Retirement in Hawaii? (Honolulu, Pearl City, Kihei: apartment, rentals, insuring)

[mdand3boys]

Condo fees are so high because pools cost a lot of maintenance money as well as that year around growing season and pest control.

[EricS39]

I know Hawaii has major perks and also major drawbacks .

Benefits are self-explanatory ...Hawaii is paradise

Drawbacks: high cost of groceries, limited supplies, far from other loved ones and caretakers, taxes very high, limited shopping options and hard to travel from Hawaii out of Hawaii without paying a very high price

I would highly recommend retiring on the west coast of the US if you insist on Hawaii accessibility. You can fly there in 4-5 hours when you want, and also drive in lots of microclimates being in California

If California is too high, Hawaii will be no different. If you want a cheaper option live in Riverside, California and travel a lot to Hawaii

Do a rental in Hawaii for 6 months and if you like it after that then consider the move, but don't rush into it without testing it out first.

[WaikikiBoy]

Originally Posted by Geezerrunner

Thank you all for your responses, I must say you have raised some issues I had not thought about.

The HOA fees do seem really high to me, in Canada they would usually be much lower and include snow removal!

Oh yes, the HOA fees in Waikiki include snow removal also. LOL

Your housing $$$ will go a lot further on the Big Island for sure. There is a big transient population in Waikiki with people coming and going. But some building are more resident oriented.

Villa on Eaton Square is a nice building of mostly residents, for example.

[KauaiPono]

You need to focus on the Big Island with the $500K house budget. You could do well there in most towns.

On Oahu you will need to focus on Mililani

On Maui focus on Wailuku

On Kauai focus on Kapaa or Waimea

Good Luck

[KauaiPono]

I forgot, Condo association dues are high due to insurance (general/hurricane/flood), maintenance of grounds, maintenance of buildings (Hawaii weather can be tough on Buildings), Pools, and association management companies.

[Jungjohann]

Originally Posted by WaikikiBoy

Oh yes, the HOA fees in Waikiki include snow removal also. LOL

That sucks! I paid extra for it last year in Kihei..........I guess Maui is just more expensive

[crash1122]

You might need snow removal if you lived on Mauna Kea....

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Other factors to consider: Getting a resident visa.

Seriously, you're getting all cart before the horse if you plan to move to Hawai'i before you find out if you can legally.

[Geezerrunner]

Thanks again for your helpful responses.

[hotzcatz]

You may want to consider the Big Island. If you can sell your place for $500K and replace it with a home for $300K (which is possible on the Big Island) that would then leave you $200K to invest in something else to create more income. It might be worth a trip over to visit and see which areas you like. There's several locations which have lots of restaurants as well as other things to do. There are also a lot of friendly social groups on this island since there isn't such the demand to gather income to pay the rent that the more expensive islands have.