Maui Living vs Oahu Living, no job required (Honolulu, Kahului: low income, fit in)

[verby]

Aloha,

Trying to make an important choice of Maui or Oahu. Job is not an issue, my works goes with me. Here are a few things i'm aiming for

1. I'm 25. I'd like to be around professionals
2. low crime
3. Modern buildings & homes
4. away from things, but yet close to things. 10-15mins max to shopping/eating
5. Very wired (High speed Internet, ect)

Naturally each island has its positives and negatives, although I’m a kinda not really feeling the big city thing. I have no desire to be near Honolulu, can't ever see why I’d go there if I was in Oahu. With that said, it appears the housing is far more limited on Maui because of the number of residents on the island, although new homes seem to be going up at a higher rate on Maui.

For people who have lived on both places, could you share your thoughts on what someone can expect? If I moved to Oahu I would be looking at Kailua.

In Maui I am eyeing kihei & Kahului, are they very different? I'm looking for something alittle away from the ocean , private, yet still 8-10 minutes from shopping/food.

I also don't cook, and eat out everynight. So a decent selection of good food is important (not fast food)

I'd perfer to live in maui over oahu I'm just not sure what to expect.

Many thanks
mc

[sunseeker]

I'm curious about this also.

[qwerty007]

I want to be kept posted on this thread, as it's something I have pondered. My initial reaction haveingb visited both islands is that Oahu would be first choice, for a first move simply because it has more choice, and Maui a place you may gravitate to later, if peace and tranquility become more of an issue.

[halliwellalien]

I grew up on Maui, but now live in Oahu. They both have their good and bad. Maui is growing fast. But, living on Oahu, you have more oppertunities. On Maui, Kahului and Kihei are different. The weather is different. Kihei is far hotter than Kahului, and Kihei is also more of a 'tourist' area as is Lahaina. If you are eating out every night, the restaurants are spread out. It will also depend on the type of food that you like.

I hope this helps a little, if you have any more questions, I would be glad to try and help.

[bas1]

Maui vs. Oahu living
This is part 2 of my reply as It would not all fit in one reply field Jobs are better on Oahu and you can get jobs not related to tourism. On Maui yo either work in a hotel ,resaurant or fora touist activity likea dinner cruise or water activity. There is no industry or professional jobs per se. honolulu is the finacial capital of the Pacific and has diverse jobs. you also have the universities and colleges there. There is much more to do on Oahu.
Traffic is worse. It also depends how long you plan to stay and if you want to buy a place to live or just rent. If you move there leave all your winter clothes behind, except a heavy caot and sweater to wear when you go to the top of Haleakala. It does snow there. Sandals or flipflops or slippers as they are called in Hawaii are the norm, dress Aloha shirts ( not the cheap tacky shirts tourists buy) and dress slacks are what the people wear to dress up . you always take your shoes off when you go into a house. i never wore real shoes with closed toes except at work which was required for safety reasons. I let those shoes at work. you are in bare feet when you are at home. If you need a lot of high tech stuff Oahu is your place.
Many places on Maui didn't rewire for wireless internet because in Hawaii most buildings are made out of cement on account of termites and wood rot. It was too expensive to wire through cement so many places don't have wireless. I chose Maui to live because I was water sports oriented and I didn't want to live in a city, but i went to Oahu at least 6 times a year, to shop for Christmas ,to have more night life, to go to cultural events and concerts, to sightsee, and just to get off the island. YOu do get island fever. It is an adjustmant in lifestyle. You here Japanes spoken and filopino, not spanish. The foods are different. Local department stores on Ohau serve Japanese box lunches. Grocery stores are stocked with strange oriental food s with only writing in Japanese on them. Holidays are celebrated aound the oriental holidays. I loved the diverse culture and had friends from many cultures. It was actually culture shock when I came back to the mainland after 5 years. I missed the food and the oriental culture. Everyone gets along much better in Hawaii. Cultures mix rather than isolate from each other.
If I were moving there agaim today I would move toi Oahu, just because of better job opportunities and more things to do. It is also cheaper. But the cost of housing is prohibitive.
A house on Oahu is now averaging over $600,000. Oahu does have some subsidized housing( not low income project housing but cheaper because the gov't bought land and built the houses) but there are usually 10 people qualified for each house available. You must sell the house back to the housing authority if you sell. In Hawaii 80% of the land is leasehold and you can't own the land outright. that cause a monopoly on leased land. The sugar cane and pineapple companies own the land. You need to do research on Hawaii to learn about it before you move there. that includes its history to understand how and why people live as they do.
When I lived on Maui I paid tax on my rent. Be sure to ask if this is included or not. Hawaii has a weird tax system. They do not have a sales tax. It has a different name. The tax is on anything that produces income, retail good sa and rental housing. It used to be 4.16 something. Stores could either incude the tax as part of the price or add it when you paid for it. Be sure to ask. However you did get a refund on some of the tax if you were a resident. You pay tax on food and clothing. it is really good if you can get a job that includes meals as food is a major expense. Much higher cost than on the mainland. I used to pay double for milk and fresh fruit like raspberries
or blueberries which are highly perishable and had to be flown in were$5 to $6 a pint. I am sure they are more now.
You said you didn't think you would go to Honolulu much. THere is more to do there than you think. There are many towns that are part of what people think of as Honolulu. The zoo and aquarium are ther. Kapiolani park and the band shell for concerts are there. Aloha stadium and Blaisdell Hall 9 A concert hall are there. On weekends they have art for sale on the wall at the zoo. Many weekend activities on the leeward side. good luck in what ever you decide. i thin k it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want after work. also on your income. You need more income to live on Maui.

