For a third straight year, rental housing costs were higher in Hawai'i than in any other state last year, according to a new census survey that also showed the cost of owning a home in Hawai'i was among the highest in the nation.

Median monthly rent was $1,194 in Hawai'i last year, meaning half of all renters paid more and half paid less, according to the census estimate.

Only three other states had four-figure median rental rates — California at $1,078, New Jersey at $1,026 and Maryland at $1,000. Nevada ranked fifth at $980.

Hawai'i's median rent was up $78 from $1,116 a year earlier, and reflected higher home values passed on to renters as well as new housing inventory that included upscale condominium tower projects Moana Pacific and 909 Kapi'olani in Kaka'ako on O'ahu, the state's largest housing market.

Dorothy Rapoza, a retired typographer on the Big Island planning a move to O'ahu for work, said she was surprised at how high rents are in Honolulu.

Rapoza's husband, a banker, recently found a short-term rental in Waikiki — a studio with no parking for $1,650 a month — to live in until Nov. 1. But Rapoza questions whether she and her husband can find something more reasonable for a longer term.

"We might not stay because of rents," she said. "I really think we'll come back to the Big Island."

Home prices are declining this year, but it remains to be seen whether that will translate into lower rents. Median sale prices of previously owned single-family homes are down statewide this year through August, including a 2.8 percent decline on O'ahu. But median prices for condos statewide are up, including a 1.5 percent rise on O'ahu.

The last time Hawai'i's median rent wasn't the highest in the country was in 2005, when median rent was $871 and third most costly behind California and New Jersey.

Last year's rise in rent resulted in more Hawai'i renters paying a higher percentage of their income for housing. The census report said 39.1 percent of renters last year paid 35 percent or more of their household income on rent, up from 37.9 percent of renters a year earlier.

For homeowners, the cost of housing was still high compared with other states, but owner-occupants usually paid a smaller percentage of their income for housing compared with renters.

The census report said 25.1 percent of people who live in their house and make mortgage payments pay 35 percent or more of their household income for their home. Some 18.7 percent of homeowners pay less than 20 percent of their income for their home, in part because many have owned their property for decades and have relatively small mortgage payments.

According to the report, about 7 percent of homeowners pay less than $1,000 a month to own their home. Another 36 percent pay $2,000 or more.

The median monthly cost to own a home in Hawai'i for owner-occupants with a mortgage was $2,099 last year, up $140 from $1,959 a year earlier.

Only two states had higher ownership costs — California at $2,314 and New Jersey at $2,278. In 2006, Hawai'i ranked fourth most expensive behind the same two states and Massachusetts.

According to the survey, the median value of owner-occupied homes was $555,400 last year, the highest in the nation and up from $529,700 a year earlier. Home values are estimates reported by occupants, and include single-family homes and condos.

Because the census housing data are based on survey results, all figures are estimates. The margin of error is typically under 2 percent.