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Great Thread!
Are the Japanese taking over bigtime in Honolou? Are they the biggest spenders?
Whenever I visited Honolou, I always paid a visit to the shrine and the lovely gardens connected to it.
I'm glad people post the negative side of living in Hawaii. I also think it's annoying when people get upset about it. I totally agree that unless you are retired(and have TONS of money saved up or a good pension/401K...) or have a good paying job waiting for you here, you shouldn't move. Save up all year and vacation in the islands. It's a win/win for everybody involved! I would love to sit here and babble on about how awesome it is here, how easy it is to get a job, how nice, accepting and respectful the local people are, how awesome the drivers are, how 75% of the cars/trucks(monster) don't break the sound/speed barrier... Can't do it. Sorry if it rubs people the wrong way, that's just the reality of moving out here right now.
No, two can not live on $2.5K a month even with a home owned outright; maybe $3.5K. That is until the roof needs replaced or the transmission goes in the car... One thing though is that your retired pay is probably state tax exempt as is social security. You'd have to check on the state department of taxation's website.
Wrong. Me and my girlfriend do it. House is paid off. We have a rental ohana and both have so so jobs. Just spend your money wisely and don't blow it on a lift kit for a ford F350 and 10$ plate lunches
"I honestly laugh to myself every time I read "you will get beat up" if you do X. One, that is illegal. Kids fight without consequence. If you're talking about fighting like that you must still be in high school or just out. Adults don't fight.
I really wonder what kind of person posts on a forum that a consequence of doing the wrong thing will get you beat up. It's uncivilized. Last I checked Hawaii is still in the United States and not some third world country.
If that's really the case and people like to fight at the drop of a hat, that's fine too. I generally get along with 99% of people I meet but I've yet to meet a 1% that I had to be overly concerned with."
Oh adults DO fight here. I don't agree with the whole "if you honk your horn you will get into a fight". That's ridiculous. If you go looking for trouble, you will find it. You will definitely not have a problem with that at all. Having said that, most people that grow up here, don't really grow up. I've never seen so many people well into there 50's/60's smoking pot, drinking like they're 21 and acting like they're BJ Penn. It's a joke. Lot's of kiddies over here with no daddies.
Last edited by franklin42; 12-05-2009 at 12:52 PM..
My two cents: I have lived on Oahu for over 7 years and can tell you that much of what is being said in this forum by locals is being done in a deliberate attempt to discourage people from the mainland from moving to what they see as being "their" island. The reason for this is due to several factors - one of which is the rise of property costs due to people who have relocated from California and other places. They also have a sense of it being "their" island, and feel that the fewer people who arrive, the fewer there are to "mess up" their chunk of paradise. I have read (over and over) the posts claiming that all the doom and gloom being posted is in the best interest of those who would move, but it's just not true. Things on Oahu just aren't THAT difficult. If they were, believe me, most of the people posting in this forum would not be here!
Are things more expensive here? Yes, they're more expensive than most of the mainland. HOWEVER, they are cheaper than places such as the San Francisco area, NYC, or much of LA. If you don't believe me, have a look at Craigslist for Hawaii, and Craigslist for SF. You'll see how much cheaper rent is on Oahu (and believe me, places in SF are small, usually old, and no better than those on Oahu.) Do people have more than one job to get by in Hawaii? Yes, in some cases, that can and does happen. However, what they're not telling you is that people work a combination of 2 or 3 jobs to achieve a total of 40-60 hours per week because many employers here won't hire fulltimers due to the requirement to provide benefits. It does NOT mean that people in Hawaii are working 3 full time jobs for 120 hours per week to get by. Also there are many people in Hawaii who work one, normal, single, fulltime job and do just fine.
Also... the bit about being beaten up... ridiculous. It's no different than CA or anywhere else. If you anger the wrong person, they may call you out. It's no worse in HI than anywhere else. Use judgment, and you'll be fine.
If you'll notice, there is a core group of people who post in this forum (I won't give specific user names, but I could - very easily) who, regardless of WHAT is being asked here, use it as a jumping-off point to discourage the person asking the question from relocating. One of my favorite examples of this was someone who recently asked if $60,000 per year was enough to get by. The answer to that, absolutely, is HELL YES. You won't live like a king, but you'll easily cover rent, expenses, and have a bit left over to enjoy your life. Basically, you need to make about $40,000 per year in order to get by if you're willing to share a (decent) apartment in Honolulu, and budget yourself carefully.
