HEAD TO HEAD
Kahului vs Santa Maria
Kahului leads Santa Maria on 3 of 5 factors — but the right pick depends on your priorities.
Kahului, HI
wins 3 of 5 factors
Santa Maria, CA
wins 2 of 5 factors
Match scores, side by side
| Factor | Kahului | Santa Maria |
|---|---|---|
| Affordable to buy | 41 ◆ | 40 |
| Affordable to rent | 2 | 10 ◆ |
| Climate comfort | 90 ◆ | 77 |
| Plenty of sunshine | 95 ◆ | 74 |
| Big-city amenities | 35 | 70 ◆ |
By the numbers
| Figure | Kahului | Santa Maria |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $997K | $1005K |
| Typical rent | $3,572/mo | $3,338/mo |
| Average temperature | 23.6°C | 15.2°C |
| Sunshine (solar) | 5.81 kWh/m²/day | 5.09 kWh/m²/day |
| Metro size rank | #267 | #124 |
Home & rent Zillow, May 2026 · climate & sunshine NASA POWER climatology. Scores are normalised 0–100 across all metros; higher is better. A research aid, not advice.