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First of all, I would like to thank everyone here who takes the time out of their busy day to respond to those of us who inquire about moving to Hawaii, specifically the Big Island.
As I mentioned in earlier posts we were moving to Kona in June. We made it and are here enjoying it. I did want to take a moment to summarize our costs to move here as well as the providers we used.
We purchased our home in 2011 and rented it until May of 2012.
The Home: You can spend as little or as much as you like depending on your wants, needs and desires in a home and the location you choose. Since we came from So Cal the sticker shock of home prices wasn't as great as perhaps for those coming from other parts of the Mainland. When I was researching property I looked at a few websites Hawaiis.com Bigislandreale.com and Konalistings.com We are up the mountain a bit and love the location. Cooler evenings and great sunset views!
Moving: I went with PODS and it was about $5000 to move our items from So Cal to Kawaihae Harbor here on the Kona side in a 16ft container. To move our items from Kawaihae to our home I hired Kona Trans it was about $750 including tip to unload the POD at Kawaihae and unload and place all of our items in the house. Both PODS and Kona Trans made our move seamless. Both companies were on time and very courteous. I am not endorsing them, just giving you my experience.
Did I mention we have two dogs? The cost of getting our dogs ready for the move, which means through all of the Titers tests, vaccinations, fees and approval from Kona Ag to bring them in, health certificate from our vet in CA, the arrangements and fees associated with Kona Veterinary Hospital to meet us at the airport and airfare on Alaska Air was about $600.00 per dog all in. We drove from So Cal to San Jose to catch the direct flight to Kona for our dogs. Our dogs are 10lbs each and were approved to ride in the cabin with us. We booked our airfare months in advance so our seats were $188 per seat for the direct flight so we purchased the whole row (6 seats) so our dogs would not bother anyone. Overkill, I know.
We have also discovered PAWS University in Kona for those who like to socialize their dogs through daycare and PAWS will board your dogs when you are out of town.
Cars: We brought two cars with us. The primary reason we brought the cars is because they are paid for. We used Horizon Lines to bring the cars from So Cal to Kawaihae. This beat the drive to Hilo to pick up the cars. Each car was $1175 including insurance of $5000 for each.
Good news! When we went to the DMV to change our our plates, we received new Hawaii plates the same day. As stated before, the Hawaii Driver's License will run $45.00 and you get your temporary with a picture the same day. Kona DMV seems fine and efficient for a DMV
Furniture: We brought a lot of our own furniture. I didn't want the hawaiian style in my home. I did make a point of purchasing new tableware, pots and pans, brought along some better wine glasses and decanters, rugs, bookshelves, clocks, art, etc. before we left knowing the furniture options are limited here. I am so happy I did. Although, I have discovered Williams Sonoma does have Free Shipping and Amazon Prime has been great as well.
Additional expenses: It's the things you don't think of that you cannot move in a container. We did purchase our mattress here in Kona from America's Mattress about $2300. TV at Costco $850.00 VCR $150.00, lanai furniture $850 Home Depot, BBQ grill a steal at $199 at the 4th of July Sale, two desks for our home business $800.00 two desk chairs $500 new bedroom set (I wanted Hawaiian style here) $2200.00. Computers, monitors, yard tools, etc.
Gardner: Acre lot mostly grass, gardener runs $300 per month.
Shopping: I highly recommend shopping at Costco. If you get the AMEX you get a rebate check at the end of each quarter. Nice! The first trip to Costco is going to be costly, just purchasing all of the basics and household good you need. You may also make these purchases at Target, Walmart, etc.
Monthly costs:
Hawaiian Telecom: About $100 for two lines call waiting all the goodies. I needed a clear line and the Oceanic offering was not a true landline.
Oceanic Time Warner cable : About $150. Includes the super fast Extreme internet, I highly recommend Extreme for business it is super fast for those using multiple screens and the internet. DVR and Showtime/HBO for all the Dexter and Ray Donovan fans!
Water: About $75-$100 per month. Working to get this down.
Electricity $190 per month. Our solar system will be activated in August.
Gas: We don't have gas.
Thank you for your time and don't let anyone discourage you from coming here it's beautiful and people are very, very friendly. I would only say, "Be Realistic" this is one of the most expensive states in the country to live in if you aren't making it where you are, I cannot say it will be any easier here.
Costs of moving to Kona $10,000+++. ...Knowing you'll never "have" to go back...PRICELESS!
I look forward to checking back with this group!
Aloha,
C92653
at
I loved your post. One thing that I've found in common with many of the comments here and elswhere are the discouraging remarks about moving to Hawaii. "it's to expensive." "you'll leave in three months", "your a white mainlander and people don't hire mainlanders" etc., etc... it got to the point where I just started blocking it out. I personally, feel many of those that did failed and ended up having to come back to the mainland were not properly prepared mentally, financially, spiritually, you name it. If you go into the move with a logical game plan and your smart about it, I think you can do anything you set your mind to if you truly want it and feel in your gut that it's right. You will make it work.
BTW, I appreciated your closing paragraph and what you said. "don't let anyone discourage you from coming here..." I plan to move there very soon. Presently doing my research on each island.
Thanks for your post. Hubby was just (2 days ago) offered a job in Hilo/Kona.
We are trying to decide where we should live in regards to the fact that he will be at both locations at different times? More time in Hilo I believe. If you could give us an idea on where you would recommend us living that would be great?
I am terrified of my dog being stuck in quarantine, what is the best way to avoid this?
Thanks again.
Regarding your dog's quarantine. Google search for Kona Veterinary Service in Kailua Kona, they have a whole section on moving to Hawaii on their home page. It's a about a four month process you and your dog will complete prior to moving to the Big Island (I assume you don't live in HI). We used KVS, it was definitely worth it.
