How can anyone afford to live here? (apartment, house)

[KonaKat]

Originally Posted by mattywo85

I was looking at moving to Honolulu or Maui. Are they both very expensive? Easy to commute around? I can afford roughly $250-300K for a house/condo.

Well, have you ever been to either? Are you going to need employment or are you retired on a substantial income? Do you have good credit and 20% down for the purchase? (some good loans available now if you do) Or is this a cash purchase? (even better idea)

If you have never spent any time in Hawaii other than as a tourist for a few days, it's a good idea to plan a trip of a couple of weeks, and "pretend" to be a resident. Go to the grocery store, check out any services that you need, look at various neighborhoods at different times of the day and night. You can see all the listings on the public page of MLS. www.hawaiiinformation.com While I haven't looked at the Maui or Oahu pages in awhile, you might be able to buy a small condo on your budget.

Cost of living in Hawaii is quite high. Electricity for instance is around .46 a KW hour. But we have no heating and little AC needs if you have a home with good position for the breezes and live "up" around 1000 ft elevation. Obviously a lot of personal preference plays into this equation.

Medical care on Oahu is better than some of the neighboring islands. Do you have any special health concerns that need ongoing care?

Honolulu has fairly decent public transportation but if you don't live and go where "Da Bus" goes, you definitely need a vehicle.

Just a few things here for you to think about.

[TXLara]

Originally Posted by maui08

You made all of those adjustments to your life and you are not staying long term......? Why live here at all under those conditions in the first place if your only temporary? Let me guess....so you can say you lived in Hawaii.

If you'd read the beginning of my post, I said my husband is a contractor and got transferred out here to work on a project. Normally he just travels to whatever project he's on, but in this case the client would only pay for two week-long trips home during the year he'd be here. Luckily, we're at a place in our lives where I was able to come with him.

To be honest, I really wasn't thrilled about moving out here when I found out. I was freaked out about food prices, cost of living, not knowing my way around- but it's been three months and I totally love it. We didn't bring much more than our clothes with us, so we really don't have much stuff, but we're learning we really don't need it. Instead of going to the movies, we go hiking. We could never afford to live out here on our own, but I am so glad we had the chance to experience this.

[lincolnparker]

i dont get the hype about how expensive HI is. Seriously, compared to Iowa, yeah, Hi is expensive, big time. But compared to Chicago, its pretty much the same, and compared to Manhattan, HI is way cheaper!!

[Pie Girl :)]

I really would like to work in Hawaii, purely for the experience. I am from South Africa. Does anyone know what I can do to get myself a sponsorship. I have sent my resume to so many places and all of them have come back saying they dont do sponsors. Please if anyone knows of any way to help me out it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

[Ellwood]

Originally Posted by lincolnparker

i dont get the hype about how expensive HI is. Seriously, compared to Iowa, yeah, Hi is expensive, big time. But compared to Chicago, its pretty much the same, and compared to Manhattan, HI is way cheaper!!

Everything is relative. It is extremely expensive to live in HI when you do not have the large salary you can get in Chicago or NY.

[maui08]

Originally Posted by lincolnparker

i dont get the hype about how expensive HI is. Seriously, compared to Iowa, yeah, Hi is expensive, big time. But compared to Chicago, its pretty much the same, and compared to Manhattan, HI is way cheaper!!

You have to be kidding, right? No place on the main land has grocery prices close to what they are in Hawaii. I have lived in NY for years and spent many in San Diego. Both very costly to live but not as high as Hawaii. I would say home prices are pretty comparable (apples to apples) and would stretch this to say that homes in Hawaii may even be cheaper on some levels. -Overall though....food, gas, vehicles, utilities are more expensive here. Getting these items here requires much more to ship due to the distance and therefore the inflated prices.

[drsmiley06]

Make love, not war!

[kani-lehua]

well, at one of the big island's farmers' markets, a vendor was selling 4 large papayas for $1.00. can't get that anywhere on o'ahu. it's more like $1/lb or more.

the latest news on the cost of living for o'ahu: the city will now need to upgrade their two wastewater plants at a tune of over $1 billion dollars (according to our mayor). you know who will pay for it.

[lincolnparker]

Really? How about a $6.99 a pound of asparagus, a $19.99 a pound of salmon, a $15.99 a pound of shrimp, a small box of sushi for $14? from any wholefoods store anywhere in mainland?

Originally Posted by maui08

You have to be kidding, right? No place on the main land has grocery prices close to what they are in Hawaii. I have lived in NY for years and spent many in San Diego. Both very costly to live but not as high as Hawaii. I would say home prices are pretty comparable (apples to apples) and would stretch this to say that homes in Hawaii may even be cheaper on some levels. -Overall though....food, gas, vehicles, utilities are more expensive here. Getting these items here requires much more to ship due to the distance and therefore the inflated prices.

[TXLara]

Originally Posted by lincolnparker

Really? How about a $6.99 a pound of asparagus, a $19.99 a pound of salmon, a $15.99 a pound of shrimp, a small box of sushi for $14? from any wholefoods store anywhere in mainland?

Yes, but you don't have to shop at Whole Foods. You have choices and other, cheaper grocery stores to shop at. Out here, there aren't as many choices (Foodland, Starmarket, and one or two others- there is no Super Walmart on Oahu) and while there are a couple of different stores, prices are all about the same.

Again, the point is that prices might be somewhat comparable, but the salaries are what make the difference. In New York, Chicago, etc, you have salaries adjusted for the cost of living. Here, you make a lot less than you would in a smaller, cheaper city on the mainland, but things are much more expensive. That's the point everyone is trying to make.