Hoping to move to Hilo in a year or so: a few questions

[Grassyknoll]

Originally Posted by steiconi

Kaiser has a corporate account, so the airline doesn't charge for changes.
Plus, patient gets frequent flyer miles. But getting on a plane to have a colonoscopy is not fun. You can get a colonoscopy or CT scan in Hilo, but not through Kaiser.

And last I knew, Kaiser was trying to get Hilo side patients drive to Kona to see some specialists, passing transportation costs to the patient.

No, I'm not bitter...

You can get a colonoscopy through Kaiser, they have a clinic in Waimea that performs them.

[terracore]

As far as Portland / Hilo cost of living "real life experiences"... My friend who lives in Portland has spent time on the BI two years in a row. Last year, he said the prices were nearly exactly the same. This year, he said unlike the time before, the gas was much cheaper in Portland, but other prices were all comparable. He probably wasn't taking GET into account, but Portland traffic is 10x worse so it all probably balances out in his head.



A lot of it has to do with how and where you shop. For example, I have to use a specific brand of contact lens solution. It's $18 at Safeway in Hilo. It's $9 at Walmart and Target. It's about $14 at Longs. It's $21 at the Safeway on Maui. I don't know what it costs in Portland (maybe I'll look next time I go). It's $10 (free shipping) on Amazon. This is a product that I can choose what price I want to pay. If Walmart or Target jacks the price up, I'll just buy it on Amazon.



If your normal shopping strategy is just to run down to the closest store, it's probably much more expensive here. If you're smart, use online, and shop the sales, a lot of stuff doesn't cost much more here than it does on the mainland. I've been told that the Hilo Home Depot prices are the same in California, but our GET tax is less than their sales tax, so stuff is actually cheaper here.


Living on the east side of the BI is cheaper than living in Juneau across-the-board (I lived in Juneau for 15 years before moving here). It's not even close. I think you could fit the Juneau Costco into the baking section of the Kona store. Okay that is an exaggeration but not a huge one. But guess how many times I've had to purchase heating fuel in Hawaii: NEVER! Never bought a snow shovel, ice melt, or stared out a window in the afternoon wondering why it's already getting dark either. And the health care on the BI is 1000x better than SE Alaska. It isn't the best but you won't have to fly to Seattle for a stubbed toe.



We buy a LOT of stuff on Amazon. Here's a hint: get their store card and get 5% back on everything purchased that's sold and shipped by Amazon. That completely wipes out the GET, plus a little more. You can get another 15% off by using "subscribe and save" on those items you re-order regularly. Before Amazon started collecting GET we saved another almost-5% by buying from them, it was like (in total) getting 25% off everything we used regularly. Now it's down to 20% using subscribe-and-save and their store card but still smart shopping.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by terracore

Living on the east side of the BI is cheaper than living in Juneau across-the-board (I lived in Juneau for 15 years before moving here)..

Yes, I believe it. My plan is to enjoy both of them upon retirement.

My income will be limited, so some luxuries will have to be forsaken. Such as bottles of Kombucha, for instance, which are definitely more expensive in Hilo.

[Grassyknoll]

Originally Posted by Blind Cleric

Yes, I believe it. My plan is to enjoy both of them upon retirement.

My income will be limited, so some luxuries will have to be forsaken. Such as bottles of Kombucha, for instance, which are definitely more expensive in Hilo.

People are giving away scobees all the time so you could diy your Kombucha. Also I think HI Kombucha has growler/keg type set-ups at stores around the island which might save some $.
I don't drink the stuff so this is just observational info.

[hotzcatz]

Originally Posted by Blind Cleric

Yes, I believe it. My plan is to enjoy both of them upon retirement.

My income will be limited, so some luxuries will have to be forsaken. Such as bottles of Kombucha, for instance, which are definitely more expensive in Hilo.

You pay money for that? It's hard to drink enough of it keep up with it if you make your own.

That's kinda like paying for avocados.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

You pay money for that? It's hard to drink enough of it keep up with it if you make your own.

That's kinda like paying for avocados.

I do, but not so frequently that I've felt compelled to make my own. A couple people I know who have made it gave up on the practice after about a year or so. It's a commitment to maintaining the starter, right? Assuming you're making your own...

Also, the homemade is good, but haven't had any so tasty as commercial IMO.

Avocados, on the other hand, I could eat everyday. Have about 5 different cultivars, including a new Spring fruiting variety. Hopefully they will provide several months of productivity.

[hotzcatz]

friend of mine makes kombucha from ginger and coffee, it's some pretty tasty stuff. Not sure how much effort she puts into making it, not much I'd figure since she's not keen on complicated things.

There's a lot of things that can be made which helps offset costs of living in Hawaii. we don't need that big of a garden since it's productive year round. A small lettuce garden works really well. We have one with lettuce, kale and beets which is pretty much a 'greens' garden. I made a mistake of planting tomatoes in it last spring, though, so now it's infested with tomato plants taking over. The brussel sprouts weren't worth the space to grow them, now that that's gone, that corner will go back to lettuces again. But it's fun to try something different now and then.

[terracore]

We've made kombucha for many years before using free scobys given to us. Kombucha people are very generous and usually won't ask for any type of compensation. But sometimes just arranging to meet somebody, gas, time, etc is tough especially if time is one of the things you have the least amount of. You can get one delivered to your house for about $10. (Not an endorsement of this specific product as I have never tried it, but example only):
https://www.amazon.com/Fermentaholic...language=en_US

[Lapaki]

Originally Posted by 67Cam

I contacted Honsador a few years ago to ask about the cost of their home packages and other info. They sent me a pdf with a lot of good info. I'll post a few screen shots that may be helpful, but keep in mind the info is years old. You could reach out to them to get an updated version.

I especially liked the Not For Sissies part!

Thanks for this!