Big Island neighborhoods › East Hawaii
East Hawaii · Big Island

Hilo

Hilo is the county seat and East Hawaii’s main town, with older neighborhoods around Hilo Bay and newer subdivisions up toward Kaumana and Waiakea Uka.

Mostly houses7 condo complexesHawaiian Home Lands in this area

About Hilo

The South Hilo district had about 177 single-family sales and 44 condo sales from January to September 2026. Monthly single-family medians held between about $502,000 and $651,000.

What homes sell for

Property typeSales, Jan–Sep 2026Median or range
Single-family homesAbout 175$502K–$651K
CondosAbout 45$197K–$348K

Source: Title Guaranty monthly Hawaii Island residential sales reports, January–September 2026.

Can you rent to visitors?

HousesResort and commercial zones onlyHawaii County’s 2018 short-term vacation rental law (Ordinance 18-114, from Bill 108) allows unhosted rentals of 30 days or less in resort, hotel and commercial zones. In residential and agricultural zones, a home can be rented that way only if it holds a nonconforming use certificate from the county’s 2019 registration. In 2024 the Hawaii Supreme Court held that farm dwellings in the state agricultural district can’t be used as short-term vacation rentals, and upheld the county’s rule limiting certificates on agricultural land to single-family homes on lots that existed before June 4, 1976. Rentals where the owner lives on site fall under separate rules.
CondosVaries by buildingIn our directory: 4 long-term only · 1 not confirmed · 2 reported allowed. Most condo complexes in our directory are in resort-zoned areas where visitor rentals are reported allowed; the rest are long-term only. Confirm the building’s zoning and house rules before you buy. See the Big Island condo directory.

Land, title and what to check

Keaukaha and Panaewa are Department of Hawaiian Home Lands communities. DHHL awarded 200 residential leases at Panaewa in July 2026, with another 200 scheduled, on lots expected to be ready in 2031.

Hawaiian Home Lands homesteads are leased rather than sold on the open market. Leases run 99 years and are awarded from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands waiting list to native Hawaiians with at least 50% Hawaiian ancestry. A lease can pass only to a qualified relative or another eligible beneficiary, so these homes don’t appear as regular listings.

Hazards, water and access

The 1946 and 1960 tsunamis destroyed much of Hilo’s bayfront, and low-lying areas near the bay are in the tsunami evacuation zone. Parts of Hilo are also downslope of Mauna Loa, so check an address’s lava-flow hazard zone.

Check any address for its FEMA flood zone, tsunami evacuation zone, sea level rise exposure, lava zone and wildfire risk with our Hawaii flood zone lookup.

Public schools

The public high school for most addresses here is Hilo High School or Waiakea High School, depending on address. Assignments go by address, so confirm with the Hawaii State Department of Education.

Condo complexes in Hilo

Units, year built and visitor rental status from our Big Island condo directory.

Bayshore TowersHilo · Hilo88 · 1970Long-term onlyHale KahakaiHilo · Hilo58 · 1973Long-term only
Hale MoanaHilo · Hilo—Not confirmed
Hilo Lagoon CentreHilo · Hilo266 · 1971Reported allowedHilo TerraceHilo · Hilo100 · 1963Long-term onlyKawili RegencyHilo · Hilo20 · 1984Long-term onlyWaiakea VillasHilo · Hilo251 · 1972Reported allowed

Sources: Title Guaranty Hawaii Island sales reports; Hawaii Supreme Court, SCAP-22-0000371 (2024); USGS lava-flow hazard zones; Civil Beat: lava zone insurance (Oct 2024); DHHL awards 200 Panaewa lots (July 2026). Checked October 2026. This guide sticks to public facts about prices, rules, land and hazards. It doesn’t rate neighborhoods or describe who lives in them.