Hawaii · County property tax · ACS 2024
Kauai County Property Taxes
The median homeowner in Kauai County pays $1,866 a year, an effective rate of 0.21%, modestly below the U.S. average.
- $1,866
- Median tax / yr
- 0.21%
- Effective rate
- -6%
- vs U.S. average
- #3 of 4
- rank in HI
The verdict
Homeowners in Kauai County pay a median $1,866 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.21%, more affordable than 100% of U.S. counties.
- $1,866
- Median annual tax bill, 2024
- 0.21%
- Effective rate on median home
- #13 of 3135
- U.S. counties by tax burden
- -6%
- vs the national average bill
Effective rate is the median property tax bill divided by the median home value ($873,200). U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024.
Census Bureau ACS property tax data for Hawaii. Owner-occupied homes: 16,210.
The median annual property tax in Kauai County is $1,866, which is 17% lower than the Hawaii state average and 6% below the national average. The effective tax rate is 0.21% on a median home value of $873,200. Property taxes represent 1.9% of the median household income in this county.
What This Data Tells Us About Kauai County
Homeowners in Kauai County pay a median annual property tax of $1,866, modestly below the national median and notably lower than the Hawaii state median. On a $873,200 median home, that works out to an effective rate of 0.21% once the local assessment base and millage are combined.
Property taxes in Kauai County run a bit below the commonly cited 2%-4% national benchmark, at about 1.9% of the $97,668 median household income. Since 2023, the published ACS median estimate has held roughly steady, up 1.4%, from $1,840 to $1,866. This compares two release estimates; it does not identify a local policy, assessment, exemption, or household-bill cause.
This page is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Figures describe the median homeowner household in Kauai County as reported to the Census Bureau, your own bill can differ based on your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, special districts, and municipal overlays. Always consult your county assessor, tax collector, or a qualified professional before making decisions that depend on these numbers.
With vs Without Mortgage
Mortgaged and non-mortgaged homeowners in Kauai County pay about the same bill, within a 2% gap either way.
How Kauai County compares
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value), ACS 2024.
Kauai County's effective rate is higher than 25% of the 4 counties in Hawaii - ranking #3 of 4 for property tax burden.
Where Kauai County sits among every U.S. county
Effective property tax rate (median tax ÷ median home value)
0.21% Among the most affordable more affordable than 99% of 3,135 U.S. counties
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more U.S. counties. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2024
Kauai County vs Benchmarks
| Metric | Kauai County | Hawaii Avg | U.S. Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Tax | $1,866 | $2,239 | $1,993 |
| Effective Tax Rate | 0.21% | 0.27% | 0.92% |
| Median Home Value | $873,200 | $839,100 | $227,791 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates. Tax-burden differences across rows reflect millage decisions, assessment-ratio practices, and the residential-vs-commercial mix of each tax base.
Think your Kauai County property tax bill is too high?
A successful appeal can lower your assessed value by 10-25%, cutting your annual tax bill by hundreds or thousands of dollars. Use our free Appeal Savings Estimator to project savings on your specific home, then read our step-by-step appeal guide for the exact procedure in Hawaii.
Property Tax History
| Year | Median Tax | Effective Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,866 +1.4% | 0.21% |
| 2023 | $1,840 +9.6% | 0.22% |
| 2022 | $1,679 +11.8% | 0.23% |
| 2021 | $1,502 +2.9% | 0.24% |
| 2020 | $1,460 | 0.24% |
Tax Burden
Tax Affordability Score
An effective rate far below the national average of 0.92% puts Kauai County in the "Very Affordable" band for property tax burden.
How this score is calculated: a 1-10 scale derived mechanically from the ratio of this county's effective rate to the national average effective rate (0.92%) - a ratio at or below 0.5× scores 10, a ratio at or above 2.0× scores 1, with a linear scale between. It is a factual comparison of Census figures only, not a recommendation, quality rating, or endorsement of Kauai County or any other county.
Other Counties in Hawaii
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average property tax in Kauai County, Hawaii? ▼
How does Kauai County property tax compare to the national average? ▼
What percentage of income goes to property taxes in Kauai County? ▼
Are property taxes increasing in Kauai County? ▼
What this means in Kauai County
How to use Kauai County's property-tax numbers, for budgeting, comparison, or an appeal.
- At Kauai County's 0.21% effective rate, a $873,200 home implies about $1,866/yr, plug in your own home's value to estimate your bill. Estimate your bill
- Kauai County ranks #3 of 4 counties in Hawaii by effective rate, compare it against the rest of the state before you judge your bill. Hawaii overview
- If your assessed value looks high relative to Kauai County's typical home, you may have grounds to appeal, most jurisdictions have a filing window each year. How to appeal
Effective rate is the county median tax divided by the county median home value ($873,200); your parcel's assessed value, exemptions, and local levies determine your actual bill. U.S. Census Bureau ACS · 2024.
Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Property tax data reflects median amounts paid by homeowners. Effective rates are calculated as median tax divided by median home value.
PlainPropertyTax is rendered directly from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on the Census ACS county-level record for Kauai County. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-06-09.