Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
According to Sperlings Best Places website, I was able to type a major city/village for each of the six islands to compare to my current location. Using my annual income of $45,000 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, here is how that website ranks the places in Hawaii from most expensive to least expensive to maintain the same level of living.
Why is the Big Island so much more affordable than the other islands?
Housing on the Big Island in comparison to the other islands is a lot cheaper. There is a huge housing glut on the Big Island. Besides housing though - everything else like gas, electricity, and just about everything else is more expensive than Oahu.
Hopefully this info will help people out. I find it interesting. This is also from Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
I ranked a city from each island, and my current location of Eden Prairie, MN, for each category.
COST OF LIVING INDEXES
Overall
194 Honolulu
181 Lihue
176 Wailuku
155 Kaunakakai
150 Lanai City
147 Hilo
127 Eden Prairie, MN
Food
160 Lihue
159 Kaunakakai
159 Lanai City
159 Wailuku
158 Honolulu
156 Hilo
109 Eden Prairie, MN
Housing
345 Honolulu
298 Lihue
282 Wailuku
204 Kaunakakai
188 Lanai City
181 Hilo
175 Eden Prairie, MN
Utilities
160 Honolulu
159 Kaunakakai
159 Lanai City
159 Lihue
159 Wailuku
155 Hilo
97 Eden Prairie, MN
Transportation
130 Hilo
127 Lihue
126 Honolulu
126 Kaunakakai
126 Lanai City
126 Wailuku
110 Eden Prairie, MN
Health
125 Hilo
122 Honolulu
119 Kaunakakai
119 Lanai City
119 Wailuku
118 Lihue
102 Eden Prairie, MN
Misc
122 Kaunakakai
122 Lanai City
122 Wailuku
121 Lihue
120 Hilo
120 Honolulu
114 Eden Prairie, MN
If you buy your produce at the farmers markets or local stands you can save a fortune on food. I split my time between Alaska and Hawaii (soon to be almost exclusively Hawaii) and $40 worth of produce in Alaska goes for about $3-4 in Hawaii. There are growing seasons in Hawaii but there is always SOMETHING that can be harvested year-round. And yes you can grow tomatoes. You might have to do it in a container and give it some rain protection but you can grow them.
There was another poster a while back, he got his entry-level teaching income up to $55k by working during the summer. Just an idea.
Somebody probably already brought this up, but if you get a job offer, make sure that you go to wherever that is and check it out first. All the internet research in the world can't prepare you for a boots-on-the-ground experience. In my case, I was pleasantly surprised on how much I liked it on the Big Island and didn't like it in Oahu. Your mileage may vary, but you won't know until you get here. Your mind will tell you there is no reason to, you can't afford the extra trip, etc. Don't listen to that. Make the trip first.
In my case (coming from Alaska) when I'm at the store in Hawaii I'll look at something and say to myself I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW CHEAP THIS IS! (For some reason, even beer brewed in Alaska is cheaper in Hawaii!!!!!) The only thing that costs more in Hawaii is energy. Across the board everything else is cheaper. Taxes... a different story. Make sure you look at "take home pay" after all the Hawaii taxes! Hawaii sales taxes effect food, services, rent, everything. And I think the Hawaii income tax is the highest in the nation.
If the numbers I previous posted after getting from a different site are accurate, then I think I have narrowed down my choice to one island by default.
Honolulu (Oahu) $68401 52% increase - TOO EXPENSIVE
Lihue (Kauai) $63947 42% increase - TOO EXPENSIVE
Wailuku (Maui) $62321 38% increase - I REALLY WANT TO LIVE THERE BUT TOO EXPENSIVE
Kaunakakai (Molokai) $54650 21% increase - TOO ISOLATED
Lanai City (Lanai) $53095 18% increase - TOO ISOLATED
Hilo (Big Island) $52105 16% increase - THIS IS IT!?
I hear that the two isolated islands are so bad that if a person wants to buy some groceries or other things from the store, they need to take a ferry to a different island. If this is true, I might enjoy those islands for a vacation, but not to live.
If all of this information is true, I might as well change my job application to being interested in jobs only on the Big Island.
I am extremely appreciative for everyone who has posted their insight so far. This is an exciting yet stressful time as I try to see if I can make this dream come true.
I pay $625 in Minnesota for a house share situation and this includes all utilities and also high speed internet and satellite tv. While I understand that the Big Island is the most affordable of the six islands, is this mostly due to housing? I guess what I am asking is, should I really focus on the Big Island exclusively, or if I can get a house share on any island for around $600, does this mean that most islands are really going to have a similar cost of living for my situation?
You can use the data for Hilo unless you plan on living right in Hilo. Hilo isn;t really a city like Eden priarie, its just a geographical town area. For the Big island, you need to compare county to county with a location like Hilo or Waimea being used for local price adjustments. The reason this is so important is the Big Island is over 4,028 square miles. Now compare that to your county which is only 557 square miles so you can understand why Hilo prices means absolutley nothing if living in the N. Kona District.
As for house prices, from my limted viewpoint, $600 on the big island may get you a place but not sure if running water or electricity is avaiulable or if the tarp need replaing each year. On Oahu, $600 will get you a nice old van without wheels that includes a bed and skylight.
Ugh, I didn't want to hear that PacificFlights, but I am glad I know. I was unable to compare Waimea as that town name is used on two different islands. However, Captain Hook is significantly more expensive than Hilo. I know for a fact that I cannot afford to live in an area that the cost of living is $60,000+.
On Craigslist, I see a lot of house share situations that are between $350-$650 on many islands, and many of those are furnished and include utilities.
I am not sure what to think right now. I guess I will still complete the interview and then see if any second interviews are offered.
I really want this to work out and I do not want to be one of those people who returns to the mainland in a year, broke and wishing I had done things differently.
Around Hilo $600 will get you an apt and $800 will get you a house. And yes, Captain Cook is significantly more expensive. You can buy an acre of land in Captain Cook for $200k, you can buy 3 acres in Puna for 15k. Captain Cook is the only area on the west side south of Hawi that I really like.
As for house prices, from my limted viewpoint, $600 on the big island may get you a place but not sure if running water or electricity is avaiulable or if the tarp need replaing each year. On Oahu, $600 will get you a nice old van without wheels that includes a bed and skylight.
Any van as luxurious as to have a skylight would probably be another $100 in HOA fees, unless maybe if the lanai (bumper) has fallen off.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
