can we live on $135,000 on Oahu

[surfmonkey17]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

Uh... You are in Kona, which is HOT!
Hilo is the COOL SIDE!

I know. That is why we are in Kona. We prefer the heat. We moved here from Seattle to get away from the cold and the rain.

[surfmonkey17]

Originally Posted by 808n310

I seriously have no clue how y'all are getting bills like these?! I own two condos in Hawaii, and lived in each for a little over a year, one was a small 1br, about 650 sf, central air but I never used it, and I'd pay about $50 bucks a month, keep in mind that was just me, and I barely cooked a thing. 2nd one was a 2/2 townhouse out in mauka that had window a/cs in every room, which I barely ever used, that one ran me about $70 bucks a month. And I moved away back in 06, so those prices aren't super out of date...

Oh, one big thing of note, both myself and my parents, and a ton of people I know, NEVER, ever run the dishwasher....could that make that big of a difference??? For me b/c I never cook, and my parents are lazy and paper plate EVERYTHING...so they only sink wash cups lol.

Dang maybe I'm the one super off base about the electricity??! If so sorry!

I have no idea either. The electricity was a shock for us the first time we opened the bill. When we lived on Oahu, the electricity was included in our rent, so we never realized how much it costs. Our electric bill is twice as much now as when we lived in Seattle, where I constantly had the heater running. Here we run as little as possible. We have not used the dishwasher since getting our first bill. We used to run it once a day, but now it is just an expensive drying rack. Our bill did go down some, but I think it had more to do with rates going down then with the cuts in usage we made. When we first moved back last year, the rate was 45 cents per kwh and it has now come down to 31 cents, so that is the main reason our bill has decreased. Not sure how long to expect the lower rates though as I heard the rates are increasing again soon.

[surfmonkey17]

Well, after looking a bit further, seems part of our high bill is due to living on the Big Island. All islands have different utility co. (HECO on Oahu and HELCO on BI) and it seems our rates are quite a bit higher here on the BI. Just thought that was interesting.

HECO > Average Electric Rates for Hawaiian Electric Co., Maui Electric Co. and Hawaii Electric Light Co.

[bigounets]

Yep, that's something I remember, the infamous electric bill. That was quite a big one for my 600sqf house with no A/C. When I moved to my 1200sqf house in the Seattle area, my electric bill was way lower AND gas heating was included too! Go figure!!
When you live on an island you need to remember that resources are limited thus the high cost of electricity, gas (for cars), water etc... it doesn't only apply to groceries.

[Eol]

I am about to move to Hawaii on $91K and from everything I read I should be able to support my wife and kid (she's an illegal so not going to be able to work). (If I am wrong about living on $91K let me know but as an earlier poster said, median household income in $70K so that give me a cushion).

Still just wanted to comment on the utility bills .. when I hear people complaining about $500 dollar electric bills and are *shocked* I just laugh. I grew up in the Midwest (Milwaukee) and currently own a hundred year old brick colonial in Cleveland ... it gets COLD in these places (like -40) and HOT in the summer (90+ which is a big deal when you are used to the cold) meaning basically you run your heat all winter and A/C all summer .... I am on the budget plan (where they average your twelve month usage and you pay the same rate monthly) and I pay about $400 a month in the midwest. In January you are seeing things like $700 gas bills and in the summer the same with electricity (you make up the margins on the 2 month spring and 2 month fall). And before I hear folk griping and telling me to hug a tree .. some of us like those old homes that are drafty (and can't afford to the $15K to replace all those windows) ... and plenty of folk that don't like them can't afford anything else.

I mean I don't look forward to $500 electrical bills but its not unreasonable unless you are one of those coasties who all live in modern McMansions built airtight energy efficient home in the last ten years .... the rest of us in the middle live with old beautiful solidly built drafty homes and pay the bills for it (for example my furnace is a true furnace, built in 1943, 5% efficiency and I also have a incinerator .. and yes I ran the math long ago and the replacement cost for a high efficiency isn't worth it until it actually dies and breaks .. which I doubt will be anytime soon).

Only a coastie from a temperate climate with a modern home would cry about $500 in utilities. (and all you in socal should be double that cause no way you all are paying your true water costs .. stealing from the mountains and Nevada)

[mdand3boys]

Our electric bill (paid for by the landlord as part of the deal) has ranged from $175 to $210 per month for a 1100 sf house near Pahoa. We do not have AC and rely upon fans. We use dishwasher, washer and dryer equivalent for a family of 4. The high bill was the 1st month. We changed all bulbs over to CFL's and stopped using the dishwasher on heat dry.

[surftenniseatdrink]

Is your $135 w/ locality or COLA. You'll get that here.

[whtviper1]

I had to bump this thread - back in 2009 there are multiple posts in this thread around the topic of if I can I live on $135K as a family - and another wondering if they could live on $95K.

I love the grief I get - in this thread someone actually said: "I can tell you with confidence that you'll "get-by" on that figure ($135K/year), no more, no less. If anything, its on the low-side for a family of five living on Oahu."

I had to laugh at that - I've never been that harsh - it is a fun thread to read when the economy was much much worse than it is now.