Living near Fort Shafter vs. windward side of Oahu (Kaneohe: apartments, for rent)

[runforrester]

I've heard that the drive from the Kailua/Kaneohe area is a little easier than some by way of the H-3 or Likelike. I've also heard that I would save money on AC, due to the breeze. But I was wondering about the cost of gasoline. Would that offset the electricity savings? I'm very excited about the beauty of the island and the diversity and warmth of the people. I don't need something big--2 BR of 600-1000 square feet. Oh, my budget is $1700-2100. Thank you for your input!

[MovingAloha]

Originally Posted by runforrester

I've heard that the drive from the Kailua/Kaneohe area is a little easier than some by way of the H-3 or Likelike. I've also heard that I would save money on AC, due to the breeze. But I was wondering about the cost of gasoline. Would that offset the electricity savings? I'm very excited about the beauty of the island and the diversity and warmth of the people. I don't need something big--2 BR of 600-1000 square feet. Oh, my budget is $1700-2100. Thank you for your input!

Look into the Salt Lake area; there are tons of Condos and you'll probably get the breeze dependent upon the elevation of the apartment.

Salt Lake is very close, less than 3 miles to Fort Shafter.

[8o8state]

Originally Posted by runforrester

I've heard that the drive from the Kailua/Kaneohe area is a little easier than some by way of the H-3 or Likelike. I've also heard that I would save money on AC, due to the breeze. But I was wondering about the cost of gasoline. Would that offset the electricity savings? I'm very excited about the beauty of the island and the diversity and warmth of the people. I don't need something big--2 BR of 600-1000 square feet. Oh, my budget is $1700-2100. Thank you for your input!

It also boils down to what is really important to you. Salt Lake and the surrounding areas is what I would describe as "inland" or "urban" style living. You will be surrounded by high rise condos/apartments, stores, homes, and lots of concrete (concrete jungle). Access from the Salt Lake area to a nice tropical beach will require a drive in the car or a nerve wracking bicycle ride. If having reasonable (as in distance) access to the beach is very important then you might want to rethink the Salt Lake choice. Also realize that if you live in Kaneohe or even some areas in Kailua, you still might end up pretty far from the beach and traffic can be challenging at times. The savings on the AC on the windward side will be very contingent upon whether you manage to find a place that has good window design for air circulation. Some places have a great trade wind facing window but no back or side windows, so the unit will feel like a brick oven. This can happen pretty much anywhere on the island though. If beach access is not a big deal then go for the Salt Lake or Aiea heights area to see if you can find living arrangements that have some trade wind access. As for the 600-1200 square feet, it is doable but you will be hitting the more high end of your allowed budget. Keep in mind too that the H-3 is the equivalent of Hawaii's Autobahn (people will argue this until their face turns blue, but my experience is that the average speed on the H3 is at least 70mph) and you will go through gas so fast it will make your head spin and your wallet empty out pretty fast too with mid grade costing about $4.63 per gallon. Depending on where you need to drive to, the Pali and Likelike are both great options for saving on gas and not having to drive so fast all the time. Another suggestion is to look around for places that rent out with all bills paid. They can be found and this would allow you to run the AC at no cost, just make sure to check out the AC ahead of time to ensure that it works or is not some tiny run down device that can barely cool 10 sq ft.

[PinkPlumeria]

My husband used to work at Fort Shafter and we live in Kaneohe. It took him about 20-25 minutes to get there on the Likelike during rush hour. Kaneohe is a bit further than Salt Lake area, but the traffic isn't that bad.

In regards to getting a breeze in your apartment, it depends on the location and design of the house. We don't really get a good breeze where we live, but I find it to be a few degrees cooler on the windward side and we don't have an AC, we just use the ceiling fans and that is enough to cool the place down, but our apartment is also partially in shade.

If you don't mind living in a "concrete jungle" like Salk Lake and have a shorter and faster commute then Salt Lake area should be fine. Kaneohe is a regular town, but with beautiful lush surroundings and if you want to live with a bit more breathing room, Kaneohe is an option.

I'm not really sure about the money saving issue of AC vs the cost of gas, I don't think there should be too much of a difference between the two.

You also might want to consider what you like to do in your spare time. If you tend to go to the beach a lot, then Kaneohe would be the better choice since it's not too far from Kailua and the other beaches on that side. If you tend to be a homebody or want to be close to stores and town, the the Fort Shafter area might be a better choice. Will you be exploring the island a lot? Then Fort Shafter area might be more suitable. It's worth to think about where you would go and do in your spare time and what the gas cost would be for those activities.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by runforrester

I've heard that the drive from the Kailua/Kaneohe area is a little easier than some by way of the H-3 or Likelike. I've also heard that I would save money on AC, due to the breeze. But I was wondering about the cost of gasoline. Would that offset the electricity savings? I'm very excited about the beauty of the island and the diversity and warmth of the people. I don't need something big--2 BR of 600-1000 square feet. Oh, my budget is $1700-2100. Thank you for your input!

Here is the current list of 2br places for rent in Kailua between $1700 and $2100. Disregard the ones that say Kailua Kona, because they are on the Big Island of Hawaii:

hawaii apts/housing for rent classifieds "KAILUA" - craigslist

You should be able to make the commute from Kailua to Ft Shafter in about 30 minutes via H-3.

Hank

[d2snow]

After considering Kaneohe/Kailua, I ended up renting in a hi-rise off Salt Lake Blvd. I did not want to deal with the daily commute from the windward side. Plus I heard it rains a lot more in Kaneohe

That being said, the problem with SL is there is only one main road in/out. So a 3 mile trip to Ft. Shafter takes about 20 minutes (door to door) and some days up to 30 minutes with the traffic that backs up. It's not so bad, though and gas savings is a plus. SL is definitely a concrete jungle, but my building is gated and has very lush landscaping throughout.

[runforrester]

Thanks for the great comments. If we were dealing with mainland gas prices, I'd LOVE to be north of Kaneohe, maybe around Kahaluu. Looking out over the water and seeing the mountains in the distance is just breath taking to me. As far as my lifestyle, I prefer some quiet, privacy, and natural beauty over bustling nightlife. I venture into the "big city," such as it is where I live now (about 200,000 people) a few times a year to catch an opera, concert, or play, to run a couple of 10K races, and also patronize my local community theater. Basically, I live the big city, but like the breathing room of a smaller town. I appreciate the good tips.

[8o8state]

Originally Posted by d2snow

After considering Kaneohe/Kailua, I ended up renting in a hi-rise off Salt Lake Blvd. I did not want to deal with the daily commute from the windward side. Plus I heard it rains a lot more in Kaneohe

That being said, the problem with SL is there is only one main road in/out. So a 3 mile trip to Ft. Shafter takes about 20 minutes (door to door) and some days up to 30 minutes with the traffic that backs up. It's not so bad, though and gas savings is a plus. SL is definitely a concrete jungle, but my building is gated and has very lush landscaping throughout.

lol that is kind of funny as the commute time from Kailua or Kaneohe to Ft Shafter is about the same amount of time you spend on the only way in/out of SL.

[PinkPlumeria]

As the poster above mentioned, it looks like the commute time is about the same. I guess either you spend 20-30 minutes inching your way forward in SL or spend them driving in pretty good traffic from Kaneohe. I didn't expect that the traffic would be that bad for you, but I'm never in that area during rush hour so I didn't know, but you seem to be happy with your choice and yes, you'll definitely get more sun in SL than in Kaneohe.