Beach townsHawaii2026
Hawaii Beach Towns
Honolulu, Kihei and Princeville were the most booked of the 25 beach towns in Hawaii on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, with an estimated 155,968, 61,228 and 39,236 stays. March is the busiest month across them, and the typical stay is 6.5 nights.
Figures are AirROI estimates. How they are made
Ranking
Hawaii Beach Towns Ranked by Airbnb Stays
Every one of the beach and coastal towns in Hawaii with 100 or more Airbnb homes and recent stays, most booked first.
| 1 | Honolulu. Includes Waikiki. | 155,968 | $294 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Kihei | 61,228 | $413 |
| 3 | Princeville | 39,236 | $486 |
| 4 | Lahaina | 28,777 | $551 |
| 5 | Poipu | 24,742 | $656 |
| 6 | Kaanapali | 22,031 | $964 |
| 7 | Wailea | 21,225 | $633 |
| 8 | Kailua | 18,743 | $394 |
| 9 | Holualoa | 18,526 | $374 |
| 10 | Kailua-Kona | 17,060 | $434 |
| 11 | Kahaluu-Keauhou | 15,108 | $444 |
| 12 | Hilo | 12,687 | $241 |
| 13 | Kahuku | 12,251 | $730 |
| 14 | Hanalei | 10,482 | $689 |
| 15 | Koloa | 9,835 | $880 |
| 16 | Wailua | 9,009 | $380 |
| 17 | Kapaa | 8,225 | $428 |
| 18 | Napili | 7,913 | $479 |
| 19 | Kapolei | 7,650 | $754 |
| 20 | Lihue | 6,777 | $493 |
| 21 | Kapalaoa | 6,524 | $454 |
| 22 | Kapalua | 5,316 | $760 |
| 23 | Waikoloa | 2,168 | $380 |
| 24 | Hauula | 2,076 | $446 |
| 25 | Makaha | 1,603 | $213 |
Figures are AirROI estimates for the 12 months to October 2026, and stays count Airbnb bookings only. Typical stay is a booking's length, occupancy the share of available nights booked, and revenue the yearly average per home, before costs. Guest rating is out of 5. Airbnb data files some places as one district or township, so Honolulu and rows like it cover several towns.
Town by town
Where the Top Towns Stand Out
3 of 8 are busiest in March. Kihei and Kailua peak in January, Honolulu in August, Princeville in July, and Wailea in February. Among guests who left a review, Seattle is the top home city in 5 of the 8. Apartments and condos are the largest home type in all 8. The lines below add what the table can't show, where one of the 8 most booked towns leads its peers or differs from the rest.
- Honolulu
Of the 22 beach towns in Hawaii with 200 or more homes, Honolulu had the most Airbnb homes, at 5,793, and had the biggest share from abroad among guests who left a review, at 23%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- Kihei
Of the 22 beach towns in Hawaii with 200 or more homes, Kihei had the biggest share of apartments and condos, at 95%, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 5Poipu
Of the 22 beach towns in Hawaii with 200 or more homes, Poipu was booked furthest ahead, about 106 days before arrival, in the 12 months to October 2026.
- 6Kaanapali
Of the 22 beach towns in Hawaii with 200 or more homes, Kaanapali had the highest nightly rate, at $964, in the 12 months to October 2026.
When to go
Busiest and Quietest Months
March, January and February rank as the busiest months for Airbnb nights across the beach towns in Hawaii, and November and September as the quietest. March is the busiest month in 8 of the 25, while Honolulu peaks in August, Kihei in January, and Princeville in July. Across the 25 towns, nightly rates run lowest in September, at about $387, and highest in February, at about $480. Across the 25 towns, stays run longest in January, at 7.6 nights, and shortest in September, at 5.1 nights.
March ranks first, September last
Airbnb months in calendar order. The number is the month's rank, and 1 is the busiest. The bar shows its part of Airbnb nights.
