In pricey Hawaii, some prices have remained unchanged for the last 30 years

[KauaiHiker]

I know it stared out as cheaper than 30years ago, but I'm just going to go with cheap in general and/or in relation to the mainland.

Still got plenty of wild fruit tree along the roads (not people's yards) that have some good food. And if you ask in the neighborhoods, you can often pick off of trees.

Farmers markets aren't cheap, but high quality food (traditional ag or organic) for a good price, plus locally grown with money going straight to locals. Actually, some things are incredibly cheap at fm, especially in season. You can get limes, oranges, grapefruit many for a dollar when high season, juice and freeze. Actually, with a chest freezer you can stock up on free and cheap fruit (bananas, papaya, pineapple) and make smoothies for pennies. Did you know that frozen fruit in a champion juicer (macerating kind) makes soft-serve sorbet? Tropical flower bouquets are usually under $10.

Simlarly, once you go to know local merchants and small businesses, they give you some good deals. A bag of bones for dogs from the butcher for $8? Yes please.

Agree that beaches and hiking trails provide endless near-free entertainment outdoors.

About access at big hotels, you're looking at it backwards: all shoreline is public and that is meaningless without public access as well, so it's a requirement to provide puclic paths every 1600 or 1800 feet (can't remember the law exactly). But developers always negociate the minimum and then don't even provide public parking (or just 6-8 stalls)--so they are not giving anything, they are taking away.

The high business tax is really just a way to extract more money from the military and tourists, the 2 major sources of outside income. Those industries drive the local businesses and pass on the costs.

Totally agree that 10% Kona is a travesty.

[Ian_Lee]

Actually home price -- the home that you will stay for the next couple hundred years after passing way -- also remains unchanged for the past 30 years.

In late '80s, I checked the price of the burial plots at the Valley of Temples in Kaneohe. By that time it ranged between 3,000-7,000. I just checked the price and it is still within that range.

[rhbj03]

Costco's hotdog is a text book "loss leader" -- to lure shoppers to the store, where they will spend hundreds. Hence the company has promised to never raised the hotdog price (either that or have no plan to raise it).

That is not to deny Costco hotdog is a good deal. I love it myself!! Enjoy it!