Lanai City.......... (Hana: renting, house, earthquake)

[LightShining]

Hello,

I am planning on moving to Hawaii sometime next year. I have been doing some early research to try to determine exactly where in Hawaii I may want to live. I am considering moving to Lanai City due to its small population and seclusion. I’m the type of person that doesn’t like big crowds or areas with a lot of people.

I would like to learn more about Lanai City, but I can’t find too much about it online. So I was wondering if anyone on this forum has ever been there and/or is knowledgeable about it. If so, I would greatly appreciate it if someone would give me a little detailed background about the place. I would go and check it out myself, but unfortunately, I can’t afford to do that right now.

Lastly, I have a few questions to ask:

Are there any good job opportunities available there?

Are there any natural disasters?

What is the estimated price range of renting a home there? I was planning on renting a small and private/secluded 2 bedroom house when I moved there, and I was looking to spend in the ballpark of $750-$800 a month.

Is their food anything like mainland U.S., or quite different?

　

Thanks in advance for any responses.

[Market Junkie]

Lanai City, eh

You need to talk with the boss.

Try 1-800-LARRY

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by LightShining

I would like to learn more about Lanai City, but I can’t find too much about it online. So I was wondering if anyone on this forum has ever been there and/or is knowledgeable about it. If so, I would greatly appreciate it if someone would give me a little detailed background about the place. I would go and check it out myself, but unfortunately, I can’t afford to do that right now.

Are there any good job opportunities available there?

Are there any natural disasters?

What is the estimated price range of renting a home there? I was planning on renting a small and private/secluded 2 bedroom house when I moved there, and I was looking to spend in the ballpark of $750-$800 a month.

Is their food anything like mainland U.S., or quite different?

Jobs - They have a small hospital, a couple of resorts, some restaurants, a small airport.....

Natural disasters - hurricanes and earthquakes are possible.

Rent - the last listing I see for Lanai is from a month ago, a small studio (410 Sq. ft), was listed for $1,000/month. So no, you aren't going to find a 2 bedroom private house for $750-$800/month.

Food is like the mainland - the have a couple of small grocery stores and restaurants - prices depending on item can be 50% higher than the mainland - Lanai has some of the highest prices in Hawaii.

[WannabeCPA]

Why on earth would you pick Lanai City? And you can't afford to go there to visit? Well everywhere in Hawaii is expensive and if you can't even afford to visit, I'd suggest you don't move here. We already have enough of a homeless problem here to begin with. If you want seclusion, why pick Hawaii? Also, as with any very small town, I'd think you'd have a hard time fitting in with the residents, unless of course that doesn't matter to you and you really do want to be isolated, both socially and physically.

[hotzcatz]

Well, Larry Ellison just bought almost the entire island of Lanai. I'm not sure what that's gonna do to or for the island since it's a fairly recent thing.

I haven't been to Lanai in decades, but I'm guessing there's not a whole lot of jobs there since there isn't anything much there. Used to be they grew pineapple, but not so much anymore. I think a lot of folks take a ferry over to Maui for employment, but I don't know if it is a daily or weekly ferry.

Natural disasters would be hurricanes and earthquakes, although I don't know if Lanai is more earthquake proof than the Big Island. Oahu is and Lanai is closer to Oahu than the Moku Nui.

I'd guess about 85% of the food there is imported from the mainland, so yeah, it's similar to the mainland. Similar with heavy shipping expenses added.

Lanai has a small population on a small island. I don't think you're going to find the type of seclusion it sounds like you're looking for on Lanai. Folks pretty much socialize with each other there since there's not a whole lot of anything else going on. The terrain is pretty open, too, so no hiding in the forest, either. If you want to run away and hide from folks, try the backside of Puna or Ka'u. There are places there were you can disappear and not be seen for weeks if you don't want to interact with folks.

Be careful what you wish for, though. Frequently folks claim they want to "get away from it all" or have "solitude" and then when they get it they complain about everything being too far away to get to easily or they are lonely.

