Do you sometimes think of moving out of Chicago? (Phoenix: job transfer, to live in)

[TBideon]

As to the topic, I probably will have to move back to Cleveland in the next five or ten years to take care of my folks. They refuse to move to a warmer climate and senior living homes/in house care isn't a financial reality. And since I don't have a wife, kids or a "real" Job here, whereas my sisters have real lives, then .... well, that'll be that for Chicago, at least for a lengthy time period.

Whoopie doo.

[IEnjoyBeer]

Originally Posted by Drover

I wouldn't even consider living in Honolulu on less than a six-digit salary. Throw some kids into the mix and just cracking six digits probably wouldn't be enough. If you want the year-round weather and the outdoor recreational opportunities, SoCal is a cheaper option than Honolulu ("cheaper" of course being relative). Plus you aren't stuck out in the middle of the ocean.

My rent would be around $300. My brother lives there, and ive been there three times since 2000.

I know what Hawaii offers, and nobody really goes to Hawaii for Honolulu.

Its for the weather and nature, of which are two strikes for Chicago.

On the other hand, city wise, I really dont need to pick apart who wins that one.

Which is why its such a tough choice. Theres no in between with them.

I want the nature and weather, but I want the sports, nightlife and food too. A coin might have to decide this one.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by IEnjoyBeer

My rent would be around $300. My brother lives there, and ive been there three times since 2000.

I know what Hawaii offers, and nobody really goes to Hawaii for Honolulu.

Its for the weather and nature, of which are two strikes for Chicago.

On the other hand, city wise, I really dont need to pick apart who wins that one.

Which is why its such a tough choice. Theres no in between with them.

I want the nature and weather, but I want the sports, nightlife and food too. A coin might have to decide this one.

If you're pretty young, and you already have a potential (cheap) living arrangement already set up, then I guess there's nothing wrong with giving Hawaii a try for a while.

One thing to reconsider, though: the expense of getting back to the mainland, and upstate NY for family visits. You're going to have to be VERY happy with Hawaii.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Drover

I wouldn't even consider living in Honolulu on less than a six-digit salary. Throw some kids into the mix and just cracking six digits probably wouldn't be enough. If you want the year-round weather and the outdoor recreational opportunities, SoCal is a cheaper option than Honolulu ("cheaper" of course being relative). Plus you aren't stuck out in the middle of the ocean.

There are some ways for "normal folks" to afford life in Hawaii. The parents of Bethany Hamiliton, the young surfer that overcame loss of her arm in a shark attack, had parents that were retired military. There are special tax rates for folks that live in "regular homes" inland and a variety of other such accomodations. That said it is not a luxurious existence -- pretty common for for teachers and others with pretty solid jobs to be forced to share mobile homes and such. The beaches are free, lots of gorgeous parks, it is quite reasonable to accept some of the trade offs...

[IEnjoyBeer]

Originally Posted by MassVt

If you're pretty young, and you already have a potential (cheap) living arrangement already set up, then I guess there's nothing wrong with giving Hawaii a try for a while.

One thing to reconsider, though: the expense of getting back to the mainland, and upstate NY for family visits. You're going to have to be VERY happy with Hawaii.

Not many people get the chance to either.


Mainland expenses, meh. Im more concerned with the West Coast. Seattle, LA, SF, etc.


Family visits would come to us. My other sibling lives in Seoul. No way in hell we are going to Upstate for Xmas or other family events. Middle ground is Honolulu.

My brother has rarely come back to NY in the 12+ years hes been on the islands.

[Chicagoist123]

Originally Posted by IEnjoyBeer

Not many people get the chance to either.


Mainland expenses, meh. Im more concerned with the West Coast. Seattle, LA, SF, etc.


Family visits would come to us. My other sibling lives in Seoul. No way in hell we are going to Upstate for Xmas or other family events. Middle ground is Honolulu.

My brother has rarely come back to NY in the 12+ years hes been on the islands.

Of course to each their own. Hawaii for me is just too isolated. I remember looking out to the ocean when I was there and thinking there was nothing but water for thousands of miles all around. Kind of freaky.
When I went to visit, my friend was livin there. While he loved it he said he kept getting island fever. A quick get away from Hawaii reall doesn't exist.

[IEnjoyBeer]

Its not long term.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by MassVt

One thing to reconsider, though: the expense of getting back to the mainland, and upstate NY for family visits.

How often does one visit family when they don't live nearby? Once a year? Twice a year? You're looking at maybe a couple thousand bucks, compared to maybe half that if you lived several hundred miles from them within the Continental U.S. This isn't much of a factor in the overall financial picture unless you're making extremely low pay.

[Drover]

A couple thousand here and there really starts to add up. As plenty of people who have tried to make a life in Hawaii can tell you.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I'm going to be honest. Honolulu is overrated as a city. Not bad, but overrated.

First of all, it's not nearly as big as you might think for a city..under 400,000 for the city and about 950,000 people on Oahu total. There is public transit, but it's not that great at all (they'd be smart to build an elevated line or subway if they could do it) and the traffic actually sucks. You'd have to get used to driving differently too - much more aggressive than most of the mainland drives. I eventually adjusted, but I had no idea when I first drove on the freeway there and how aggressive people can be. It's definitely more in line with driving in Asia and you have to cut people off if you want to get over lanes. Nobody is going to just let you go.

I had the opposite experience in Honolulu. I felt like people really obeyed the speed limits on the highways (unlike the mainland where if you're obeying speed limits on highways, you'll have a lot of angry people at you who are trying to go 10-15 over the speed limit).

I also felt like people in Hawaii would slow down excessively too much, to let me in the highways.

Interesting how different people experience places differently though.