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Central Molokai · Molokai

Kaunakakai and Central Molokai

Kaunakakai is Molokai’s main town and harbor, with the Hoolehua and Kalamaula homestead areas and the airport on the central plain above it.

Mostly condos2 condo complexesHawaiian Home Lands in this area

About Kaunakakai and Central Molokai

Most of the island’s stores, services and government offices are in Kaunakakai. Housing is mostly single-family homes in and around town plus homestead lots in Hoolehua and Kalamaula.

Molokai sees only a few sales a month. About 15 single-family homes and 25 condos sold island-wide in the first nine months of 2026.

What homes sell for

Property typeSales, Jan–Sep 2026Median or range
Single-family homes15$330K–$908KFew sales, so treat this as a rough guide
CondosAbout 25$150K–$300KFew sales, so treat this as a rough guide

Title Guaranty reports Molokai as one area, so these are island-wide figures.

Source: Title Guaranty monthly Maui County residential sales reports, January–September 2026 (Molokai is reported as one area).

Can you rent to visitors?

HousesNo permits allowedMaui County caps short-term rental home permits by community plan area, and the Molokai cap is zero. A house on Molokai can’t be permitted for visitor rentals.
CondosVaries by buildingIn our directory: 2 not confirmed. Molokai’s condos are mostly at Kaluakoi on the West End. Bill 9 phases out visitor rentals in apartment-district buildings on Maui County’s Minatoya list by January 1, 2031 on Molokai. See the Molokai condo directory.

Land, title and what to check

Hoolehua and Kalamaula are Department of Hawaiian Home Lands homesteads, and DHHL holds land along the south shore at Kapaakea and Kamiloloa-One Alii as well.

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

Kaunakakai and the south shore are low-lying. Check an address’s flood and tsunami zones.

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 Molokai High School (Hoolehua). Assignments go by address, so confirm with the Hawaii State Department of Education.

Condo complexes in Kaunakakai and Central Molokai

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

Hotel MolokaiKaunakakai · Kaunakakai57 · 1980Not confirmedMolokai ShoresKaunakakai · Kaunakakai102 · 1977Not confirmed

Sources: Title Guaranty Maui County sales reports; DHHL Molokai Regional Plan (2020); Hawaii Public Radio: Molokai Ranch for sale (2019); Maui County STRH caps (Chapter 19.65 summary). 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.