What salary won't threshold won't make you happier in Hawaii. (home, college)

[whtviper1]

Apparently, if you make $122,000 - making more won't make you happier in Hawaii according to Huffington Post.

Hmmm. Can't say I agree with that assessment.

Here Is The Salary At Which Money Won't Make You Any Happier In Each State

[WaikikiBoy]

I was surprised to see such a difference between Oregon & Washington ( two other states I'm familiar with). I'm not surprised by Hawaii's high number given the generally high cost of living.

[winkosmosis]

Try $1,220,000

[whtviper1]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Try $1,220,000

[MauiPartTimer]

Interesting story. As the link in the article noted, there are lots of variables that the index doesn't account for, especially the number of people in the household and debt burden, not mention something like putting kids through college. And of course, lifestyle choices like travel and dining out preferences are going to be a big factor. I also couldn't find (maybe I didn't look closely enough) whether they were referring to gross (before taxes) or net (after taxes) income.

As an example, when my wife and I retire to Maui, I think our index would be far less than $122K, but there are just two of us and we own our home there free and clear and have no other debt and have already sufficiently saved/invested for my son's college. We could work longer and build up a $122K/year retirement, but both place more value in being able to retire in our early 50s while we can still enjoy an active lifestyle while living more modestly.

Bottom line: It's a classic example of "your mileage may vary" when looking at a study that relies on averages.