Is Retiring to Hawai'i feasible? (Hilo, Kahului: condo, living in, restaurants)

[Dr. Vox]

I actually spent my summers in Hawai'i. Every year I would go there for 2 months out of the year, til I was 17 so I have good . If you are a person that is always on the go, Hawai'i might not be the best place for you. I find it a place for people who like to remember who things use to be. Its slow paced(Oahu aside), friendly(for the most part), great weather. I actually like the fact its on an island. Plus, most people don't venture to far from their homes anyway.
How are property taxes? I know Taxes are outrageous in Hawai'i like california, but unlike California you get more for your money. With california, you pay all that money, and you deal with crowds of people, gridlock galore,. At least with Hawai'i you get a much better quality of life. However, some people like fast paced. I don't. My wife and I enjoy reading, talking walks with the dog, doing Yoga, and going to swimming. Trust me, I've spend many summers living there for years. Maui is a big island with lots of stuff to do....for the right person. The only thing I'm worried about is with inflation averaging 4% per year, CAN I make my money go far enough there to the point where I don't need to work.

[Balad1]

Originally Posted by mauimate

Any regrets on Hawaiian retirement. Would like to make this transition, but have reservations concerning island fever.

"Island Fever" post retirement to Hawaii in my opinion primarily has to do with missing family and old friends. Also how content one is with their spouse and retirement lifestyle. Lastly money is a factor too; if you can afford to return to visit annually or assist financially with others to visit you it helps.

[Dr. Vox]

Its absolutely a JOY if you don't have family and move to Hawai'i I am told. My wife and I never had kids(probably one reason we can even consider doing this), but our dogs and cats have been our "kids", as well as our wonderful people that we meet at our church. I have found that each and every time I go back to Hawai'i, I think Hawai'i is a great place to make another Ohana.
I did want to ask about a few things. While we don't require a lot, I am somewhat of a techie(sorry, typical male there), and I was wondering where(if any) could I go to get my electronics equipment for my home. Its not a big deal, but just a question. I am curious though about the Whole Foods in Kahului. My wife and I are avid fans of Whole Foods, but I was wondering with prices generally higher than normal, how much money is it for food at Whole Foods in Kahului? Thankfully we really like the churches we have been to on the island when we have been there. These were our favorites.
Calvary Chapel South Maui*|* - Calvary Chapel South Maui

Hope Chapel Church - Kihei, Maui, Hawaii- Hope Chapel Chur

[hothulamaui]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

They may be cheaper but it's a long way to the beach. Not only that, but Wailuku doesn't have a single grocery store. If I didn't have to walk to work there's no way in hell I'd live in Wailuku.

yea it is a looooooooong way to the beach. 7 miles to kihei, takes maybe 20 mins to get to kam 3 but it is faster to live across the street from the beach. wailuku to foodland or safeway takes ten minutes. it isn't like hana side

[hotzcatz]

Well, don't buy a house right away. There's still room for the housing market to fall and it doesn't look like it's going to be a quick recovery out of this economic hole since there's no new jobs being created so move to Maui and rent a place for six months or so. After that amount of time you'd probably know if where you were was somewhere you'd want to stay. You'd find a much better place by looking around longer and maybe you'd even prefer to continue renting, who knows?

[Balad1]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Well, don't buy a house right away. There's still room for the housing market to fall and it doesn't look like it's going to be a quick recovery out of this economic hole since there's no new jobs being created so move to Maui and rent a place for six months or so. After that amount of time you'd probably know if where you were was somewhere you'd want to stay. You'd find a much better place by looking around longer and maybe you'd even prefer to continue renting, who knows?

Good advice, after 6 months you better understand the island and what each location has to offer.

[whynot?]

A number of options for electronics, depending upon what you want/need. We've bought household TVs etc. from island retailers, but when we needed specialty stereo equipment and went to a Kahului stereo retailer, they referred us to a online/catalog company co-incidentally based about 60 miles from our house in Virginia.

You'll quickly learn to look for free-shipping mainland retailers, or call their customer service desks and try to make "special" arrangements. That said, there are a number of really high-end firms that do car stereos, home entertainment, home networks, integrated home systems, etc. Hardware included or not.

We haven't noticed significant price differences between Whole Foods prices in Kahului and in Virginia. That said, the stores are very different and there are (probably predictably) more regional offerings in both stores. We love the New England/New York dairy and Chesapeake bay seafood offerings, for instance, in Virginia. Similarly, it's nice to have another local seafood vendor on Maui, and another place for local farmers to place their produce. The main price difference is Whole Foods v. the other grocers, IMHO.

[Balad1]

I buy my electronics at Costco, Amazon.com (free shipping), and B&H Photo Video out of NYC (they are reasonable on shipping).

As others have mentioned shipping to Hawaii from stores is expensive; there are even a lot of stores that won't ship here.

Another idea is to purchase what you want prior to moving and have the movers ship it here with household goods.

[Calico Salsa]

Originally Posted by Balad1

I buy my electronics at Costco, Amazon.com (free shipping), and B&H Photo Video out of NYC (they are reasonable on shipping).

Us too! Also Sears here when they have a sale. And Apple, as they'll do free shipping.

eBay for the small stuff & accessories, because you can message the seller & ask for USPS flat rate.

A few times we've had stuff shipped via free Ground UPS to a friend's house in CA, and then they repackage into Flat Rate or USPS Priority and send to us.

There is a Radio Shack here, and an Apple Authorized store. Both are more expensive than what you can buy online, but then RS is good for quick cables and how-do-I-connect questions. The Apple authorized store seems to be expensive; they are factoring in their addl shipping costs to the prices of things which is why we order directly from Apple.

[d_thomcat2000]

I am a native of Kauai. If you like the kicked back, small town life, and the insane beauty of the north shore and the best beaches in the world, Princeville is very nice. It does rain and rain and rain. But with rain comes a certain magic of green-green-green, waterfalls, taro farms and a general feeling of living in a land apart (Munchkin land).

There are no big box or electronic stores on Kaua`i's north shore. You would have to travel about 15 to 20 miles to Kapa`a or Lihu`e for that. The whole object of Kaua`i's north shore is NOT TO HAVE ALL THAT!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a decent health food store. It is not on the level of Whole Foods which I have never been in, however, we do have fabulous farmers markets. Princeville does have a super market (Foodland) and health club (The Kauai Athletic Club). Living on Kauai, you learn to use the internet, catalogs etc., if you really really must have something. An example of this is I just bought online a back-pack for my dog that I could not find anywhere on Kauai.

There are no hospitals on the north shore. There is an ambulance that will take you to the nearest hospital that is 20 miles away in Lihue. There is a GP in Kilauea town which is about 3 miles away..

Regarding property taxes? I own a place on the North Shore that is estimated at about 700,000$ (was a mil until the economic fall). Property tax is about 5000$ a year.

And no doubt everything is expensive. Its Hawaii. That is the way it is.

Concerning, missing friends, relatives and "mainland" things. There is a certain point where all that becomes irrelevant.