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This thread is kinda old,but this is just my observation.
If you want to live somewhere more similar to the U.S Mainland,such as in Housing Styles,Neighborhoods,Stores,Restaurants,Cooler Weather and Cheaper flights to the Mainland then you'll enjoy Hawaii.
Guam is Smaller,Less Crowded,Hotter with Warmer Ocean Temperatures,Less Expensive,but closer to Asia and Australia.
The hotter weather with warm ocean temps in Guam is pretty appealing, is it less expensive than Hawaii/California? how are rents for a studio/1 bedroom apartment?
Yup,some people do prefer the warmer weather and warmer ocean temps in Guam....I don't know how much the rental is for a 1 bedroom in Guam,but I do know the cost of living is less than either California or Hawaii.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NearFantastica
The hotter weather with warm ocean temps in Guam is pretty appealing, is it less expensive than Hawaii/California? how are rents for a studio/1 bedroom apartment?
Yup,some people do prefer the warmer weather and warmer ocean temps in Guam....I don't know how much the rental is for a 1 bedroom in Guam,but I do know the cost of living is less than either California or Hawaii.
When discussing affordability in Hawaii, it's always important to talk about the Big Island, IMO, which has some affordable properties/areas. Hilo, as an example, has a median home list price (single family) of $487k, which has increased significantly from what it was in 2020 (the pandemic boom got to Hilo, too, but still things are less expensive there than in other parts of Hawaii). And rentals are still pretty affordable, too: https://www.realtor.com/apartments/Hilo_HI
This is in contrast to housing on Oahu, where the median single family price is roughly $1 million.
Some other islands are pretty expensive, too.
There's some expat website (Expatistan) I was just on that says that the cost of living on Guam is about the same as it is in Honolulu for what it's worth. I can't speak truly for cost comparisons on a personal level as I've only ever stayed in hotels while on Guam, though the restaurant scene isn't much cheaper than it is in Honolulu from my experience.
Looking at average gas prices on Guam vs. Honolulu today, Guam seems to be about $0.50 a gallon more expensive also.
I would take Guam for the experience and spot to Asia. I like trying different things. If I want to live similar to the U.S. mainland, then I stay in the mainland and just visit Hawaii on vacation.
Guam is less crowded (a plus for me) and closer to the part of the world that I would visit like Asia. Plus Guam as a true 2 party system not just 1 party controlled.
The Gas Prices may be higher in Guam,but in my opinion all The Hawaiian Islands have a Higher Cost of Living compared to Guam.
Guam is not as cheap as it was in the past,but it has gone up to the point a lot of Locals who are from there have relocated to other parts of the U.S Mainland where the cost of living is lower,and i'm sure a lot of Locals in Hawaii have done the same thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by prospectheightsresident
When discussing affordability in Hawaii, it's always important to talk about the Big Island, IMO, which has some affordable properties/areas. Hilo, as an example, has a median home list price (single family) of $487k, which has increased significantly from what it was in 2020 (the pandemic boom got to Hilo, too, but still things are less expensive there than in other parts of Hawaii). And rentals are still pretty affordable, too: https://www.realtor.com/apartments/Hilo_HI
This is in contrast to housing on Oahu, where the median single family price is roughly $1 million.
Some other islands are pretty expensive, too.
There's some expat website (Expatistan) I was just on that says that the cost of living on Guam is about the same as it is in Honolulu for what it's worth. I can't speak truly for cost comparisons on a personal level as I've only ever stayed in hotels while on Guam, though the restaurant scene isn't much cheaper than it is in Honolulu from my experience.
Looking at average gas prices on Guam vs. Honolulu today, Guam seems to be about $0.50 a gallon more expensive also.
That's one of the advantages of living in Guam is it's closer to Asia and Australia if you have relatives/friends there,or if you enjoy traveling to Asia/Australia.
Many people don't know this,but Guam and The Northern Mariana Islands are also the closest U.S Territories to The Australian Continent.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SanJuanStar
I would take Guam for the experience and spot to Asia. I like trying different things. If I want to live similar to the U.S. mainland, then I stay in the mainland and just visit Hawaii on vacation.
Guam is less crowded (a plus for me) and closer to the part of the world that I would visit like Asia. Plus Guam as a true 2 party system not just 1 party controlled.
Look guys, I haven't lived on Guam since 1988 and haven't traveled there since 1990, so my observations are probably out of date. That said, living on Guam was not what I'd call "cheap."
At the time I was there, groceries were extremely expensive. For instance, a head of iceberg lettuce was around $6.00, a Totino's frozen pizza was about $10.00, fresh milk was so prohibitive, I never bought it, i bought milk in a cardboard carton from New Zealand, fresh ground beef was relatively cheap as they raise cattle on Tinian, but if you didn't use it the same day you bought it, it would spoil. Frozen beef that came from New Zealand was expensive. In fact, the only things that were reasonable were fresh reef fish, rice (subsidized by the gov.) and Spam. The reason was that everything else had to be shipped to Guam. Even the mangoes were from Mexico, the local ones all being used for pickled green mango, a local favorite.
