Median rent is 3% lower in Urban Honolulu ($1,823/mo vs $1,871/mo). Buying is cheaper in Long Beach, where the median home runs $806,600 versus $843,400. Households earn more in Long Beach ($87,430 vs $86,504 a year).
City A
Long Beach, CA
City B
Urban Honolulu, HI
How much would you need to earn in Urban Honolulu, HI to maintain your standard of living from Long Beach, CA?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Long Beach
California
Urban Honolulu
Hawaii
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rents are similar in both cities: $1,871/mo in Long Beach and $1,823/mo in Urban Honolulu. Median home values are within 4% of each other: $806,600 in Long Beach and $843,400 in Urban Honolulu.
1BR Fair Market Rent
2BR Fair Market Rent
BLS OEWS 2023 — metro-level data
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Long Beach
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Urban Honolulu
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Urban Honolulu has cleaner air on average: 18.0 AQI (Good) compared to 65.0 AQI (Moderate) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Pick Urban Honolulu if you prioritize cleaner air quality (avg AQI 18.0).
Is Long Beach cheaper than Urban Honolulu?
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
How much is rent in Long Beach vs Urban Honolulu?
Median rent is $1,871/mo in Long Beach, CA and $1,823/mo in Urban Honolulu, HI. Urban Honolulu, HI has the lower rent by about 3%.
Which has higher salaries — Long Beach or Urban Honolulu?
Median household income is $87,430 in Long Beach, CA and $86,504 in Urban Honolulu, HI. Long Beach, CA has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Which city has better air quality?
Urban Honolulu, HI has better air quality on average: 18.0 AQI versus 65.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
Which has lower taxes — Long Beach or Urban Honolulu?
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
What salary do I need in Urban Honolulu to match my Long Beach income?
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: December 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
