This Is How Much You Need to Make Per Hour to Rent a Two-Bedroom in Hawai‘i

Or, why so many of your friends are moving to Oregon.

By Rachel Ross Bradley

The National Low Income Housing Coalition recently released a report that analyzed the hourly income necessary for a person to afford to rent a two-bedroom home. They used a common guideline: that a person should spend no more than 30 percent of his or her income on rent. And once again, Hawai‘i won in the very worst way.

The national average hourly income one needs to rent a two-bedroom home is $21.21. But in Hawai‘i, the state with the highest income required, that hourly wage is $35.20. And that includes the assumption that a person is working full time, 40 hours a week.

Right behind us is California, to no one’s surprise, at $30.92. Had enough of the price of paradise? In Kentucky, you’d only need to earn $13.95 an hour. Looking to keep a coastal vibe? Oregon has beaches, surf, hiking and parks, and you only need an hourly wage of $19.78 to make it there.

Read the complete report here.