Now, if you are retired military, you can shop at the local commissary where prices are realistic.
Eating out is obviously high, due to the high food costs.
Housing "was" much cheaper than Hawaii, I suspect it is still so, but don't expect a nice looking home, as most of the homes on Guam are made of cinder block with flat concrete roofs to withstand a 200mph typhoon.
You also have to remember that there are few good jobs on Guam and the rest are very low paying which negates any "cheapness" of the island. At the time I was there, the greatest aspiration for young Guam women was to marry an active military man so their family could shop at the commissary and PX (my opinion).
About the only really cheap thing about Guam is there is no sales tax or Federal income tax (the reason many officers would buy their expensive European cars and have them shipped back to the states after their rotation). Although the Guam income tax just happens to be the same as the federal income tax.
Look guys, I haven't lived on Guam since 1988 and haven't traveled there since 1990, so my observations are probably out of date. That said, living on Guam was not what I'd call "cheap."
At the time I was there, groceries were extremely expensive. For instance, a head of iceberg lettuce was around $6.00, a Totino's frozen pizza was about $10.00, fresh milk was so prohibitive, I never bought it, i bought milk in a cardboard carton from New Zealand, fresh ground beef was relatively cheap as they raise cattle on Tinian, but if you didn't use it the same day you bought it, it would spoil. Frozen beef that came from New Zealand was expensive. In fact, the only things that were reasonable were fresh reef fish, rice (subsidized by the gov.) and Spam. The reason was that everything else had to be shipped to Guam. Even the mangoes were from Mexico, the local ones all being used for pickled green mango, a local favorite.
Now, if you are retired military, you can shop at the local commissary where prices are realistic.
Eating out is obviously high, due to the high food costs.
Housing "was" much cheaper than Hawaii, I suspect it is still so, but don't expect a nice looking home, as most of the homes on Guam are made of cinder block with flat concrete roofs to withstand a 200mph typhoon.
You also have to remember that there are few good jobs on Guam and the rest are very low paying which negates any "cheapness" of the island. At the time I was there, the greatest aspiration for young Guam women was to marry an active military man so their family could shop at the commissary and PX (my opinion).
About the only really cheap thing about Guam is there is no sales tax or Federal income tax (the reason many officers would buy their expensive European cars and have them shipped back to the states after their rotation). Although the Guam income tax just happens to be the same as the federal income tax.
When people talk "cheap" they're mostly referring to housing and rent nowadays, at least that's how it is for me when I'm wondering if a place is cheap or not. It's all about housing housing housing, the mainland US has gone mad since covid and your average person can no longer afford rent or to buy a home. Having to pay extra for food imports on an isolated island is pretty well expected but if the rent is reasonable than it doesn't really matter. The jobs thing is concerning though, especially when the minimum wage on the island is only $9 per hour. Saipan's minimum wage is slightly lower but housing and rent seem to be far cheaper there than on Guam.
When people talk "cheap" they're mostly referring to housing and rent nowadays, at least that's how it is for me when I'm wondering if a place is cheap or not. It's all about housing housing housing, the mainland US has gone mad since covid and your average person can no longer afford rent or to buy a home. Having to pay extra for food imports on an isolated island is pretty well expected but if the rent is reasonable than it doesn't really matter. The jobs thing is concerning though, especially when the minimum wage on the island is only $9 per hour. Saipan's minimum wage is slightly lower but housing and rent seem to be far cheaper there than on Guam.
I agree. It's on this basis where I disagree that Guam is more expensive than Hawaii. As I've mentioned before, when discussing Hawaii compared to Guam, talking statewide averages/median (to the extent that they exist) is not really helpful as it's not so easy to just up and move from one island to another island. And some islands are way more expensive than others. Comparing Oahu (where Honolulu is) to Guam on this point, basic research I just did shows that the "fair market value" of a two bedroom residence on Guam is $1,467 (https://www.rentdata.org/states/guam/2022), whereas it's $2,190 in Honolulu (https://www.khon2.com/local-news/nat...hawaii-stands/). For anecdotal reference point, I have rented out my two bedroom condo in Honolulu for the last 3 years for $2,300 a month.
We can talk all day about how much more expensive milk is or electricity is or dining out is in one place vs. another place, but odds are that's not what's going to make or break someone's budget; housing, however, would. I make similar points to folks trying to save money, when they go out of their way to cut out relative small items like Starbuck's drinks (as an example), while they continue to live in expensive housing, thus their overall budget really isn't changed because they've been focused on the "wrong" things for meaningful cost cutting.
Looks like Guam has some anti-White sentiment similar to Hawaii, sad to see
Racially motivated attack caught on video
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