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Being from the similarly expensive NYC metro/Southwest CT area, I'm often amazed at how many people casually dismiss Hawaii (Honolulu) as so expensive... Yet these same people unabashedly pay to live here. I've found that save for food, expenses are comparable to here. I was on Oahu last month and gas was cheaper than here. Not by much, but still cheaper.
Can someone briefly explain the high electricity prices to me? I'm wondering how serious this difference is for me. I never use air conditioning and when I'm not home, the fridge is the only thing sucking juice. Even when I am home - laptop, one or two lights and the TV is mostly all I use.
It is not that Honolulu is tremendously more expensive than those areas, it is that you get paid less for the same work and have fewer professional employment options on Oahu. Wages and cost of living are not aligned well, that is the issue.
Electricity is just expensive per kWh in Hawaii, how much you use is up to you. New York and Connecticut are bad also, but Hawaii is the highest in the country. You should be able to look at your bill during a month that is in the 80's every day and approximate how much you use then extrapolate what it would cost to use the same amount in Honolulu.
Some say you don't need A/C in Hawaii, and maybe if you have good trade wind exposure you don't usually, but I think that 85 degrees indoors is kind of uncomfortable and don't like to sweat while I sleep so IMO it comes in handy sometimes. I guess that comes down to personal preference.
Being from the similarly expensive NYC metro/Southwest CT area, I'm often amazed at how many people casually dismiss Hawaii (Honolulu) as so expensive... Yet these same people unabashedly pay to live here. I've found that save for food, expenses are comparable to here. I was on Oahu last month and gas was cheaper than here. Not by much, but still cheaper.
Can someone briefly explain the high electricity prices to me? I'm wondering how serious this difference is for me. I never use air conditioning and when I'm not home, the fridge is the only thing sucking juice. Even when I am home - laptop, one or two lights and the TV is mostly all I use.
Basically you have either noise issues or heat/humidity issues. In Town, its very noisy 24/7, so leaving windows open to sleep won't work. The humidity is such that after taking a shower and drying off...I'm still damp! We run not only the a/c but a dehumidifer about 12 hours a day.
It's better to say that here in Honolulu we have crazy ~100% surharges that drives electricity much higher: I always use about 600 kW per months and pay say $100 for usage itself plus about the same in surcharge for this, surcharge for that to total of ~$200 per month. I've never had this kind of things on mailnland. Back in Omaha I used 1000 kW per month and paid ~$120 total.
Food: well, it's more expensive but buying things in Costco or Sams club helps alot. We pay for food same as on Mainland, well, we buy less food here but we are not hungry I would say in average food is about 15-20% more. Of course I don't speak about ABC where 1 g of milk is $9. It's tourist trap and locals do not buy there.
So, in total biggest concern here is housing as you paying much more per sq ft than in mainland. I have 600 sq ft apartment and pay in total around $1900 per month for everything. Plus, finding good place is more and more dificult for reasonable price these days.
Electricity is just expensive per kWh in Hawaii, how much you use is up to you. New York and Connecticut are bad also, but Hawaii is the highest in the country. You should be able to look at your bill during a month that is in the 80's every day and approximate how much you use then extrapolate what it would cost to use the same amount in Honolulu.
This is exactly it based on my experience. You have big city (NYC/SF) cost of living, with small city/town level wages. The real problem is the wages more than the price of anything, if you ask me.
My research is that if you live in an expensive city, especially one like NYC/SF and certainly still the case with the "expensive, but less expensive than HI cities" like LA, CHI, BOS, etc., is there is an opportunity to make a LOT of money to not just afford to live there but really thrive in those places. This doesn't exist in HI, so you either need to bring a high income job with you or a high net worth to afford the cost of living.
Close? Significantly more? Significantly less? If we can just say it's about twice as expensive, that might help people figure out a lot more how affordable it will be on their proposed salary. They'll know $50K in Hawaii would be like $25K on the mainland, etc.
IMHO, no, I'd not say that is too simplified and too wide of a difference.
If you are looking for an inexpensive place to live, with high wages, and a guarantee of being able to build up a nice size nest egg, well you should think twice about moving here.
BUT,
If you are willing to pay the "paradise tax" for living in wonderful weather, clean water, outdoor activities, beautiful scenery, interesting people, well then, you should keep doing your research so your move goes well.
If we can just say it's about twice as expensive, that might help people figure out a lot more how affordable it will be on their proposed salary.
Nope, it's too far off and way too simplified, therefore too inaccurate to be useful. Far better to use a dynamic Cost of Living Comparison Calculator that takes into account various key elements of typical budgets, as compiled by the US government, and compares them with salaries and taxes etc. at both ends, like this one:Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowedor CNNMoney or others.
Well, property taxes in Honolulu are 1/10th they are in here in Houston -- seems like 0.25% vs the 2.5% I pay.
Current residential property tax rate on Oahu is $3.50 per $1,000 valuation
Quote:
Originally Posted by wooliemonster
Also, sales taxes in Hawaii are 4.5%
To be accurate:
"Hawaii does not have a sales tax; instead, we have the general excise tax, which is assessed on all business activities. The tax rate is .15% for Insurance Commission, .50% for Wholesaling, Manufacturing, Producing, Wholesale Services, and Use Tax on Imports For Resale, and 4% for all others. For differences between the general excise tax and sales tax, please see Tax Facts 96-1, General Excise vs. Sales Tax.
If your business activity is taxed at the 4% rate and is conducting business on Oahu, you are also subject to the .50% Oahu County Surcharge Tax. For more information regarding the Oahu County Surcharge Tax, see County Surcharge - FAQ's."
Bottom line, a lot more everyday transactions are taxed, and the taxes can stack, raising the effective rate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wooliemonster
However, Hawaii has a state income tax. Texas has no state income tax.
Correct.
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I would say in average food is about 15-20% more. Of course I don't speak about ABC where 1 g of milk is $9. It's tourist trap and locals do not buy there.
