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Old 04-19-2010, 10:52 AM
 
Location: Las Vegas, NV
3 posts, read 9,667 times
Reputation: 12

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I grew up in Miami, Fl and lived there for 30 years and lived in Honolulu for almost 6 years. Both are great, and completely different from each other. Weather - FL hot and humid almost always. Hawaii weather, to me, is perfect year round. Both have bugs, big bugs, but the ones in Hawaii are not scared of you! LOL, I freaked out the first time a cockroach actually perced up at me! I hate bugs! First time I went to the grocery store and saw a gallon of milk for $7.00, I said we're off dairy! Then I found DAIEA, it's called somthing else now, everyone in Honolulu knows it, just ask. It's a local grocery store and prices are pretty good compared to Safeway. Rent is very expensive, but you can find small spaces that you can afford, just keep looking, don't take the first place you find. Bring a tent just in case, LOL! Honolulu traffic is ungodly during rush hour, but relax and you cannot be in a hurry. There's pretty much only a couple of different routes to take to get to anywhere in Hawaii. It is a beautiful place and the people are great. Be yourself, be nice and take it easy! Be patient and relax, almost everything is very casual. The only thing I didn't like about Hawaii is because it is so far away, if you need to leave quickly to get back to the east coast it will take at least 24 hours. I could live either place as I love the ocean, right now I'm drying out and cracking here in the desert!! Good luck and enjoy the experience of seeing for yourself which one you prefer.
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Old 04-19-2010, 02:30 PM
 
1,489 posts, read 3,586,088 times
Reputation: 711
I actually have the choice to move either place.

When I was a kid, I LOVED Florida. Always wanted to live there. I've been there a lot over the recent years because I have family there.

However...after 4-5 years of visiting both Florida and Hawaii and lots of research...

We ended up liking Hawaii much more than Florida. Living in Seattle, we like the hills and mountains, Hawaii has that. The humidity is less oppressive in the Islands than in the Florida summers. True, the cost of living is more expensive in Hawaii. The east coast of Florida seemed...well, old, and a bit tired. There seems to be more of a sense of community in Hawaii, whereas Florida is primarily transplants and people tend to consider themselves more "from where they came" than Floridians. It's also a lot more crowded and a faster lifestyle in Florida.

These are, of course, generalizations. We are fortunate to bring our jobs with us, so employment is not a factor in the decision. I think we chose wisely.
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Old 04-19-2010, 05:12 PM
 
Location: Pittsford, NY
233 posts, read 682,942 times
Reputation: 151
Is the Hawaii income tax really 10%? I've checked another site that says it's 8.25%. Yes both numbers are high, but I was looking for an exact figure for the highest income bracket.
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Old 04-19-2010, 10:00 PM
 
682 posts, read 2,785,163 times
Reputation: 517
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aorre View Post
Is the Hawaii income tax really 10%? I've checked another site that says it's 8.25%. Yes both numbers are high, but I was looking for an exact figure for the highest income bracket.
I don't think it's as simple as a flat tax rate for income.

I just looked at my recent paycheck, and it was just a smidge over 6% for me, but it's actually probably a little higher than that because I have some pre-tax withholdings (health insurance and such are note taxed). And also, I am currently WAY overwithheld. I have a huge refund due to me from the state of Hawaii, should our lovely governor ever decide to pay up. I need to get around to reducing my withholding so this doesn't happen again next year.

So, I suspect both of those numbers are way too high for income tax. But I also think it would be near impossible to give you single number that says "income tax is x%".
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Old 04-19-2010, 10:16 PM
 
Location: Honolulu, HI
119 posts, read 375,396 times
Reputation: 50
I'm in Miami and dreading to move to Honolulu. I like Honolulu but I love love love Miami. Our standard of living will be lower in Hawaii, we have to downsize our condo and pay more! Haven't thought so much about other expenses but for sure will be more as well. According to salary calculator it's about 30% more expensive.

I'm not fond of the whole FL, just Miami and some other big cities in the south. Not so much into beaches or outdoor, but enjoy the warm weather. Haven't encountered critter problems as long as I live here, except for the worms by the pooldeck after rain and some fruit flies in the apartment. I might have seen some baby centipedes at the lobby and neighbors who live in lower levels reported mosquitos, but that's it. Most likely because we live in a brand new building which we can no longer afford in Hawaii.

If I had a choice I'd stay in FL but it's not an option since job is sending us there.
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Old 04-20-2010, 02:47 AM
 
Location: Macao
16,284 posts, read 42,954,513 times
Reputation: 10231
Quote:
Originally Posted by lryan106 View Post
I grew up in Miami, Fl and lived there for 30 years and lived in Honolulu for almost 6 years. Both are great, and completely different from each other. Weather - FL hot and humid almost always. Hawaii weather, to me, is perfect year round. Both have bugs, big bugs, but the ones in Hawaii are not scared of you! LOL, I freaked out the first time a cockroach actually perced up at me! I hate bugs! First time I went to the grocery store and saw a gallon of milk for $7.00, I said we're off dairy! Then I found DAIEA, it's called somthing else now, everyone in Honolulu knows it, just ask. It's a local grocery store and prices are pretty good compared to Safeway. Rent is very expensive, but you can find small spaces that you can afford, just keep looking, don't take the first place you find. Bring a tent just in case, LOL! Honolulu traffic is ungodly during rush hour, but relax and you cannot be in a hurry. There's pretty much only a couple of different routes to take to get to anywhere in Hawaii. It is a beautiful place and the people are great. Be yourself, be nice and take it easy! Be patient and relax, almost everything is very casual. The only thing I didn't like about Hawaii is because it is so far away, if you need to leave quickly to get back to the east coast it will take at least 24 hours. I could live either place as I love the ocean, right now I'm drying out and cracking here in the desert!! Good luck and enjoy the experience of seeing for yourself which one you prefer.
This is pretty interesting as I love and am very interested specifically in Honolulu and Miami.

