Study: Hilo has Highest Transportation Costs in Nation

Hilo Bay / Image: Malika Dudley

While it’s no surprise that the costs of living in paradise tend to be higher than other states in the nation, some may be surprised to learn that Hawai‘i Island’s Hilo ranks among the most expensive urban areas nationwide for transportation, grocery and utility costs.

A new analysis examining nationwide living costs to help those paying off student loan debt ranked Hilo as the most expensive city for transportation at 45.8 percent above the national average, ahead of Orange County, Calif. and San Francisco, Calif.

Hilo also ranked number two among the top five U.S. cities with the most expensive utilities, with costs at 112.4 percent above the national average. For this category, Hilo beat out neighboring Honolulu and fell just behind Fairbanks, Alaska.

In addition, Hilo ranked second among the top five U.S. cities with the most expensive groceries, falling at 51.8 percent above the national average cost—just behind Honolulu which ranked number one at 55.4 percent above the national average.

The rankings were determined using data from the Council for Community and Economic Research and the U.S. Census Bureau.