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The problem with all of these calculators is that they only include the higher priced cities in Hawaii. It's very hard to find one that includes Hilo and I've never found one that included Kailua-Kona. Since the cost of living is definitely different in Kona than Honolulu, it makes a fair comparison difficult. They also don't take into account your lifestyle choices.
You are much better off doing research about the city you are wanting to move to and then compare it to your actual costs where you are now. That is the only sure way to get truly meaningful data for your situation.
Here are some examples of my research:
On one of our trips to Kona, we took some grocery receipts from our hometown stores and then compared prices on actual items with costs at grocery stores (and Costco) in Kona.
We also compared rents for places we would actually choose to live to our actual housing costs here.
I looked up the per kwh cost in Kona, then looked at our actual usage here and did the math to figure out what our bill would cost if we used the same amount of energy there that we do here. Since we aren't very conservative here and we run our heaters a LOT plus my office is in our home, we figure that gives us a good "worst case scenario."
I got actual quotes for both medical and vehicle insurance and compared them to what we pay now.
I went online to the cable companies websites and compared prices for packages comparable to what we have here. Same for internet service.
I looked back at old gas receipts to figure out our gasoline usage and calculated what we would most likely use on the island and multiplied that by the current gas prices (both at Costco and at Aloha). This gives me a rough estimate of what our fuel costs will be.
I'm still getting costs for vet care for our dogs and health care for ourselves.
Restaurant costs are comparable and since that is something completely discretionary I didn't spend a lot of time on that.
Since we are divers and plan to do a lot of diving, we also compared prices for air and equipment to what we pay here. Now we know how much it will cost to pursue our hobby. Surprisingly, it is very little different to what it costs to dive here. Less actually since we need less equipment.
Once I had all these numbers plugged into a spreadsheet, I had a pretty good idea of what our costs would be if we maintain the standard of living we have now. Of course, if our income were to go down, I also know where we could cut costs and made sure that we can still afford to make the move. This takes a little more time that using one of the calculators, but if you are truly serious about moving to the islands, it is well worth the effort.
very good post. Cant rep you again, but you deserve it. The content of your post is exactly what people need to do that are thinking of moving here. You just cant take some COL calculation that you find in some chart online. The numbers are just not correct, I dont even think they are an average. I think they are geared more toward upper end living. I got bored one night and ran the charts for the town I moved from on the mainland and the numbers were amazingly high. I dont think anyone in that city even makes that much money a year. So, no I dont put much faith in those calculators. Be safe not sorry RESEARCH, RESEARCH, VISIT, and RESEARCH again! Have a nice day!
Housing - 50% lower in Hawaii, but we are renting as opposed to buying
Groceries - 10 - 20% higher in Hawaii but if I'm careful I can keep it about the same. We're going to give up most dairy since that is the biggest difference.
Electricity - 3x more expensive in Hawaii, but since we won't need to run our heater (and we won't have AC) we should about even out. We'll definitely be more energy conscious though, which is a good thing no matter what.
Medical Insurance - 50% less for an individual policy
Auto Insurance - 20% less with comparable coverage
Cable - Pretty much the same
Internet - 20% higher in Hawaii
Our net result is about 50% less to live in Hawaii, mostly because of the housing difference. We don't live in a mansion here, but our mortgage payments are higher than our new rent. We are going from a 3 bedroom 1 bath house on 1/3 acre to a 2 bedroom 1 bath house on 3 acres. However, since our income will also be going down a bit it will probably be about a wash. I don't think we'll have to reduce our standard of living by much if at all, but it's nice to know we could if we had to.
the problem with all of these calculators is that they only include the higher priced cities in hawaii. It's very hard to find one that includes hilo and i've never found one that included kailua-kona. Since the cost of living is definitely different in kona than honolulu, it makes a fair comparison difficult. They also don't take into account your lifestyle choices.
You are much better off doing research about the city you are wanting to move to and then compare it to your actual costs where you are now. That is the only sure way to get truly meaningful data for your situation.
Here are some examples of my research:
On one of our trips to kona, we took some grocery receipts from our hometown stores and then compared prices on actual items with costs at grocery stores (and costco) in kona.
We also compared rents for places we would actually choose to live to our actual housing costs here.
I looked up the per kwh cost in kona, then looked at our actual usage here and did the math to figure out what our bill would cost if we used the same amount of energy there that we do here. Since we aren't very conservative here and we run our heaters a lot plus my office is in our home, we figure that gives us a good "worst case scenario."
i got actual quotes for both medical and vehicle insurance and compared them to what we pay now.
I went online to the cable companies websites and compared prices for packages comparable to what we have here. Same for internet service.
I looked back at old gas receipts to figure out our gasoline usage and calculated what we would most likely use on the island and multiplied that by the current gas prices (both at costco and at aloha). This gives me a rough estimate of what our fuel costs will be.
I'm still getting costs for vet care for our dogs and health care for ourselves.
Restaurant costs are comparable and since that is something completely discretionary i didn't spend a lot of time on that.
Since we are divers and plan to do a lot of diving, we also compared prices for air and equipment to what we pay here. Now we know how much it will cost to pursue our hobby. Surprisingly, it is very little different to what it costs to dive here. Less actually since we need less equipment.
Once i had all these numbers plugged into a spreadsheet, i had a pretty good idea of what our costs would be if we maintain the standard of living we have now. Of course, if our income were to go down, i also know where we could cut costs and made sure that we can still afford to make the move. This takes a little more time that using one of the calculators, but if you are truly serious about moving to the islands, it is well worth the effort.
Well, out of reading all these posts, what struck me most is I think making a budget is important, either for folks thinking of moving to Hawaii or folks already here. Knowing how much stuff costs and anticipating expenses helps folks make the proper financial decisions which will allow them to either move to or live in Hawaii. If one has a budget, hopefully, one knows what needs to be fixed before all the finances become drained.
Thank you for your figures. There will be some who dispute them, I however agree 100%. You can live here just as cheap as anyplace else with some adjustment. Of course there are things here that are alot more than the same thing on the mainland but there are also several things that are cheaper. As far as dairy products, I find them as cheap at Costco or in some cases cheaper than I paid before moving here, and I have been here the better part of 3 years. For example then I paid between 4 and 5 dollars for a gallon of milk, now I pay 4.30, and can sometimes find it for less than 4.00, ice cream is about the same. Alot depends on where you shop, and how close you watch the sale adds.
reps to you Hotzcatz, that is another one of my exact points I have tried to make. If one has a large income, good enjoy it. If one has a small income, budget for it, and enjoy your life here. If one cant seem to adjust to lifes changes and challenges here then instead of complaining about it do something about it. It does no good to get on here and **** and moan about life here in Hawaii if one has that much of a problem then just move. Have a nice day!!
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