Unfortunately, I cannot give you advice on where to live. I like Kona, but there are plenty of people who live in Hilo (and surrounding areas) that will give you a thousand reasons why they would never live on the west side. It's a very personal decision. Sorry.
For this home hurricane insurance is $728/year for $500k and a $25k deductible. Homeowners is $384/year with $500k dwelling and $300k liability. We use Geico for car insurance runs about $1200/year for two cars 2003 and 2007.
Update: With the new solar system our bill is running about $25.00/month pretty much the basic HELCO connection fees. We are net positive producers (so far) and the water bill has come down to about $45-$50/month (we had a leaking sprinkler fixed).
If you have decent cars I would highly recommend shipping them as the cost for a used car here
is pretty high for what you get.
Good luck with your move!
Hi C92653
Thank you for this information on insurance. I currently live in the Northeastern U.S. and frankly your costs are not that much different than we experience here. Although I don't have to worry about hurricane insurance, my homeowners for a lower value house is quite expensive so all in all it is pretty even. Everyone thinks Hawaii is so expensive....try Connecticut!
Hubby was just (2 days ago) offered a job in Hilo/Kona.
We are trying to decide where we should live in regards to the fact that he will be at both locations at different times? More time in Hilo I believe.
Aloha!
With more than two hours drive time between them, I'd personally give a lot of weight to living wherever the driving would be the least on a weekly basis. Spending 4 - 5 hours a day in a car just getting to work and back is never fun. And don't forget that in the tropics it gets dark early, adding an extra layer of non-appeal to long commutes.
On the other hand, there are other factors to consider which might tip the scale for other folks. Off the top of my head:
Hilo real estate is less expensive. Kona has more retirees.
Kona is dryer overall, and much of Kona has reversed summer and winter seasons from the Hilo side, getting more rain in summer than in winter. Hilo is rainy year around, but winter gets the most rain.
Kona gets a lot more tourists, so they're pretty much a constant presence in restaurants and shops.
Hilo has much more of a "city" feel, with all that implies, including government offices and college campus. Kona has more of a "resort town" feel near the beaches, more good restaurants, and a more suburban feel away from the water.
And per many pieces of previous advice, I'd suggest planning to spend a couple of weeks in vacation rentals on each side before trying to decide. They're both going to be different in a lot of ways from wherever you've lived before, and nobody else can know what will appeal the most to you once you have your feet on the ground, so allow yourself some time to check it all out before you make any long-term commitments.
Quote:
I am terrified of my dog being stuck in quarantine, what is the best way to avoid this?
Since this is one of most popular topics here, there is lots of good information already posted. Just use the search function to pull it up from the archives. As long as you follow the state checklist precisely, there's little to fear. It just takes time... if your dog's rabies shots are up to date it takes 120 days from the day its blood sample arrives at the official test lab. And that 120 days can be spent anywhere on the mainland... with friends, relatives, or at a boarding kennel. The actual "state quarantine" facilities here in Hawai'i are pretty much just for people who haven't planned their arrival far enough in advance to meet Ag Dept requirements. On the Big Island there are certified private kennels on both sides which can handle the quarantine period for you. To be honest, if you are planning to rent you may wish to put your dog into a kennel for a while when you arrive anyway, since many landlords don't allow pets. Again, this has all been discussed at great length previously...
What a small world! My husband attended college in CT. Go Bulldogs!
I think it just depends on where "everybody" is from originally, when they compare the costs of living in HI vs. their current situation. Once you get here, you'll discover the best places to shop for food, visit the farmers markets and probably use some of the online retailers, like Amazon.
Thank you for this information on insurance. I currently live in the Northeastern U.S. and frankly your costs are not that much different than we experience here. Although I don't have to worry about hurricane insurance, my homeowners for a lower value house is quite expensive so all in all it is pretty even. Everyone thinks Hawaii is so expensive....try Connecticut!
Mahalo
Elle2013
The DC metro area is also expensive, the largest expense differences between the east coast and the big island I've noticed are the electricity rate is approximately 3 times what we pay, gasoline 50 - 75 cents more per gallon and bakery goods are high - a basic loaf of bread can be $4.
The issue on Hawaii being "expensive" has less to do with how much things costs and more to do with wages are much lower in Hawaii versus NY, SF, LA, Chicago, DC, etc....especially on the BI, Kauai, or Maui
Thank you for this information on insurance. I currently live in the Northeastern U.S. and frankly your costs are not that much different than we experience here. Although I don't have to worry about hurricane insurance, my homeowners for a lower value house is quite expensive so all in all it is pretty even. Everyone thinks Hawaii is so expensive....try Connecticut!
Mahalo
Elle2013
I agree Elle (also thanks to C92653 for starting this thread)
....try Texas!
After 20 years of "testing" the Big Island, we purchased our BI house this year and are now scheduling the movers.
Our Texas insurance is high (partly because the property is waterfront/near the Gulf).
House insurance (windstorm coverage) + Flood + optional Flood coverage. (we've never flooded or it would be MUCH higher). Total about $9,000.
The sales tax is 8.25 % here and there is no state income tax, but Property taxes are high: although I don't know how they compare to Connecticut or other states.
example: $600,000 tax/appraised value is about $10,000/annual taxes (if it's your homestead: otherwise it's more).
Moving will also be more costly:
We must use a 40' container and rail it to the West coast before loading on the ship, plus 2 vehicles and 3 dogs (blood work is done). I don't have cost for the shipping, but will post it after the 2 competing quotes are provided: if you're interested.
Best
Due
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