My graduation gift to myself! (apartment, renter, how much)

[rhesselb]

I'm graduating college in December, and I really want to get out and experience a different world before I start my "career". I have worked very hard to get my degree and now I just want some time for myself and do what I want to do.
I'm a 24 year old with 2 dogs, and I am seriously considering the possibility of moving to Hawaii.
First off... Good or bad idea? I have nothing holding me back, not strings of any kind so it seems like the perfect opportunity.
I have experience in the service industry so I would hope to get a job bartending or as a waitress.
How are housing situations there? how much does the average renter pay a month? Is it easy to find a place that will accept dogs?
Any help is greatly appreciated!!

[Joliefille]

Congrats on graduating! You've finished the hard part. I can't speak to the jobs situation, but take a look at the threads regarding bringing pets to HI.

The quarratine is an expensive and lengthy process. 90-120 days, minimum. Do you have family that would take the dogs for you? I estimate it costs us around a $1000 total to bring our dog over. That includes the costs to air freight him, as well as the multiple vet visits, blood tests, microchip etc..

Perhaps you should plan a working vacation, sans pets for 6 months or so, to see if you like it here and can find work, before spending all that money to bring your dogs over. Good luck!

[katiem8]

there are plenty of server jobs on oahu. (i have no idea about the other islands, but would imagine there'd be fewer service jobs there like every other type of job) but the jobs here you will get 2 or 3 nights a week. most servers have two jobs. actually, a lot of ppl no matter what industry they are in have two jobs here.

housing is expensive. studios start at $1000 over here. i'm sharing a house & spend $650 for just my room & that's fairly low from what i have seen & heard.

bringing you dogs over is a huge hassle. my dog is coming over soon & i've been here since june. i left her w/ my parents while i got settled & found somewhere permanent to live. (and short-nosed breeds can't fly june-october anyway) i will have spent close to $1000 by the time my dog gets here & my parents paid for a few things too. (probably $1200-$1300 total) also keep in mind that it can be really difficult to find an apartment that will take pets, especially two of them. the suggestion of a working vacation would be best for you dogs if you have somebody that is willing to watch them for an extended period of time.

I graduated from college in May & moved in June & I feel that it was the best decision I have ever made. I am actually going back to school at UH in August to get a teaching certificate to be able to teach here so I have no plans of leaving any time soon.

Good luck!

[hotzcatz]

Congratulations on graduating, it must seem like a new life for you now.

Are the two dogs something really small like a chihuahua or pekineses? You might be able to find an apartment with two tiny dogs. If they are a large breed, then it will be much more difficult.

If you were planning this without the dogs, then it would be fairly easy, mostly because you'd have a lot more options in places to rent. Trying it with the dogs complicates it a lot since many (if not most) landlords don't rent to folks with pets and it is really hard to find a room mate situation where pets are allowed, too. If you are hoping to support yourself on a server's income, then keeping the rent low is hugely important. If you could try it first for several months like Joliefille suggested and Katiem8 did, you might have a much better transition.

[mdand3boys]

Dogs and rentals in Hawaii are also difficult because it is illegal for landlords to charge a pet deposit, therefore they just don't bother to allow pets.