What is a Living Wage in Hawaii? (Honolulu, Waikoloa Village: for sale, apartments)

[skidamarink]

I see a lot threads in here from people on the mainland needing help with moving to Hawaii, and there's almost always a response of how expensive it is. I think we all know that about now, but I would like to see some hard numbers. I am wondering what kinda wage you could get by on in Hawaii and how much you would typically spend on a decent apartment, food, etc. Basically, how cheap can you get by on in Hawaii?

[Hawaii Bound]

I will be the first of several responses I am sure too say that it depends on YOUR definition of "decent" and "cheap". First off, we would need to know what island you are looking at moving too and what area. What you consider decent and cheap others may not so you probably want to be as specific on that definition as possible.

[skidamarink]

Well I am a college student about to graduate with my bachelor's degree and I am considering UH law school. So it would be Honolulu. I would already be taking out loans for school and living expenses. By decent, I meant a place that is safe and livable. I definitely don't need luxury. By cheap I meant what is the bare minimum that I would have to spend out there on a monthly basis.

[808n310]

If you lived in a decent, but nothing special studio or 1br in Makiki area, had a bus pass and / or walked everywhere, and didn't go out too much, you could probably get by reasonably on about $2000 take home, or about 35k per year gross, give or take...

If you wanted a nicer place, had a car with payments, liked to go out and go to nicer restaurants / clubs / bars, you'd probably need $3000 take home, or about which is roughly 50k per year gross...

Hope this helps!

[Koale]

Aloha,
We live on the BI. Waikoloa Village. Have a very nice 2 br/2 ba condo rental w/decent lanai and 2 parking spaces/pool/spa for $1050.00 per month. We own 2 vehicles, 1 paid off. 2 dogs / 2 cats. All small critters so feeding them is no big deal. Also maintain cable/phone/internet. We keep a water cooler due to extremely bad water in 'the Village'. Nice furnishings we have purchased or been given by friends...nice stuff! We have a cash flow of roughly $3,000.00 per month. Still... can be tight if we don't watch utilities. Gas to/from work in Kealekakua is biggest expense. Groceries can be largest part of the budget as well. We don't go out..no need. It's difficult to put anything away in savings...something always comes up, you know that story. But... great beaches just a few miles away, no complaints on this end.
Koale

[survivorqt]

the local paper did a study on this, it was 26k/yr(not sure about taxes), BARE bones lifestyle!

for oahu

[bresdo]

Saw somewhere that the average family median income is $68K and that ranks 4th in the country.

[skidamarink]

Thanks everyone for the replies. This is what I was trying to find out.

[hotzcatz]

A lot of college students share apartments to save on housing costs. On Oahu, the bus system works well enough that you don't need to keep a car. A bicycle or moped works for many areas. There are a lot of ways you can conserve on living expenses.

[persephone1]

Go to Monster.com and they will give you a comparison of wages on where you are and where you are going plus lots of other information. Just keep in mind our expenses are in the 21 century plus freight is a killer and wages, if there is any work, are something from the 80's. Good luck we are in a big recession. Most places have for sale signs on every street. No jobs, due to no tourists. People are bailing....