- Three busiest months
- Other months
Month by month: rank, typical stay and nightly rate
| Rank | Month | Typical stay | Nightly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March | 6.0 nights | $475 |
| 2 | January | 7.6 nights | $476 |
| 3 | February | 7.0 nights | $480 |
| 4 | December | 6.5 nights | $468 |
| 5 | July | 6.2 nights | $442 |
| 6 | May | 5.7 nights | $439 |
| 7 | June | 6.0 nights | $444 |
| 8 | April | 6.0 nights | $447 |
| 9 | October | 6.0 nights | $429 |
| 10 | August | 5.6 nights | $410 |
| 11 | November | 6.2 nights | $437 |
| 12 | September | 5.1 nights | $387 |
Who comes
Where Guests Come From
Among guests who left a review, 83% come from within the United States. Among those guests, the largest groups from abroad come from Canada and Germany. The top home cities among those guests are Los Angeles, Seattle and San Francisco. Honolulu draws the most from abroad, at 23%, among towns with 200 or more homes.
Top countries abroad
Among guests who left a review
Top home cities
Among guests who left a review
83% from within the United States
The money view
Revenue, Occupancy and Nightly Rate
Among the 22 towns with 200 or more Airbnb homes, Kahuku has the highest estimated revenue per home, at $149,072 a year. Of those 22, Kahuku has the highest occupancy, at 63%, and Hilo has the lowest nightly rate on Airbnb, at $241. The most booked of the 25, Honolulu, earns about $48,719 per home.
Highest revenue per home of these 22
A year, AirROI estimate
Highest occupancy of these 22
Nights booked, AirROI estimate
- Kahuku 63%
- Honolulu 56%
- Kapaa 53%
- Wailua 52%
- Kailua-Kona 51%
Lowest nightly rate of these 22
On Airbnb, AirROI estimate
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular beach town in Hawaii?
By AirROI's estimates, Honolulu is the most booked of the 25 beach towns in Hawaii, with 155,968 Airbnb stays in the 12 months to October 2026. Kihei is second, with 61,228. This counts Airbnb bookings only.
What is the most affordable beach town in Hawaii?
By AirROI's estimated nightly rate on Airbnb in the 12 months to October 2026, among beach towns in Hawaii with 200 or more homes, the lowest are Hilo ($241), Honolulu ($294) and Holualoa ($374). That is the average asking price on booked nights, not what it costs to live or buy there.
What are some small beach towns in Hawaii?
By AirROI's count of active Airbnb homes as of October 2026, the smallest of the 25 beach towns it lists in Hawaii are Hauula (98), Waikoloa (112) and Makaha (117). AirROI's list starts at 100 homes, so smaller places are not on it.
What beach towns in Hawaii offer the strongest Airbnb returns?
Returns depend on what a home costs to buy and run, which AirROI's figures do not cover. On AirROI's estimated revenue per home in the 12 months to October 2026, among beach towns in Hawaii with 200 or more homes, the highest are Kahuku ($149,072), Koloa ($112,868) and Hanalei ($99,912). Among the same towns, Kahuku has the highest occupancy, at 63%.
Method
How These Lists and Numbers Are Made
How a town gets on this list. A town needs 100 or more Airbnb homes with recent stays. A language model then judges the place from its name, state, country and coordinates, not from words in its name: it has to be on an ocean or sea coast with its own beach, seafront or harbour, or on a Great Lake with a public beach, and within about 10 km of the shore. The town's own listings can back that up, with 30% of its homes listing beach access, or 10% with ocean views, waterfront homes or beach in their titles besides. A town whose listings do not gets a second, stricter check, which asks whether people go there for that or mainly for something else. Big cities stay off. Corrections come last: places the checks got wrong are added or taken off, and rows that name one place are joined.
How the figures are made. Stays, occupancy, nightly rate and revenue are AirROI estimates built from Airbnb listing data, and cover Airbnb only. A town's stays are its bookings in the period, and the typical stay and busiest month come from the same data. Guest ratings, home sizes and how far ahead guests book are the latest figures in each town's AirROI data. Month ranks compare each month's part of Airbnb nights. Origin rests on 1,311,463 reviews and describes guests who left a review, not everyone who stayed. A town needs 1,000 reviews before this page gives its share from abroad.