Study: Maui Tops List of 2018’s Best Beach Towns to Live in
Maui Now file photo.
A new study includes two Maui locations on a top 10 list of the best ocean beach towns in the US.
Lahaina in West Maui was ranked #1; and Kīhei in South Maui was ranked #8 on the list compiled by the personal-finance website WalletHub.
The site compared 205 cities across 58 key metrics when compiling the data to determine the most livable beachside communities ahead of the summer peak moving season.
The study notes that Wailuku has the lowest median annual property taxes at 0.16%, which is 18 times lower than in Shirley, N.Y., the city with the highest at 2.88%.
The study divides beach towns into two categories, those by the ocean and those by lakes and includes the following:
| Top 10 Best Ocean Beach Towns in America | Top 10 Best Lake Beach Towns in America | |||
| 1 | Lahaina, HI | 1 | Traverse City, MI | |
| 2 | Naples, FL | 2 | Eden Prairie, MN | |
| 3 | Sarasota, FL | 3 | Folsom, CA | |
| 4 | Mill Valley, CA | 4 | Highland Park, IL | |
| 5 | St. Augustine, FL | 5 | Mequon, WI | |
| 6 | Santa Monica, CA | 6 | Holland, MI | |
| 7 | Boca Raton, FL | 7 | Alpena, MI | |
| 8 | Kīhei, HI | 8 | Bay Village, OH | |
| 9 | Westport, CT | 9 | Mercer Island, WA | |
| 10 | Key West, FL | 10 | Redmond, WA | |
Maui Now graphic by Wendy Osher. Click to view in greater detail.
42% of Maui Home Sales go to Mainland Buyers:
In an unrelated study, the 2016 State of Hawaiʻi Data Book, shows that 42% of Maui home sales went to mainland buyers.
There were 2,576 home sales in Maui County in 2016; 1,428 were local buyers; 1,077 were mainland buyers; and 71 were foreign buyers.
The average home price on Maui in May of 2018 was $695,000 for a Single Family home; and $475,000 for Condominiums.
Sponsored Content
