Moving from Massachusetts to Hawaii
Massachusetts to Hawaii means shipping by sea, not only driving. Median rent is $1,971 a month in Hawaii and $1,762 in Massachusetts, and the median home is $839,100 against $562,100. State income tax is up to 11.00% in Hawaii and a flat 5.00% in Massachusetts. Property tax runs 0.27% of home value in Hawaii and 1.07% in Massachusetts.
Moving to Hawaii costs about
$630/mo
more than Massachusetts each month, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
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 value | $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.
Monthly cost of living: Massachusetts vs Hawaii
| 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 | -$30 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,812 | $2,045 | +$233 |
| Utilities | $621 | $777 | +$156 |
| Total | +$632 | ||
Cost to move from Massachusetts to Hawaii
$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 $2,800 to $3,850. Ocean rates: Car Shipping Hawaii, 2026 booked shipments.
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
What jobs pay in Hawaii, after the cost of living
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.