I'm curious of your experience with cost of living between the two. From my research, they BOTH seem to have high costs. I think South FLorida is certainly easier if the goal is to be a home-owner - although it isn't exactly cheap there either though.

But renting...they seem kind of similar...did you observe a similar experience? So I have a feeling that if rents aren't too different...than the fact Honolulu requires significantly less gas, might make renting in HNL slightly better off than MIA? Or wouldn't you make a case for that? Are there other factors I'm overlooking here?
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Old 04-20-2010, 09:56 PM
 
41 posts, read 112,825 times
Reputation: 26
Although my forum name implies that I'm moving to South Florida, that is far from certain. I just chose that name when I was asking questions to the Miami forum.

I've lived on Oahu for 10 years now and worked in Honolulu for all that time. I lived on the North Shore for 4 years and commuted to town, but otherwise have lived in Honolulu.

Before Hawaii, I lived in Miami from 1992-2000. I'm considering moving back because of a job offer from UM. Also considering because my wife's parents are in Florida and houses are cheaper, although the higher property taxes and wind insurance almost makes it a wash.

Beyond those reasons, I have almost zero desire to move back to Miami. I'm a surfer, so its obvious I would prefer Hawaii. But I also love the mountains, either hiking or mountain biking. The weather in Hawaii is much better, with much less humidity in summer and warmer in winter. Also much less threat of a hurricane here. I went through Andrew two weeks after moving to Miami and it sucked.

People in Hawaii are nicer, generally speaking. I like the family values here compared to the glitz and glam of Miami. I have two young daughters and the idea of raising them in Miami scares the hell out of me. If your into nightlife, then Honolulu will boring pretty quick compared to Miami.

For me the worst part of living in Hawaii is the distance. Now that I have kids, it's tough for them to only get to see their grandparents once or twice a year.

The more I think about it, the more I think I'm staying!


*********
8.25% is the highest marginal tax bracket I think. Doesn't mean you pay 8.25% in tax. You start with your federal AGI and have state deductions and exemptions. If your AGI is still over $96000, you pay $6427 + 8.25% of any amount over $96000. This year our married AGI was about $120K and we paid about $7.5K in Hawaii income tax.
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Old 04-21-2010, 12:28 AM
 
1,530 posts, read 3,776,525 times
Reputation: 746
Gotta be no comparison. Fla., S. Fla in particular is going ghetto. Except of course in the high priced, high class areas and islands.

Hawaii is inaccessable enough that it can't really go ghetto. Can't drive there or take a buss from Places like Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, etc.

My best guess, if you can afford it is that Hawaii is the better place.
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Old 04-21-2010, 08:34 AM
 
1,210 posts, read 2,606,646 times
Reputation: 1198
Quote:
Originally Posted by JMadison View Post
Gotta be no comparison. Fla., S. Fla in particular is going ghetto. Except of course in the high priced, high class areas and islands.

Hawaii is inaccessable enough that it can't really go ghetto. Can't drive there or take a buss from Places like Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago, etc.

My best guess, if you can afford it is that Hawaii is the better place.
Both have their own special "ghettoness" about them. I have never seen so much garbage left on the side of the road than when I lived in Honolulu. Also, there are tent cities at almost every major beach park where homeless live because they are mentally ill, addicted to drugs, can't afford the rent or just don't want to deal with the daily grind. HPD will clean them out one day and they just move down the road to someplace else. Not saying I have a solution to the problem, just reporting what I saw. Overall I felt safer in Honolulu than I have in Miami though... so I will agree on that.

Overall I agree, no comparison. The places are completely different.

The girls are way hotter in south florida, the night life is way better in south florida, it was MUCH cheaper in south florida.

However, Hawaii beaches are much nicer, the vibe is more mellow, and the scenery is tremendous.

Weather in Hawaii is probably a little better. Both are far too hot in the summer to do anything but the beach during the daytime (my opinion) and the sun is absolutely brutal in Hawaii from about May - October. Stay in the shade in HI and your OK, in Fla you can't really hide from the humidity. If you wanted a more accurate comparison closer to the east coast I would suggest Puerto Rico, Miami and Honolulu really have little in common aside from being warm year round.
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Old 04-21-2010, 03:32 PM
 
41 posts, read 112,825 times
Reputation: 26
Quote:
Originally Posted by UHgrad View Post
The girls are way hotter in south florida
Dont' know if I agree with that! I think it depends on if you prefer Asians/Polynesians or Latinas! BOTH places have a LOT of hot women. I was in Chicago and Michigan last week for work and noticed a big step down from both areas I'd called home for the last 20 years. Of course, I'm married with kids so it's all just eye candy to me!
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