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Hello, we are a family of 4 looking to relocate to Hawaii the big island in January 2015.
1. We are looking for a house or apartment under $1000 a month 2+ bedrooms if anyone knows any websites to look on. I've been checking craigslist everyday.
2. We also are looking for the best way to ship our stuff, not much maybe a small bed & crib, car & TV. Along with our clothes. If you could please let me know what companies you suggest going through maybe even your experience with the company?
3. Jobs, if anyone happens to know any good website to look at.
I'm a cosmetologist & my husband works maintance on a golf course here. So if anyone knows of any golf courses hiring.
4. I'm looking for numbers for this question. Say we pay 1200 for rent a month, he works part time & I work full time how much do We need to make an hour to be alright?
5. Can you describe your experience moving to hawaii.?
6. How much do you initially need to move to Hawaii.
-shipping
- housing
- I found plane tickets for $470. Factor that in please.
7. Is there any shipping companies that ship your car in a crate with stuff inside?
To be candid, all of your questions have been asked and answered many times before, and the info you are looking for can be found, in great detail, in the archives here. The Search function is your friend.
There are a number of helpful people here who will do our best to answer your questions, but my very best tip to you as a new member is to stop and read the suggestions on how to get the most out of the forum found on the TOS page, and then follow them. In other words, do some homework first, so that you can ask more focused questions as they pertain to your specific situation.
But to get you started, here are some top of mind answers from where I sit:
1. You can't find a place to live until you are actually here and can go see the property in person. Never buy or rent long term without seeing the place first. Plan to rent vacation housing for at least a few weeks to start while you look for something more permanent.
2. See previous threads on less-than-container shipping.
3. Unless you have a profession that is in high demand, don't come without a job already lined up. But Catch 22, you are unlikely to be hired long-distance without a strong professional skillset, or a strong personal relationship. And without a local job, your housing choices will probably be limited.
4. Sorry, this is oversimplified. What's your budget now and where do you live? Unless you live in NYC or San Francisco now you can figure that Hawai'i will be more expensive, and the wages are lower here, making for a double hit on your standard of living. IOW, with jobs like you have now, you probably will not live as well in Hawai'i as you do now.
5. The forum is full of such experiences. Spend some time reading what is already posted.
6. It all depends. What kind of budget can you put together? $50,000? $25,000? The prices for tickets, besides changing frequently, are just a tiny part of the overall cost. And don't forget, you need return tickets or money for same to squirrel away in case it doesn't work out for you in Hawai'i. Sad but true, a large percentage of people who move here stay less than two years. How long can you go without jobs? A year?
7. No, nothing allowed in the vehicle. Again, see previous threads on this.
And the question I have for you, that I'm sure many here would like to know... what makes you think this would be a good move for you? Have you ever visited the Big Island? What's your experience with the state? Why do you think that moving to such an expensive place to live, with kids, without having jobs is a good idea?
I'm not trying to be rude, or harsh, but moving to Hawai'i with kids is not something to take on casually, or without sufficient resources. Do some reading of previous posts here and I think you'll see what I mean.
Hello, we are a family of 4 looking to relocate to Hawaii the big island in January 2015.
1. We are looking for a house or apartment under $1000 a month 2+ bedrooms if anyone knows any websites to look on. I've been checking craigslist everyday.
2. We also are looking for the best way to ship our stuff, not much maybe a small bed & crib, car & TV. Along with our clothes. If you could please let me know what companies you suggest going through maybe even your experience with the company?
3. Jobs, if anyone happens to know any good website to look at.
I'm a cosmetologist & my husband works maintance on a golf course here. So if anyone knows of any golf courses hiring.
4. I'm looking for numbers for this question. Say we pay 1200 for rent a month, he works part time & I work full time how much do We need to make an hour to be alright?
5. Can you describe your experience moving to hawaii.?
6. How much do you initially need to move to Hawaii.
-shipping
- housing
- I found plane tickets for $470. Factor that in please.
7. Is there any shipping companies that ship your car in a crate with stuff inside?
Thank you!!
Bring LOTS of money. You are going to need it.
Shipping beds and a crib will cost more than the items are worth.
The car will cost about $1100 and no, you cannot have any extra items inside the car.
There are very few golf courses on the East side (windward/wet) side of the island.
Housing is much more expensive in the areas with the golf courses (Kona/resort areas) so finding anything to rent for $1000 or less per month will be very difficult.
Sorry to be gloomy, but your situation doesn't seem very promising.
We are moving to the BI in a few weeks. Our matson container is about 9K. I called PODS and they were only slightly cheaper for a much smaller "container".
Hello, we are a family of 4 looking to relocate to Hawaii the big island in January 2015.
1. We are looking for a house or apartment under $1000 a month 2+ bedrooms if anyone knows any websites to look on. I've been checking craigslist everyday.
Good luck on finding that near a golf course. You're pretty much situated in Puna at that amount and there aren't a lot of golf courses in Puna. Can he do yard maintenance instead? Are your clientele folks with lower end incomes? For the jobs you're looking for, you'll have to either increase the amount of rent or have a long commute (which adds up to about the same rent increase if you do the numbers).
Considering how far apart the golf courses are, it might be best to find out where he will be working before finding a place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by destinyleigh
2. We also are looking for the best way to ship our stuff, not much maybe a small bed & crib, car & TV. Along with our clothes. If you could please let me know what companies you suggest going through maybe even your experience with the company?