No one except accountants wear suits to work. You actually look out of place in a suit.
good luck

[bas1]

Part 1 of my reply.
I lived on Maui for 5 years. the weather on different parts of the island is very different. I don't know if you are aware of thet. islands make their on weather if they have mountains. The northeast sides fo the Hawaiian islands are the wet side. The southeast sides are the dry side due to the prevailing winds coming from the NE. Kihei is like a desert. Less than 5 inches of rain a year. In contrast the West Maui mountains get 100 inches of rain a year. But at sea level only 20-35 inches ayear. I lived in Kahana north of Lahaina. Lahaina doesn't get much rain but Kapalua does. You have the shadow of the West Maui mountains. The rains fall fromKapalua to about Honokowai when the winds are blowing. When it rained we would just drive toward Kihei because it wouldn't be raining there. Kahukui gets more rain than Kehei.
Kahului is a locals town. The working people live there and commute to work at the hotels and restaurants on the island. It is less expensive to live there. Kehei in my opinion doesn't seem like a town. That is is is really just one long several mile main street with shops and condos spread out. No real town center. Not really walkable. It is too spread out. Many beaches but I thibk the beaches near Lahaina are better. There are more diverse restaurants in Kehei and lahaina. kahului caters more toward the locals many of whom are of japanese and Filipino descent. The majority of the locals are of Filopino descent as they were the ones recruited to work the cans fields ealy in the 2oth century. On Oahu the Japanese worked the cane fields so the majority of the people there are of Japanese desecent. No one ethnic group has a majority. No one has more than about 25% of the population .
Liiving in Hawaii is a different culture. It is oriental in many aspects. I loved it there. It is more expensive to live on Maui, especially housing. The newer housing will be in Kihei. I prefer the Lahiana side of the island as there are more activities and Lahaina is a real town that you vcan walk. No where on Maui is very far from anywhere except Hana. You can drive from Kihei to Kahukui in 10 to 15 min or less depending on what part of Kihei you live in.
Lahaina is close too. You will go to Kahului to shop at the malls and maybe to Lahaina. I would say it depends on what you like to do in your leisure time. If you surf you can surf the beaches on Maui. Really good surfers surf north shore Oahu. If you are a wind surfer then Maui is the ultimate windsurfing island--near Paia. If you snorkel then Maui is better than Oahu- better coral reefs and shallow water snorkeling areas. Aslo scuba diving is better on Maui. I am a divemaster scuba diver. Lanai is great for diving as well. hiking is pretty good on Maui and you can't beat biking down Haleakala.
Maui is less crowded but it does have its drawbacks. It is more expensive, less choice in housing, not as much night life, higher per centage of tourists, not much choice for shopping , gas is very expensive everywhere.
you won't meet as many young people who live there to socialize with. you willl meet tourists. The young locals on Maui are less educated. Anyone with an education has left for Oahu or the mainland as there are few jobs on Maui that require a college degree. I know as I went to graduate school and ended up in the hospitality business.
In case you are not aware evertthing must be shipped in especially food. this makes everything at least 255 more than you would pay for it on the maillnad and food can be 50 -75% more for fresh produce flown in because it is perishable. Milk is expensive because they can not produce enough on t he islands for the wholepopultion so it is flown in. Other good s come by ship.
Cars do not last long there as they rust out quickly due to the slat air. Used cars are cheaper because they are not as cosmetically nice. I wouldn't ship a car there. Buy one there. I shipped mine back from Hawaii when I moved back, but I wouldn't ship a large new car there. On Maui you want a small car anyway. The roads are narrow in Hawaii and you want a car that gets good gas milage.
Maui is beautiful and if you don't have to worry about where you work that is grea. Otherwise you want to live near where you work.
It is harder to raise a family there as it is so expensive. Most people leave if they get married. the schools in Hawaii in general are very bad. Most people if they can afford it send their kids to private school. Hawii has the highest per centage of kids in private schools.

