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Aloha. Sorry, I just found out you can post to the general Hawaii forums.
I always hear that HI is super expensive. But there are Walmarts everywhere now. Why don't people shop at Walmart? There is no price difference in HI for Walmart, so I don't get it?
Generally prices at mainland chain stores are higher here in Hawaii than they are at the mainland stores. Same with the restaurant chains, too.
Most Hawaii jobs are service jobs and pay less than their mainland counterparts since there's a lot of folks that will work for less just to be in Hawaii. Or folks who need the second or third job to make ends meet.
So figure you'll make 20% - 30% less in wages and pay 20% - 30% more for all goods and then add a 4% tax on EVERYTHING and it all adds up to not having much left out of a paycheck at the end of the month.
Many folks in Hawaii offset the high rent by living in smaller spaces, having multiple people living and paying the rent in the same house or being homeless when that doesn't work out. Once you get your house paid for, things ease up a lot and if you can get food from the yard with either a garden or fruit trees, that helps too.
Aloha. Sorry, I just found out you can post to the general Hawaii forums.
I always hear that HI is super expensive. But there are Walmarts everywhere now. Why don't people shop at Walmart? There is no price difference in HI for Walmart, so I don't get it?
Mahalo!
People do shop there, but...
Not to sound too snide here, you can not live in a Wal-Mart.
Nor do our Wal-Mart stores here (on the Big Island) come close to comparing to the ones on the mainland.
The grocery section is a joke, and it's a common occurrence for most sundry items to be out of stock with no expectation on when they will be shipped over.
To give you an idea - my home town Wal-Mart in Kentucky where I grew up was large enough that you could fit the Hilo Wal-Mart inside of it twice over, with enough room left over for a few tennis courts.
High rent and low paying jobs. That's what makes Hawai'i expensive.
If you find a way to combat one or both of those, you have a foot above most.
Live small and bring your own money... that's some good advice for the average Joe.
Generally prices at mainland chain stores are higher here in Hawaii than they are at the mainland stores. Same with the restaurant chains, too.
Most Hawaii jobs are service jobs and pay less than their mainland counterparts since there's a lot of folks that will work for less just to be in Hawaii. Or folks who need the second or third job to make ends meet.
So figure you'll make 20% - 30% less in wages and pay 20% - 30% more for all goods and then add a 4% tax on EVERYTHING and it all adds up to not having much left out of a paycheck at the end of the month.
Many folks in Hawaii offset the high rent by living in smaller spaces, having multiple people living and paying the rent in the same house or being homeless when that doesn't work out. Once you get your house paid for, things ease up a lot and if you can get food from the yard with either a garden or fruit trees, that helps too.
Walmart has the same prices in HI than in any other state if you shop online, with free 2 day shipping (which can really take 4 days in HI). And if you shop in their stores, they price match anything that is on their website or any other store.
Curious. Several times now I have heard that they pay less in Hawaii. Do they have a special federal exemption in Hawaii? Like Saipan?
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