Kauai County
For Americans thinking of retiring to Kauai County, Hawaii, from another state or instead of a move abroad. Kauai County has 73,400 residents, 18,093 of them aged 65 or older (24.6 %) (US Census Bureau, county population estimates by age, 1 July 2025). No incorporated place in this county (Census, 1 July 2024).
Where Kauai County stands, on the six criteria
Kauai County's own figures, each against every US county that has the same figure. Cost of living is its area's: the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no price level for a single county.
| Criterion | Kauai County |
|---|---|
| Cost of living BEA price level, all items (US = 100); lower is better |
106.4 Cheaper than 3% of the other 3,142 US counties
Every county in the area shares this figure. BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, all items, Hawaii nonmetropolitan portion · figure for 2024 · checked 2026-10-28
|
| Taxes on a retired couple state and local tax on the example retired couple, USD a year; lower is better |
USD $841 (90% margin USD $795–$887) Lower than 100% of the other 3,110 US counties
The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household · figure for 2025
|
| Healthcare access share of residents 65+ living in a county with a 4- or 5-star CMS hospital; higher is better |
No hospital in the county rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS A fact for this county, not a ranking: a county without such a hospital may sit near one next door.
CMS, Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospital overall star rating, release of 13 Aug 2026 · figure for 2026 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Safety homicides per 100,000 a year, 2020–2024, by state of residence; lower is better |
no data Kauai County had fewer than 20 homicides in 2020–2024: CDC WONDER publishes no reliable rate below that. |
| Climate months a year whose mean daily high is 18–29 °C (64–84 °F), 1981–2010; more is better |
12.0 months a year More than 100% of the other 3,143 US counties
CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al. · figure for 2010 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Natural-hazard risk expected yearly loss to buildings from natural hazards, per USD $1,000 of buildings; lower is better |
USD $2.87 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 8% of the other 3,143 US counties
FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB) · figure for 2025 · checked 2026-10-28
|
Taxes on a retired couple in Kauai County, Hawaii
The published example couple's state and local tax in Kauai County for tax year 2025, in its three parts. Only the income tax is the same across Hawaii; the property tax uses Kauai County's own Census figures.
| State income tax Hawaii's 2025 rules — the same in every Hawaii county |
USD $93 |
|---|---|
| Local income tax none in this calculation: a county income tax is held only for Maryland and Indiana |
USD $0 |
| Property tax on a USD $350,000 home Kauai County's own median taxes paid ÷ median home value |
USD $748 |
| State and local tax, a year | USD $841 |
Sources: Hawaii Department of Taxation, Instructions for Form N-11 (Rev. 2025), Tax Rate Schedule I; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25103, county.
How Hawaii taxes each kind of retirement income, line by line
What Medicare costs in Kauai County, Hawaii
For the published example couple, both 67 and married: what Medicare premiums cost a year for two in Kauai County, Hawaii, and the most a bad year can cost. What care itself costs depends on a person's health, so it is not estimated here.
Medicare Advantage, with drug coverage
USD $5,182 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,870)
At most USD $19,482 in a bad year (from USD $17,470), with each person's in-network out-of-pocket maximum
The middle of the 15 plans offered here; "from" is the lowest premium among them.
Original Medicare, with a drug plan
USD $5,642 a year for two in premiums (from USD $5,117)
Medigap: no federal price list — not in this total.
No yearly maximum on Original Medicare alone.
Part B for two, plus the middle of the 8 standalone drug plans offered in the state.
The 2027 Part B premium is not yet published (CMS usually publishes it in November); 2026's is used.
Source: CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, plan year 2027; CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, 14 Nov 2025).
Retiring to Kauai County, Hawaii: pros and cons, by the figures
Retiring to Kauai County, judged on the figures above: a pro is a figure in the top fifth of US counties, a con one in the bottom fifth. Figures in between get no verdict.
Pros
- Taxes on a retired couple: lower than 100% of the other 3,110 US counties (USD $841). The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household
- Climate: more than 100% of the other 3,143 US counties (12.0 months a year). CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al.
Cons
- Natural-hazard risk: higher than 92% of the other 3,143 US counties (USD $2.87 per USD $1,000 of buildings). FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB)
The largest places in Kauai County
No incorporated place in Kauai County (Census, 1 July 2024).
Would your money go further in Kauai County?
We rank every place we hold against your budget and the life you want — starting from the sourced figures on this page and adding clearly labeled estimates for the costs no official source prices.
Free Create an account to save your comparisons and pick them up later. No credit card, no email needed, and you keep the whole site.
Create a free account No credit card. No email needed.
One personalized report, up to six places — saved in your account and yours to download as a PDF.
Unlimited reports, up to six places each, and it carries into the resident plan when you move.
On sale when billing opens — the prices are set.
Reports open when the site launches.
The report starts from the same sourced figures you see here, then adds clearly labeled estimates for the costs no official source prices for each town.