Questions about living in Maui (Kihei, Wailuku: for rent, condo, how much) - Hawaii (HI) - City-Data Forum

Denalipro · 05-20-2010, 02:19 PM

Hi folks, my wife and I are considering a move to Maui. I've read all the concerns about island fever, being far from friends and family, lack of health care, etc. I have a few specific questions.

First some background. We've lived in Michigan our whole lives. We're in our mid thirties with a one year old. We're all very healthy and pray that we stay that way

. We have fairly substantial savings and can afford to scrape by for a while. I have gone back to school after 15 years in research and will complete my CPA cert. next year. We don't need big city conveniences we're very happy hiking, swimming, etc for entertainment. We'll be making our third trip to the islands in a few weeks so we are somewhat familiar with the pace of life, costs, etc. Questions are:

Obviously Maui is fairly small in population, what are the general prospects for an independent CPA? Are there decent opportunities for professional people?

We are naturally pretty conservative coming from the midwest. Is their a decent community of like minded people? I have plenty of non Christian friends, and we get along great. I rock climb with a bunch of hippies and we enjoy friendly banter. I just don't want to feel totally out of place. I do enjoy my Bible studies etc.

I'm aware of the cost to rent a 3-4 bedroom house and we can handle it. I know how much food and gas is and we'll be fine. How much are utilities for a 3-4 bedroom home with A/C? I've heard some crazy numbers like 700 a month but that seems hard to believe. We don't touch the A/C until it gets over 85.

Thanks for any and all help, hope to be there soon!

hothulamaui · 05-20-2010, 03:42 PM

there are many churches on island I am sure you will find one that suits you as well as friends who are not as religious. my house is 1500 sq. feet, we have window mounted air conditioning and only use the one in the bedroom at night. our electric runs about 170 bucks a month. if you have a home with good cross ventilation you may not need much AC if at all. as to the CPA I really don't know. I think all jobs here now are scarce even the ones that require a degree. your best bet is to come with a year of savings to live on till you get settled. good luck

boodhabunny · 05-20-2010, 04:11 PM

I agree with hothulamaui. Utilities can really get out of control if you use your AC a lot. We live in Kihei and our place gets sun all day. It gets pretty hot and so we use the AC a lot. Our electric bill hovers between $200 - $250 per month and we are in a tiny little condo only 750 sq ft. So I can easily imagine that a larger home in a sunny location having utilities bills that exceed $700.

If we owned a single family home, I'd be looking into solar options.

As far as churches go I don't think you'll have any trouble. I am not a church goer myself but many people are. There are a lot of options for you in that regard.

Waianaegirl · 05-20-2010, 04:20 PM

Also, since you do have a child, you might want to consider the price of private schooling. Or home schooling. Growing up in Oahu, we went to private schools, because the public schools were so very bad. The only way I would move back is if we either didn't have kids or if they were grown...

Denalipro · 05-20-2010, 06:10 PM

Thanks for the replies so far. My wife will home school for several years at least. We have a few years until we need to worry about that. We have enough to live for a couple years if need be but I'd rather not go thru all our hard earned savings. Our ut. bills run about 250 a month on average right now, but that's for a 2500 sqft home. Sounds like I should plan on 400 amonth or so.

Any accountants, lawyers, or the like out there that can give me a feel for what the market is like? Mahalo

hotzcatz · 05-21-2010, 04:14 AM

We live on the Island of Hawaii, but our CPA is in Connecticut. Do you need to have clients from around here? Can't you bring some over with you - virtually speaking, that is?

Most folks I know try to not use much electricity if they can help it. Gas stoves, gas water heaters, some even have gas refrigerators but those folks usually live completely off the power grid since propane (there's no natural gas in Hawaii) is still expensive even if it is less expensive than electricity.

If your house has good ventilation, large eaves to provide shade for the sides of the house and a light colored roof, it probably won't get too hot. Elevation also does a lot to keep things cool. The higher up the mountain you are, the cooler the weather is.

winkosmosis · 05-21-2010, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boodhabunny

I agree with hothulamaui. Utilities can really get out of control if you use your AC a lot. We live in Kihei and our place gets sun all day. It gets pretty hot and so we use the AC a lot. Our electric bill hovers between $200 - $250 per month and we are in a tiny little condo only 750 sq ft. So I can easily imagine that a larger home in a sunny location having utilities bills that exceed $700.

If we owned a single family home, I'd be looking into solar options.

As far as churches go I don't think you'll have any trouble. I am not a church goer myself but many people are. There are a lot of options for you in that regard.

I live in Wailuku which is cooler, and I ran my AC only once in the past 1.5 months only because it was so humid from the VOG. My first electric bill was only $98

boodhabunny · 05-22-2010, 03:22 AM

I recently heard that Lahaina was the hottest place on Maui. That surprised me, since I thought Kihei held that title. Not sure which is true, I'm just repeating what I've heard.

I always laugh when my upcountry friends come down and complain about the heat. They are the same friends that want to wear wetsuits in the water. I don't know why I think it's so funny, but I do. My upcountry friends are so weird! (said with love)

whynot? · 05-22-2010, 08:13 PM

"Lahaina" means "relentless sun" in Hawaiian. Or "land of the burning sun," as we often hear. We're in Ka'anapali, and we use our A/C year 'round. And it's expensive. REALLY expensive. A good friend lives a little farther north (and a little more mauka) in Napili, and hardly ever uses hers. It's often 85 degrees or higher -- and not just in summer.

There are lots of houses for rent, though, and I don't think you'd have any trouble finding one.

We also have a couple of accountant friends. One -- either by choice or by necessity -- works both here and on the mainland. And teaches in addition to doing CPA work. Another is privately employed by a foundation. Unless you have a specialty (one of our mainland friends specializes in state tax laws and works for a major corporation there) or are very good at selling yourself, I wouldn't count on building a practice too quickly. It's just MHO, but people here seem to like professionals with a track record, and who have done work for -- and been recommended by -- friends.

You might want to try to talk to some accountants while you're here. While we might not hire a "stranger," people are really friendly and tend to be willing to take time to talk story.

Best of luck.