tracked markets.
Confirm before you act. Short-term rental rules change. Confirm current requirements with the jurisdiction, and work with a licensed local agent who knows which properties can legally operate. This report is screening data, not investment, legal or tax advice.
Buying a short-term rental in Honolulu?
Get matched with a Honolulu agent who works short-term rentals every day and knows which properties can legally operate.
Get matched with a Honolulu STR agent →