Giving Up Hawaii for $30,000 More (Halawa: salary, living, prices)

[VanHa]

Originally Posted by rnc76

Low 90s for a family in Boston ain't that much money. You must be a pretty thrifty family if you are able to make in Waikiki with significantly less than that, but Boston isn't cheap either. Are you talking downtown or suburban Boston?

About 20 minutes outside of Boston....your right we live modestly which is why we are able to afford living here. Also my wife does part time work about 700 a month.

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by VanHa

About 20 minutes outside of Boston....your right we live modestly which is why we are able to afford living here. Also my wife does part time work about 700 a month.

What town outside Boston? Will your wife be able to maintain the extra income while in Boston?

One nice thing (among many) in Hawaii is that much of your "leisure" time can be spent doing things that are free, like going to the beach, hiking...

I'm no expert on either Boston or Hawaii. I lived about 40 miles NW of Boston for 4 years and I've been to Hawaii twice on vacation (I have dreams about Kauai). Boston is a neat area, very historic, there is a lot of local pride. You can drive to a lot of cool places within a couple hours: Cape Cod, the coast of Maine, White Mountains of NH, Green Mountains of VT, the Berkshires, Newport, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket... heck you can be in NYC in 3-1/2 hours. Not to mention the fact that Boston is a fun city. However, the winters will HURT and the spring is even worse IMO because it is cold and rainy until late May/early June. You can't even ski in that crap.

[VanHa]

The town of Lynn...my wife would need to look for addtional income. Life would be much different in Lynn than in Waikiki that is for sure...do I really want to do it is the question....? I am not really sure if I will come out ahead or not in terms of money....

[mdand3boys]

Originally Posted by VanHa

The town of Lynn...my wife would need to look for addtional income. Life would be much different in Lynn than in Waikiki that is for sure...do I really want to do it is the question....? I am not really sure if I will come out ahead or not in terms of money....

In the long run, you would come out ahead, provided that you; A. Live long enough to retire and B. Social Security survives that long.

That extra income now will give you more money later, when you retire as long as they keep SS about the same as it is now.

[gea12345]

Yes, why? because you don't have a choice. The economy is going to stink for the next 7 years! Leave now, increase your pay and your pay will keep increasing. Buy some property if possible in hawai with a couple of people and visit 2 weeks a year!!

[BergenCountyJohnny]

Originally Posted by VanHa

I am interested in knowing how many of us would give up living in Hawaii to have the chance to earn $30,000 more per year for the same type of job we are doing now to live...let's say in Boston?

I said "no", but I have to qualify it a little bit...

I don't know how the cost of living and pay scales are in each place. My guess is that cost of living is higher in Hawaii but salaries are also higher. It would then depend on how much higher or lower.

Still, Boston is an expensive area. Boston is very crowded, also, so whatever financial gains or cost-of-living savings there are won't amount to much. $30,000 will probably not go very much farther in Boston than it does in Hawaii. So you're looking at a minimal increase in monetary income, maybe even a loss (it really depends on costs and salaries). It's hard to estimate what financial benefit or loss there will be to get you a life in Boston reasonably as comfortable as the one you have in Hawaii.

Aside from that, there are definite guarantees that will impact your lifestyle. Obviously, the winters are brutal in Boston. The whole area is very crowded and traffic is pretty horrible throughout the Boston area (including RI, NH, ME, Worcester, etc.). The ocean is not nearly as well-suited for swimming or surfing as Hawaii even in summer months. Beaches are less frequent than rocky coastlines.

There are some postive guarantees in Boston, also. You will have four seasons which include spectacular autumns. You will have more art and cultural centers and events. The mix of people is more diverse. You can drive to other places from Boston very easily since you're on the mainland. New York City is only 4 hours away, Philly and Atlantic City only about 6 hours away, Baltimore and D.C. are only about 10 hours away, Montreal is only about 5 hours away. If you love snow skiing you will enjoy some of the best throughout New England. Our nation's history is rich in Boston.

So it really depends on:
- what is the ACTUAL financial gain (or loss) when you factor in cost of living and salaries for each city, and
- what makes a place 'better' or 'worse' to you?

If the actual cost benefit isn't a real $30,000 of extra money, and if you hate the cold and the crowds and traffic, you will hate Boston and it's a horrible move. If the actual cost benefit really is around $30,000 (even if it's $20,000 of extra spendable money), and you happen to enjoy cool weather and skiing, and you enjoy driving to other places, and you don't mind people or traffic so much, then it could be a great move.

So the answer really does come down to what YOU yourself value and what you will want out of the place in which you live.

[KonaKat]

Salaries in Hawaii are definitely not "also higher". Quite the opposite in many industries.

[kaimuki]

I agree with KonaKat about wages. Also, traffic on Oahu during rush hour is horrible, especially heading to Ewa and Central Oahu. We are a diverse community though.

[Brav989]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

boston is wonderful and closer to reality. so many people i have known who came back from hawaii had developed issues, i dont have a clue why.

What is your definition of reality? And what sort of issues?

Me personally no, I wouldn't. After I graduate dental school, I may possibly emigrate to France to work there as a dentist. Avg salary in USD in US is about $187,000 for a general dentist, and with the current exchange rate is about $100,000 USD in France. France would cost more and tax more, but on the flip side I'd only work 35 hours a week as standard and 5 weeks paid leave a year by law. Any hour over 35 is converted into vacation pay (so at say 40 hours a week for the 47 weeks a year you work, you'd gain about 235 hours of leave (or another 7 weeks of leave in addition to the minimum 5). That of course comes at a cost in terms of pay, but I'd personally like to have a better quality and more free time to actually do something with my life other than be a slave to an employer.

Kind of wandered off the trail of the original topic, but I was I guess trying to show that money is certainly not everything or maybe really anything depending on where/who you are.

[VanHa]

Originally Posted by BergenCountyJohnny

So it really depends on:
- what is the ACTUAL financial gain (or loss) when you factor in cost of living and salaries for each city, and
- what makes a place 'better' or 'worse' to you?

That is the problem, I won't know the real answer to that until I actually move and my expenses stabilize...bye that time it will be to late...I will be in for at least a 3 year mis-adventure. I also wonder how my marriage would be affected if this move does not turn out!

If you look at this a purely career move...yes it would be better, but at what price! If you look at it economically, until I am there, I won't know the real net effect. If I look at it socially, initially we will be isolated until we make freinds...if you look at it from a family prespective....it would be tough to fly back to Hawaii when you're home sick....