Income level needed for a family of 3 to live comfortably?

[hunterseat]

Well, I know what it's like to move here recently. First (as I've said a dozen times) I wish we had shipped our truck! Then I wonder, if you ship a vehicle can you cram it full of great stuff like dishes, towels, sheets, throw rugs, cookware, cleaning supplies, small end tables... you get the idea. On our flight we could pay for an additional 50# suitcase and I wish we had. It would have been cheaper than buying sheets and towels. And it's cheaper than mailing it. We brought over our most beloved hand tools and a few things.
I had a ton of spices so I put them in zip lock baggies and used a sharpie. Nice to have spices without paying much, though they're cheaper here than in CT.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by hunterseat

Then I wonder, if you ship a vehicle can you cram it full of great stuff like dishes, towels, sheets, throw rugs, cookware, cleaning supplies, small end tables...

No need to wonder - your car must be shipped completely empty.

[MickeyE]

All I gotta say is LOCOMOCO!

Mickey

[MovingAloha]

Originally Posted by Jungjohann

Not to derail things too much, but the majority of the folks who post here haven't lived in Hawaii for more than a couple of years, and have no personal knowledge of what Hawaii was like 10 years ago, let alone 25 years ago.. Just sayin........

Alaho

You're probably correct. We moved away May 2011, after living on island approx 12 years and after living on island for five (5) years between 1985 to 1990. I remember Masa's but never ate there. I also remember when you had to take the Navy Ferry over to Ford Island because there wasn't a bridge and there definitely wasn't H3 back in the day!

Hope to be back this Summer, for good this time!

[rockysg]

Slappysan,

Oahu's prices are similar to living in Los Angeles. I am in the military and was stationed in Hawaii in 1995 and as a private lived quite comfortably (no children at that time). I am planning a move back this year and just recently visited the island last month. I currently live in DC and found the prices to be just a bit higher in Oahu. I am a CPT in the Army and my pay is around 8k a month after taxes. I have a family of 5 and my mother in law (so actually 6), my rent is 2800 a month here and I shop at whole foods and still manage to save 1-3k a month and that is with eating out about once or twice a week (150-200 a meal). That's on my pay alone my husband has a job as well in the military but I pay for the majority of items I even paid cash for my trip to Hawaii last month and stayed at a nice hotel so to say you can't live comfortably on 100K is ridiculous unless you have a bunch of debt. The one caveat to my situation is that my pay will increase due to cost of living allowance for Hawaii but it is only 1k-1.5k. You can make it work don't let debbie downers deter you. Good Luck!

PS BTW the people in Hawaii alone are worth the price, I love the people, culture, and everything about the place. Can't wait to be back home!

[MovingAloha]

Originally Posted by rockysg

Slappysan,

Oahu's prices are similar to living in Los Angeles. I am in the military and was stationed in Hawaii in 1995 and as a private lived quite comfortably (no children at that time). I am planning a move back this year and just recently visited the island last month. I currently live in DC and found the prices to be just a bit higher in Oahu. I am a CPT in the Army and my pay is around 8k a month after taxes. I have a family of 5 and my mother in law (so actually 6), my rent is 2800 a month here and I shop at whole foods and still manage to save 1-3k a month and that is with eating out about once or twice a week (150-200 a meal). That's on my pay alone my husband has a job as well in the military but I pay for the majority of items I even paid cash for my trip to Hawaii last month and stayed at a nice hotel so to say you can't live comfortably on 100K is ridiculous unless you have a bunch of debt. The one caveat to my situation is that my pay will increase due to cost of living allowance for Hawaii but it is only 1k-1.5k. You can make it work don't let debbie downers deter you. Good Luck!

PS BTW the people in Hawaii alone are worth the price, I love the people, culture, and everything about the place. Can't wait to be back home!

[kaimuki]

Originally Posted by rockysg

Slappysan,

Oahu's prices are similar to living in Los Angeles. I am in the military and was stationed in Hawaii in 1995 and as a private lived quite comfortably (no children at that time). I am planning a move back this year and just recently visited the island last month. I currently live in DC and found the prices to be just a bit higher in Oahu.

With all due respect, you were stationed on Oahu 18 years ago. Oahu's cost of living is higher than LA's. Oahu's cost of living is more in line with San Francisco. It's very expensive to live on Oahu, nothing is inexpensive. Housing, utilities, food, gas and eating out can turn a sizable pay check into nothing fast.

[Mikala43]

1995 and 2013 Hawaii are different creatures. So is living here as a private citizen and having base/gov't benefits.

I find SF to be tons cheaper than here, or, if the same price, you get much more for your dollar.

I have a condo in SF (Diamond Hts) and maintenance is around $450 and I get gym, pool, sauna, hot tub on pristine grounds with a creek and elevated walkways through a forest. Here our maintenance is the same with none of that, and we have to fight for repairs.

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

I find SF to be tons cheaper than here, or, if the same price, you get much more for your dollar.

I have a condo in SF (Diamond Hts) and maintenance is around $450 and I get gym, pool, sauna, hot tub on pristine grounds with a creek and elevated walkways through a forest. Here our maintenance is the same with none of that, and we have to fight for repairs.

That really depends on where in SF - I moved to Hawaii from SF and there are plenty of places where small condo's are over $1,000 sq ft - whether that be South Beach, Russian Hill, Nob Hill, or Pacific Heights. $1,000 sq ft is pretty rare even in Hawaii. And rent in SF has surpassed even the pricey areas of Honolulu.

[Mikala43]

That's why I rent it out.