By Benjamin Finnerty (S), REALTOR® (RS-83812) with Keller Williams Realty Maui · Kīhei, Maui · 808-481-9748

Quick Answer: Maui vacation rental occupancy averaged 44.0% in August 2026, unchanged from August 2025, while the average daily rate rose 24.1% to $648.94, according to the State of Hawaiʻi DBEDT’s August 2026 Vacation Rental Performance Report. Maui County had 317,643 available unit nights, the most of any county, up 3.4%.

I’m Benjamin Finnerty, a REALTOR® in Kīhei, Maui, with Keller Williams Realty Maui. A lot of the condo questions I get right now come down to one thing: what can a vacation rental actually earn while Bill 9’s phase-out dates approach? The state’s newest Maui vacation rental occupancy numbers don’t answer that for any single unit, but they give a useful, neutral starting point. Here’s what the August 2026 data shows and how I’d use it.

What was Maui vacation rental occupancy in August 2026?

Maui County vacation rentals were 44.0% occupied in August 2026, the same as a year earlier. Demand rose 3.4% to 139,644 unit nights, matching the 3.4% increase in supply. The report comes from the Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), which uses data from Lighthouse Intelligence.

Here’s how Maui’s two largest rental regions compared, as of the August 2026 report:

Area (August 2026)	Available unit nights	Occupancy	Average daily rate	Rate change vs. Aug. 2025
Maui County	317,643 (+3.4%)	44.0% (flat)	$648.94	+24.1%
Lahaina / Kāʻanapali / Nāpili / Kapalua	152,715 (+13.3%)	46.4% (-0.2 pts)	$858.33	+29.9%
Wailea / Kīhei	137,414 (-1.0%)	42.8% (-0.5 pts)	$438.48	+7.5%
State of Hawaiʻi	899,523 (-5.8%)	46.8% (-0.1 pts)	$527.78	+17.4%

The West Maui grouping stands out for supply: available unit nights rose 13.3% from a year earlier, about three years after the August 8, 2023 fire. Keep the methodology notes below in mind before reading too much into any single change.

How do Maui vacation rentals compare with hotels?

Hotels filled a much larger share of their rooms. DBEDT’s August 2026 Hotel Performance Report put Maui County hotel occupancy at 62.4%, with an average daily rate of $525.74, up 5.0%. Wailea hotels ran 73.6% occupied at $733.54 a night. The Lahaina/Kāʻanapali/Kapalua hotel region was 60.8% occupied at $409.62.

So the typical Maui vacation rental charged more per night than the typical hotel room, but sat empty more nights of the month. For an owner, both numbers matter.

Why did vacation rental rates jump so much?

Part of the answer is in how rates are measured. DBEDT’s report now uses a “Total Rate” that includes fees such as cleaning and service fees, and it says historical data back to January 1, 2019 was reprocessed to match. A July 2026 update to how listings are matched across booking sites also changed historical supply figures, which the report says reflects more precision rather than a market change.

The data also covers a sample: reservation data for about 31.5% of the estimated vacation rental properties in Maui County. I treat these figures as a market-wide signal, not a prediction for any one condo. Fewer visitors overall is another piece of the picture; I covered the 5.5% drop in August visitor arrivals separately.

What does 44% occupancy mean for a Maui condo’s gross rental income?

Multiplying occupancy by the average daily rate gives a rough gross figure per available night. Using August 2026 averages:

Area	Occupancy × daily rate	Rough gross per available night
Maui County	44.0% × $648.94	about $286
Lahaina / Kāʻanapali / Nāpili / Kapalua	46.4% × $858.33	about $398
Wailea / Kīhei	42.8% × $438.48	about $188

These are simple math on one month’s averages, not a forecast, and they come before taxes, management, cleaning, HOA dues, insurance and property tax. Maui’s lodging taxes alone add up to about 18.5% of gross rent on most short stays; my vacation rental tax guide walks through each one. August is also a single month. Seasonality on Maui is real, so I’d look at a full 12 months of actual bookings for any unit you’re considering.

How does Bill 9 fit into Maui vacation rental occupancy?

Bill 9 (Ordinance 5909), signed December 15, 2025, ends vacation rental use in apartment-zoned Minatoya List condos on January 1, 2029 in West Maui and January 1, 2031 in the rest of Maui County. Strong nightly rates today don’t change those dates. For a buyer, the first question is still zoning: is the building hotel- or resort-zoned, apartment-zoned on the Minatoya List, or under consideration for rezoning? My Bill 9 guide covers how to check.

My Take: What I’m Telling Condo Buyers and Owners

For buyers, I’d use the DBEDT numbers to sanity-check a seller’s rental history, not to replace it. If a unit’s records show occupancy far above its region’s average, ask why: a strong management company, a great location in the complex, or simply a different way of counting owner stays. Ask for monthly statements, not a summary, and run the numbers with the full tax and fee load.

For owners in apartment-zoned Minatoya List buildings, the phase-out dates make it worth planning now. Switching from vacation rental to long-term tenants is, for the most part, a fairly simple transition. The one thing I tell owners to pay attention to is assessed tax usage and the dates when that changes, because there is a significant difference between the tax basis for long-term rental and short-term rental. My post on GET for long-term landlords and HUD’s 2027 fair market rents are good next reads for comparing the two paths.

Whatever path you’re weighing, base it on the specific unit’s numbers and zoning. Outlooks for rates and occupancy are scenarios, not guarantees.

General information, not tax or legal advice; confirm with a CPA or Hawaiʻi attorney.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Maui vacation rental occupancy in August 2026?
44.0% for Maui County, unchanged from August 2025, per DBEDT’s August 2026 Vacation Rental Performance Report.

What was the average daily rate for Maui vacation rentals in August 2026?
$648.94, up 24.1% from a year earlier. The figure includes cleaning and service fees under DBEDT’s “Total Rate” method.

Which Maui area had the highest vacation rental rates?
The Lahaina/Kāʻanapali/Nāpili/Kapalua region, at $858.33 a night with 46.4% occupancy. Wailea/Kīhei averaged $438.48 with 42.8% occupancy.

How did Maui hotels compare in August 2026?
Maui County hotels were 62.4% occupied with an average daily rate of $525.74.

When does Bill 9 end vacation rentals in Minatoya List condos?
January 1, 2029 in West Maui and January 1, 2031 elsewhere in Maui County, for apartment-zoned units.

Ask Benjamin

If you’re comparing a Maui condo’s rental history against these numbers, or deciding between vacation and long-term rental, I’m Benjamin Finnerty and I’m glad to walk through it with you. Call or text 808-481-9748 or email benjamin@the808team.com.

Sources: Hawaiʻi DBEDT, August 2026 Hawaiʻi Vacation Rental Performance Report and August 2026 Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report; County of Maui, Ordinance 5909 (Bill 9).