Kauai Real Estate
Kauai
real estate
The smallest and slowest-moving of Hawaii’s main markets: the North Shore, the Kapaa coast, Lihue, the sunny South Shore and the quiet West Side. Only a few dozen homes sell in a typical month, so every sale tells you something.
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Single-family median
$1.30M
2026 year to date, up 8.3%
Condo median
$845K
2026 year to date, down 3.4%
September sales
18 / 6
Homes / condos
Days on market
77 / 37
Median for homes / condos, September
Title Guaranty and Island Properties (Hawaii Information Service data), September 2026. With so few sales, the September medians ($1,490,000 for homes, $726,500 for condos) swing a lot, so the year-to-date figures are a better guide.
Kauai at a glance
Kauai sells in small numbers. In September only 18 single-family homes and 6 condos closed island-wide, so a single sale can move the median by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Year to date, home sales are down about 14% and condo sales about 24%. If you’re buying, expect limited choice in any one area; if you’re selling, pricing right matters more than usual.
Recent sales by area
September 2026 sales, which are often just one or two closings, so read them as examples rather than typical prices.
| Area | Single-family | Condo |
|---|---|---|
| Koloa-Poipu (South Shore) | 6 sales, $3,525,000 median | 2 sales, $1,075,000 |
| Kalaheo | 3 sales, $1,450,000 | — |
| Lihue | 1 sale, $1,570,000 | 1 sale, $925,000 |
| Kapaa (Kawaihau) | 6 sales, $1,062,000 | 1 sale, $525,000 |
| Princeville (North Shore) | No sales | 1 sale, $699,000 |
| Hanalei (North Shore) | No sales | — |
| Kekaha (West Side) | 1 sale, $750,000 | — |
Vacation rental rules
Kauai has some of the strictest vacation rental rules in the state. Under county Ordinance 904, single-family vacation rentals are allowed only inside designated Visitor Destination Areas. Outside them, only rentals that were operating before March 7, 2008 and hold a nonconforming use certificate can continue, and no new certificates are being issued. Those certificates have to be renewed every year.
So if you’re buying a home outside a Visitor Destination Area, plan on it being a residence or a long-term rental. Check the parcel’s status with the county Planning Department before you count on any rental income.
Property taxes
| Use | Rate per $1,000 |
|---|---|
| Owner-occupied | $2.59 |
| Non-owner-occupied | $5.45 up to $1.3M; $6.05 to $2M; $9.40 above |
| Vacation rental | $11.30 up to $1M; $11.75 to $2.5M; $12.20 above |
The home exemption is $220,000, rising to $240,000 at 60 and $260,000 at 70. File by Sept. 30. Owner-occupied assessments are capped at a 3% increase a year.
Selling an investment property elsewhere to buy on Kauai? A 1031 exchange can defer the capital gains tax. Check the rental rules above before you pick a replacement property.
Kauai condo directory
Our Kauai condo directory covers 74 complexes in Princeville, Poipu, Kapaa and Lihue, with each building’s Visitor Destination Area status, rental rules, unit count and recent HOA fees.
Browse the Kauai condo directory →
Latest from Kauai
- Is Kauai the New Maui?With Maui phasing out thousands of vacation rental condos, a lot of buyers are asking the obvious next question: if Maui’s closing the door, is Kauai the new place to …
- Kauai Vacation Rental Condos: Where TVRs Are Still LegalOn Kauai, a condo can rent to visitors if it sits inside a Visitor Destination Area (VDA), or if it holds a grandfathered nonconforming use permit. Outside those, any rental …
- Closing on a Kauai Home Before Year-End: Timeline and Tax NotesIf you want to own a Kauai home by December 31, you need an accepted offer by mid-November with a loan, or early December if you’re paying cash. After that, …
- How to Find a Real Estate Agent on KauaiKauai is the smallest and most rural of Hawaii’s four main markets — and in some ways the most specialized. There’s no through-road around the island, inventory is genuinely thin, …
- The Guide to Luxury Condos on Kauai (2026)Low-rise, resort-anchored, and split between the sunny South Shore and the dramatic North — a buyer’s guide to Poipu and Princeville’s premier complexes, the fee-simple-vs-leasehold trap, fractional ownership, and the …
- Kauai Real Estate in 2026: A Thin, Luxury-Heavy Market Where Location and a Permit Are EverythingMillion-dollar home medians, a softening luxury condo segment, and the most rigid short-term rental regime in the state — where a property’s address inside a Visitor Destination Area can matter …
Sources
- Statewide housing statistics, September 2026, Title Guaranty
- Kauai market update, September 2026, Island Properties (Hawaii Information Service data)
- Ordinance 904, transient vacation rentals, County of Kauai, 2010
- Real property tax rates, July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 (all counties), City & County of Honolulu, Real Property Assessment Division
- Understanding real property taxes, County of Kauai, rev. Jan. 22, 2026
General information as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice. Confirm zoning, Visitor Destination Area status and tax classification for a specific property with the County of Kauai before you buy.
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