[bas1]

Part 1A of my reply. Sorry I didn't know th e word limit. My answer is in 3 posts.
Oahu would have more choices. More choice in housing, more stores and cheaper products and more choice in products to buy, more night life, more of a community. Outside of waikiki it is mostly local people living there so you have real towns and would have a sense of community. you would probaly get to know the people better. When people think of Honolulu most poeple only think of Waikiki. That is only one tiny part of it where the touists are. Commuting from the Kailua side to the Honolulu side of the island does take some time. There would be many many restarants to choose from om the Honolulu side of the island. Kailua would have some too but not as diverse.
.

[kihei kid]

I live on Maui, in Kihei.


What do you mean "Modern buildings"? Stay on the mainland! You'll be complaining all the time about everything. just come to visit... bring cash, spend it, then leave.

Trying to make an important choice of Maui or Oahu. Job is not an issue, my works goes with me. Here are a few things i'm aiming for

1. I'm 25. I'd like to be around professionals
2. low crime
3. Modern buildings & homes
4. away from things, but yet close to things. 10-15mins max to shopping/eating
5. Very wired (High speed Internet, ect)

Naturally each island has its positives and negatives, although I’m a kinda not really feeling the big city thing. I have no desire to be near Honolulu, can't ever see why I’d go there if I was in Oahu. With that said, it appears the housing is far more limited on Maui because of the number of residents on the island, although new homes seem to be going up at a higher rate on Maui.

For people who have lived on both places, could you share your thoughts on what someone can expect? If I moved to Oahu I would be looking at Kailua.

In Maui I am eyeing kihei & Kahului, are they very different? I'm looking for something alittle away from the ocean , private, yet still 8-10 minutes from shopping/food.

I also don't cook, and eat out everynight. So a decent selection of good food is important (not fast food)

I'd perfer to live in maui over oahu I'm just not sure what to expect.

Many thanks
mc[/quote]

[eartheasy]

Originally Posted by bas1

No one except accountants wear suits to work.

Not in the accounting firm where I worked on Maui.

[vsimmons1988]

If the people in the dept of education know that Hawaii has the lowest academic preformance rate in the country and highest percentage of students attending private school, why don't they do something about it? Why should you have to pay for quality education when it is offered on the mainland for free?