If you have a dream, and you use some common sense, there is no reason you can't relocate and succeed in living decently in Hawaii - do NOT let some people in this forum with a dysfunctional agenda discourage you.
Hawaii is PART OF THE UNITED STATES. As Americans, we ALL have the right to live where ever we choose in this country. Hawaii is yours just as much as it is theirs. No self-appointed authority has the right to tell you not to go where you choose. If you want to live here and are a normal, functional, gainfully employable adult, there is no reason you should accept discouragement in the form of warnings about 12 dollar hamburgers, foot-long centipedes, assaults from "locals", or any other form of forum terrorism. I live here, and trust me, it's not as ridiculously difficult as some here are portraying it to be. I found living in San Francisco MUCH tougher than living on Oahu. That's a fact.
Now... having said my piece, I have no further comments. These are my honest observations from having lived on Oahu for years, and I have no doubt but that what I have said will pose a threat to the "reign of terror" posters who are trying to discourage everyone. Given that, I will not bother responding to any flames, attacks, or other such argumentative posts intended to discredit me. My motivation for posting this was to try to balance out what I see is large number of posts by a very vocal minority of self-appointed gate-keepers who want to keep people out. It goes against every single thing that Hawaii is really about. In a word: Aloha.
Either people are being honest with you by telling you the truth about making it there, or they want you to stay away and say bad things just to keep you from moving there! As for me, well..I am New York City born and raised and I can make it anywhere! You have to hustle sometimes and do what it takes to make it. Dont let anyone tell you otherwise....anybody got a problem with that? lol....
None of us can ever say for sure what the motivations or intentions are of others who post. We must always take all information and put it through our own filter of judgment, common sense, attitude, and of course what we want to hear. What we get out of something probably reflects more our own viewpoint than any real trend.
Personally I don't see what some suspect. I do see a lot of people who take the time to post information both general and very detailed, and the vast majority of that information seems to be helpful and well-intentioned.
Of course any forum, any survey, any set of questions and answers is only going to reflect a portion of a population. It's the nature of the beast. By selecting some posts, you can extrapolate out to any point or decision you wish to make.
I think it's great that such a forum exists. You can ask a question, get answers, and make your own decisions. It's just a bunch of people, not a big conspiracy. Often it's really obvious when someone has an agenda other than sincerely trying to offer their own view, or information on a subject. When that happens, you can spot it and move on.
Gestalt didn't mention that, although the cost of living is similar to NY or SF, the pay isn't. The pay is similar to living in Oklahoma or Kansas. The economics of Hawaii are outragous, and it's a difficult place for middle class people to raise a family.
I think it depends on your lifestyle. This idea that you will need upwards of $3K a month just to scrape by is just nutty. We have friends that have lived on the Big Island for 8 years, and make around $1K, and live in their own paradise. If you have an expensive lifestyle on the mainland, it can be more so in HI, but it really isn't that bad. And as far as all this "be respectful" stuff, why would you be anything but, anywhere you moved or visited to? And not everyone stays in some all-inclusive when they visit, so there isn't always the 'buffer' between real island life and 'vacation life'.
Jobs? I have been offered two, with a bio degree, so I am not worried.
Location: Big Island- Hawaii, AK, WA where the whales are!
1,490 posts, read 4,184,459 times
Reputation: 796
I have been trying to post what my perspective is on living on the BI .. not another. I am not a local just a transplant that learned about the area from this forum originally. I would like to pay back the help and advice given to me. My posts are all from my perspective and no meaning of I "know" all living on the islands but from a newbie to another "hofpefully" newbie.
I am on the conservative side from the past life of living, paycheck to paycheck. It would not be fun - anything like a vacation living on the islands if I couldn't make it back if I wanted. That said if it is a dream, logical thought out, visted before hand, took all posters in average. Your dream with reality go for it. Do people get beat up - ya most deserve it. Do all no. Do some peoples attitudes get in the way. Yep seen allot. Do some people think they can come live on a beach and find a job everyday Yep. Do they no they are broke.
Not trying to attempt to "keep" anyone away but things are differnt. More differnt than I have seen in the last couple of years from Midwest to Alaska. Just trying to give the negative to balance out the I" want to live in Paridise and it will fix everything plan." That doesn't work. Just bringing up the Did you think about this? Because I didn't I just fell in lovewith the islands... still are but it is a long term relationship vrs first time seeing with rose colored glasses.
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