Kihei Real Estate: Condos, Homes and What to Know in 2026

By Tony Kawaguchi, REALTOR (RS-66616), The Kawaguchi Group, eXp Realty (RB-21841). Selling in Hawaii since 2005. Updated November 13, 2026.

Kihei runs along Maui's sunny, dry southwest shore, from the Maalaea end of the island's isthmus down to Wailea. The coastal strip is lined with condo complexes, small shopping centers and a string of beach parks, and single-family neighborhoods climb the slope on the mauka side of the Piilani Highway. It is a place many people first visit as a vacation spot and later look at as a home.

Here is how the Kihei market breaks down, what things cost this fall, and the rules that matter more here than almost anywhere else on Maui.

Condos, townhomes and houses

Most Kihei sales are condos. Older walk-up complexes near the beach parks, newer townhome projects, and golf-course communities on the mauka side all trade here. In October 2026 the busiest Maui complexes in the Title Guaranty Hawaii market report included Southpointe at Waiakoa and Kamaole Sands (3 sales each), Hokulani Golf Villas and Keonekai Villages (2 each), with single sales at Hale Kamaole and Haleakala Shores. Single-family homes are mostly in subdivisions on the mauka side, with a smaller number of older houses closer to the water.

These are October 2026 median prices from the Title Guaranty Hawaii market report for Maui (effective November 2, 2026). Title Guaranty is a Hawaii title and escrow company, and its free monthly report compiles the island board's MLS sales statistics. One month is a small sample, so treat any single-area median as a starting point and look at actual comparable sales. Nearby Maalaea, at the north end, is a small condo market around its harbor; the Title Guaranty Hawaii market report shows 2 condo sales there in October at a $295,500 median.

Vacation rental rules in Kihei

Apartment-zoned condos: Maui County's Ordinance 5909 (Bill 9) phases out transient vacation rental use in the A-1 and A-2 apartment districts. In the West Maui community plan area the use must end on January 1, 2029; everywhere else in the county it ends on January 1, 2031. Validly existing timeshare units and uses operating under a variance are exempt, and hotel-zoned properties are not covered. A separate 2026 ordinance created new H-3 and H-4 hotel districts that some apartment-zoned complexes are trying to move into, one property at a time, so a building's status can change; I track it in my Maui rezoning update.

Houses: in residential and agricultural districts, nightly rentals generally need a county short-term rental home or bed-and-breakfast permit, and those permits are limited. Never assume a house can be rented nightly because a previous owner did it. Many Kihei complexes were built as apartment-zoned condos and have operated as vacation rentals for decades. Outside West Maui, the phase-out date for those districts is January 1, 2031. Check each complex's zoning, its association rules and any pending hotel rezoning request before you price in rental income.

Nightly rental income is taxed separately from property tax: the state transient accommodations tax is 11% as of January 1, 2026, each county adds a 3% county TAT, and general excise tax is 4.5% in both Maui County and Hawaii County, so plan on about 18.5% of gross rent before income tax.

What changes value in Kihei

Distance to the beach and ocean view drive condo prices, but so do the building's age, its reserves and its master insurance. Older complexes often have lower list prices and higher special assessment risk. For houses, lot size, views of the ocean or Haleakala, and whether an ohana or accessory unit is permitted make a big difference. Kihei is warm and dry, so air conditioning and photovoltaic systems come up in nearly every showing.

Flood zones, shoreline and insurance

Before you fall for a view, check four maps for the exact parcel: the state's Flood Hazard Assessment Tool for FEMA flood zones, the tsunami evacuation zone map, the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Viewer for shoreline exposure, and the Special Management Area boundary, which adds a permit layer for most work near the shoreline. After the August 2023 wildfires, I also ask about vegetation, defensible space and insurance availability early, especially on dry leeward slopes. Condo buyers should read the association's budget, reserve study and master insurance policy, because master premiums have pushed maintenance fees up across Hawaii.

Parts of Kihei sit low near wetlands and drainage channels, and some shoreline condos face erosion. The flood and sea-level-rise layers are worth checking unit by unit.

Getting around

From Kahului Airport (OGG), Kihei is about 20 to 30 minutes on the Mokulele and Piilani highways; Wailea is another 10 minutes south; Wailuku and Kahului are about 25 to 35 minutes; Lahaina is about 45 to 60 minutes via the Honoapiilani Highway. These are our own estimates for light traffic, not official figures; rush hour, events and road work can add a lot of time.

Land tenure

Most Maui homes sell fee simple, meaning you own the land and the building. Leasehold still shows up, mainly in some condo projects, and when it does, the years left on the lease and the lease rent terms matter as much as the price, because they affect value and financing. Department of Hawaiian Home Lands homestead leases have their own eligibility rules and are not sold on the open market like fee simple homes. On older rural parcels, title can involve kuleana or access questions that a title company should clear before closing.

Property taxes

Maui County taxes by how a property is used, not just what it is worth, so the same house can carry very different bills. If you live in the home full time and qualify, the county's home exemption takes $300,000 off the assessed value and moves you into the low owner-occupied class. To qualify you must occupy the home more than 270 days a year, not rent out the whole property, and file a Hawaii resident income tax return with a Maui County address; the claim deadline for the 2027 assessment year is December 31, 2026.

Illustration only, before any minimum tax or other credits: on a home assessed at $900,000, the owner-occupied math starts by subtracting the $300,000 exemption from $900,000 and applying the tiered rates above, for about $990 a year. The same home as a second home in the non-owner-occupied class is roughly $5,625 a year. Check the county's assessment for the actual property.

Keep reading

• Wailea and Makena
• Kahului
• Wailuku
• Upcountry Maui
• Paia and Haiku
• Lahaina
• Kaanapali
• Napili and Kahana
• Kapalua
• Hana
• Maui real estate overview
• Maui neighborhoods guide
• Maui market report
• Which Hawaiian island should I live on?
• Cost of living in Hawaii

Tony Kawaguchi, REALTOR (RS-66616), The Kawaguchi Group, eXp Realty (RB-21841). Selling in Hawaii since 2005. Phone (808) 201-3577. The Kawaguchi Group is based on Oahu; for neighbor-island purchases we work with buyers through eXp Realty's statewide network, including referrals to agents who work those areas every day. This page is general information, not legal, tax, insurance or financial advice. Market statistics are deemed reliable but not guaranteed and can be revised. Drive times are our own estimates for light traffic and will vary. Photos are of the general area and are not listings.