Get rid of all clothing made out of synthetics, polyester is miserable to wear in Hawaii. Get rid of all winter wear, you won't need it. May as well toss most of the dress up stuff, too, you won't really need it. Now there's a lot less to ship.
Check out freight forwarders for the miscellaneous household goods. There's only three folks who ship cars and the rates are all pretty similar. Matson, Horizon and Pasha. Anyone else is shipping your car with them, although the secondary shipper may have a better rate since they deal with those three more often.
Quote:
Originally Posted by destinyleigh
3. Jobs, if anyone happens to know any good website to look at.
I'm a cosmetologist & my husband works maintance on a golf course here. So if anyone knows of any golf courses hiring.
Jobs are tied in with rents. If he can do yard work instead of golf course maintenance, you'll be able to locate in a less expensive rent area. What does a cosmetologist do? A lot of folks don't wear much make up around here since it's too humid and nobody dresses up much anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by destinyleigh
4. I'm looking for numbers for this question. Say we pay 1200 for rent a month, he works part time & I work full time how much do We need to make an hour to be alright?
I'm not even gonna bother with this one since there are too many variables.
Quote:
Originally Posted by destinyleigh
5. Can you describe your experience moving to hawaii.?
Nope, it was way too long ago to be of any significance anymore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by destinyleigh
6. How much do you initially need to move to Hawaii.
-shipping
- housing
- I found plane tickets for $470. Factor that in please.
Again, there's no way to answer this because of too many variables. Plane ticket prices a year from now will no longer be valid.
Quote:
Originally Posted by destinyleigh
7. Is there any shipping companies that ship your car in a crate with stuff inside?
Nope, not one. None. Nada. Even stuff that is attached to the car may not be there when the car arrives in Hawaii. I had a brand new tire on a custom wheel in a car I shipped to Hawaii. It arrived here with the custom wheel but a ratty old worn out tire. So someone removed the wheel and tire, had the tire changed out and then put the custom rim with the ratty tire on it back in the car. They have that level of access to your car while it's waiting to be shipped.
[quote=hotzcatz;34386728] What does a cosmetologist do? A lot of folks don't wear much make up around here since it's too humid and nobody dresses up much anyway. [quote=hotzcatz;34386728]
3. Jobs, if anyone happens to know any good website to look at.
I'm a cosmetologist & my husband works maintance on a golf course here. So if anyone knows of any golf courses hiring.
Thank you!!
I don't live in Hawaii (yet), but the BLS has listed (for the whole state of Hawaii, not just BI):
Cosmetologists at $14.19/hour
Your husband's work would be between $14.59 and $22/hr.
Based on the data it doesn't really look like living would be comfortable without both working full time. Overall wage increases for all occupations across the state were a dismal 2%. I can guess that energy, housing, and food costs are rising a heck of a lot faster than that.
The questions you asked have been answered. I have a few questions for you. Where are you moving from? Have you ever visited Hawaii and the Big Island before? If you haven't, it may be very different than you are picturing in your mind.
Where you are coming from makes a big difference. You need to compare the general cost of living where you currently live to a possible new location to determine how much more it will cost. If you live in New York City, San Francisco, or some other high cost of living city, then your costs will be similar, otherwise, your costs will be much higher. How much money do you live on now, where you currently live? Are you able to save anything for retirement? Ideally, your retirement savings should start in your 20s. I didn't get serious about retirement savings till age 40, which is very late. Since the cost of living is high in Hawaii, it might be tough to impossible for you to save for retirement while living in Hawaii.
The airline tickets are such a tiny part of the cost compared to the rest of the move and actually living in Hawaii. The airline tickets could be double in price and not make a noticeable difference at all in your first year's expenses.
Do you have any debt now, such as credit card, car loans, education loans, etc. Debt can make surviving in Hawaii much harder, unless you have a lot of money saved. Any money saved for retirement can't be included in your budget, since you will need that money for your retirement.
I plan to visit several times to help reduce the risk of making a bad decision. Each visit will be several weeks long, at different times of the year. Scouting trips cost thousands of dollars. But making a mistake can cost a lot more. If you can't afford to visit several times before moving, you can't afford to move and live there. I don't plan on working in Hawaii, since I am close enough to retirement. I live debt free and live on a fraction of my income.
I think the place to start is determining now much money you make now. How much money you earn do you spend in a year, not including what you put in your retirement account? Compare that to the cost of living in Hawaii with one of the cost comparison web sites. Also take into account that jobs in Hawaii will probably pay 20% less. I've seen IT jobs that pay 50% less than the mainland. Many jobs in Hawaii are part time with zero benefits and low wages. Some people send their children to private schools, since the people find the schools are sub-standard compared to where they came from. The private schools could about $20K per child per year. Sending two kid to private school puts a big dent in even a six figure family income.
The climate can't be beat, but it's not cheap to live in Hawaii. You have to be able and willing to pay the price.
Oh, a cosmetologist is a hair stylist? I don't generally get hair cuts so I'm clueless about these sorts of things. I know there's several in town who will cut hair for about $12, dunno about coloring it, though. But a lot of folks go to get their hair cut on a regular basis. However, a lot of folks run around with hair that hasn't been cut in ages, too, so that would be less folks for your clientele list.
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