The City and County of Honolulu has mailed out annual property value assessments to more than 300,000 homeowners. The assessments determine next year’s property taxes, and the deadline to file an appeal is Jan. 15, 2026.
But even as properties in areas like the North Shore grow in value, new research finds that the value of coastal properties is diminishing due to sea level rise. And what’s even more interesting is that this effect varied by island.
Depreciation of coastal properties was most pronounced on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island, while the researchers found no significant price effect on Kauaʻi. They think it may be due to the difference between akamai local buyers and non-local buyers who might make an offer on a property without doing their due diligence.
Nori Tarui is a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa economics professor; he conducted the research with Muhammad Talal Khan, a finance graduate student at UH Shidler College of Business. The Conversation spoke with Tarui and Khan about their work.
View the full study here.
This story aired on The Conversation on Dec. 29, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
