Property tax in Kauai County, Hawaii

By Brent Chudoba, editor Updated September 23, 2026

The median property tax bill in Kauai County, Hawaii is $1,866 a year, which is about 0.21% of the county's median home value of $873,200. That effective rate is lower than the typical Hawaii county (0.24%) and lower than the national median (0.81%). These are American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2024); your own bill depends on your home's assessed value and any exemptions.

Estimate the property tax on a home in Kauai County

Enter a home's market value for a ballpark at Kauai County's average effective rate of 0.21% (Census). The real bill depends on the home's assessed value, the millage where it sits and any exemptions.

Home market value

Estimated property tax: $1,834 / year

Property tax in Kauai County at a glance

Kauai County, Hawaii property tax (Census ACS, reviewed September 23, 2026)
Measure	Value
Median annual property tax	$1,866
Median home value	$873,200
Effective tax rate	0.21%
Typical Hawaii county rate	0.24%
National median county rate	0.81%

Effective rate = median real estate taxes paid divided by median home value. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

How does Kauai County compare in Hawaii?

Among Hawaii's 4 counties, Kauai County has the 3rd highest effective property-tax rate: 2 rank higher and 1 rank lower. That is on the lower side for Hawaii. Nationally, it ranks 3124th of 3135 US counties by effective rate. See every Hawaii county ranked.

How much do homeowners in Kauai County actually pay?

The median is only the middle bill. Across Kauai County's 16,210 owner-occupied homes, 27.1% pay $3,000 or more a year in property tax, 43.8% pay at least $2,000, and 12.7% pay under $800. Another 5.3% report paying no property tax at all, which usually means an exemption covers the whole bill.

Annual property tax paid by Kauai County homeowners (Census ACS 2020-2024)
Annual bill	Homes	Share
Under $800	2,061	12.7%
$800 to $1,499	4,026	24.8%
$1,500 to $1,999	2,175	13.4%
$2,000 to $2,999	2,703	16.7%
$3,000 or more	4,390	27.1%
No property tax paid	855	5.3%

Owners with a mortgage pay a median of $1,860 and owners without one pay $1,889. That is within 10% either way, so in Kauai County paying off the house does not go with a noticeably different bill. Census table B25103.

How does the Kauai County property tax bill compare with local incomes?

The median property tax bill of $1,866 is about 1.7% of the median income of Kauai County homeowner households, $109,877 a year. That compares two middles, so a retiree in a long-held home can pay a far larger share. 68.6% of Kauai County's occupied homes are lived in by their owners; renters pay property tax too, just folded into rent.

Have property taxes gone up in Kauai County?

Yes. The median bill went from $1,448 in 2015-2019 to $1,866 in 2020-2024, a 28.9% rise. Over the same span the median home value moved 53%, from $570,700 to $873,200. Bills rose more slowly than values, which is what assessment caps and falling millage rates do: the county is taxing a smaller share of each home's worth.

Two Census ACS 5-year periods with no survey years in common, in each period's own dollars. A change counts only if it exceeds the combined 90% margin of error.

How is a home assessed in Kauai County?

Hawaii assesses homes at 100% of market value in every county, Kauai County included. How Hawaii assesses and reappraises homes.

Is there a homestead exemption in Kauai County?

Yes, set by each county. Hawaii has no statewide exemption; for the 2026 to 2027 tax year Honolulu exempts $120,000 of assessed value, Maui $300,000 and Kauai $220,000. That is the Hawaii rule, and it applies in Kauai County. Hawaii's exemptions and relief programs in full.

When are property taxes due in Kauai County?

There is no state property tax bill in Hawaii, but all four counties have independently settled on the same schedule. The tax year runs July 1 through June 30 and the bill is split into two equal halves. The first is mailed around July 20 and due August 20, and the second is mailed around January 20 and due February 20. Missing a due date triggers county penalties and interest, and filing an assessment appeal does not pause the obligation to pay.

Hawaii splits the bill into 2 installments. That is the Hawaii rule. Kauai County issues and collects the bill, so the dates printed on your statement are the ones that bind you.

How to appeal your Kauai County property assessment

You contest the assessed value with the your county Board of Review, then the state Tax Appeal Court. The filing deadline is typically set by each county: Honolulu January 15, Kauai December 1 to 31 only, Hawaii County and Maui April 9. That is the Hawaii rule; Kauai County sets the exact dates and forms. The Hawaii appeal process step by step.

Hawaii rules from primary state sources, reviewed September 7, 2026; sources on the Hawaii page.

Work out your own numbers

Sources

Median real estate taxes paid and median home value for Kauai County, Hawaii: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020-2024), tables B25103, B25077, B25102, B25119 and B25003; the five-year comparison uses the 2015-2019 estimates. Neighboring counties: Census county adjacency file.