[terracore]

Lanai isn't even like "Hawaii" as people envision it. Molokai is, and is just as small and expensive.

Need to add, both islands are considered part of Maui county, you might want to put your questions on the Maui sub forum.

[ScottStielow]

You REALLY need to visit before hand to make a big decision like this! Just my two cents.

[davephan]

My suggestion to you is keep dreaming and researching about Hawaii. Don't make plans to move next year, you can't afford it. It sounds like you are young person with many working years left. If that is the case, then it doesn't mean you'll never be able to move to Hawaii, but you need to change your thinking in terms of a long term plan, which could take several decades. The first steps are to educate yourself in a field that has a high rate of return, with high income potential. If you settle on low wage jobs, you'll never be able to afford living in Hawaii, unless you are living there as a homeless person eating out of garbage cans. I saw some homeless people eating from garbage cans and collecting soda cans to make a little money. That's not a way of life you should be desiring. There are people who do live in Hawaii working low wage jobs, but they are constantly on the edge of society, just a little above being homeless.

After you obtain an education and a high income job, you can start visiting Hawaii. Visit the different islands and find out if it's right for you. Hawaii is very different in person when you are standing on the ground there than it is from a distance on the Internet. It is one of the most expensive places to live, so you have to prepare for the higher costs. When you have enough money that you can afford living in Hawaii, you need to be willing to spend the extra money that it takes to live there.

Long term planning is very difficult for a young person to think about. Look around you and you'll find people that are successful in their careers earning high incomes. Then look at yourself. You can be just like those people making a lot more money, if you are willing to invest in yourself. That should be your first objective. It's difficult to educate yourself for two year, four years, or longer, but you only suffer for a limited time and it sets you up for a lifetime of higher earnings, which will absolutely make living in Hawaii possible for you in the future. You also need to live well below your means and save a lot of money. There are plenty of people with six figure incomes that spend all they earn and never become millionaires. If you concentrate on educating yourself, obtaining a high income job, and living well below your means, it won't be a matter of if you can afford it, it will be are you willing to spend more of your saved money.

If you don't make those changes in your life, moving to Hawaii will almost certainly be a dream your whole life that never comes true.

[MauiPartTimer]

All of the advice in the previous posts is sound (and I could have identified the last post as davephan's without knowing who the author was ); doesn't sound like you're ready.

I've only been there once, but it would seem to be more of a hassle to live there than really remote. (I saw people getting off the ferry from Maui with Costco toilet paper.)

You might want to look more at the Big Island; it's more affordable, there are more goods and services available, as well as more jobs, yet you can find more "remote" places to live.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by MauiPartTimer

All of the advice in the previous posts is sound (and I could have identified the last post as davephan's without knowing who the author was ); doesn't sound like you're ready.

I've only been there once, but it would seem to be more of a hassle to live there than really remote. (I saw people getting off the ferry from Maui with Costco toilet paper.)

You might want to look more at the Big Island; it's more affordable, there are more goods and services available, as well as more jobs, yet you can find more "remote" places to live.

I guess I'm not surprised about that comment about my last post! Not many people give young people long term plan advise in life. That's why there are so many people at or near the bottom of the economic scale. Most people save nothing or nearly nothing for retirement, including a number of six figure income people. People should read "The Millionaire Next Door" (it's free if you search for the title and "PDF") to understand how to live debt free and have a comfortable retirement.

I've never been to Lani, but considered taking a side trip there. I'll probably visit Lani sometime in the future, but I can imagine it is very remote, even when compared to Hana.

I've saved enough that I could retire today, but my standard of living will increase quite a bit if I continue to work for another 5 years.

My impressions about Hawaii changed quite a bit after the last visit, where the Big Island is much more attractive than Maui or Oahu for me. I agree that the Big Island is much more affordable, mainly due to the much lower housing costs there.