Moving from Massachusetts to Hawaii
Everyone compares rent and groceries. Almost nobody compares the two numbers that actually decide whether a move works: state income tax and property tax. Here is Massachusetts and Hawaii, side by side.
Moving to Hawaii costs about
+$630/mo
more than Massachusetts each month, renting
Worth knowing
Homes cost 1.5x more in Hawaii, but the tax rate is lower
Hawaii taxes property at 0.27% against 1.07% in Massachusetts. Despite the far higher prices, you would actually pay LESS property tax there: about $2,266 a year against $6,014.
Massachusetts vs Hawaii at a glance
| Massachusetts | Hawaii | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $562,100 | $839,100 |
| Median rent | $1,762/mo | $1,971/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 5.00% | Up to 11.00% |
| Property tax rate | 1.07% | 0.27% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 99 | 112 |
| Utilities | 152 | 190 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
What changes each month
| Monthly | MA | HI | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,762 | $1,971 | +$209 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income tax | $315 | $379 | +$64 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $100 | $70 | -$31 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,812 | $2,045 | +$234 |
| Utilities | $621 | $777 | +$156 |
| Total | +$630 | ||
What the move itself costs
$7,200 to $13,900
A move involving Hawaii goes by sea rather than road, so the range is wider and rougher.
Shipping one car adds about $1,350 to $2,250.
These are statewide figures. Boston is not Massachusetts-average and Honolulu is not Hawaii-average, so a specific city can look nothing like its state. Compare metro areas instead to narrow it to 387 real places, including which side of a state line you would live on.
Run this with your own numbers
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Every figure is a statewide median or average and will not match any particular household.