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I know that every place has its ups and downs, but for the most part it seems as though everyone has been pleased they've taken the plunge and moved to Hawaii.
In my real world experience most voluntary moves to Oahu that are working adults haven't exactly been pleased they made the move once they looked back on it. You have such a small population of people who post on here (and far less who actually post there actual experience good or bad) and you have thousands who move from/to Oahu each year.
In my experience, in the private sector - about 50% move back in the first year (especially when the lease is up). About 90% in total move back at year 2. The remaining typically stick it out.
Reasons vary why they move and they've been detailed in other threads so I'm not going to net it out here, but in my conversations with folks who leave, some (not most) are glad they made they move and can check the box they tried, at least as many move back fairly unhappy and some with serious financial consequences and they can't necessarily move back and pick up where they left off - and other move back, neutral - didn't impact them much.
I think income and cost of living are a big part of the reason why people "don't make it" and head back for the greener pastures of the mainland. That's one reason why I try to stress making enough money and understanding the higher cost of living. Because regardless of if you think you would like a place or not, living paycheck to paycheck just with basic necessities is going to take a toll on you. Going to the beach and relaxing is going to be rough when you're living paycheck to paycheck and have looming car registration and insurance expenses coming up. In paradise or not, living in near poverty conditions is not living.
Faced with dwindling savings, even with a low standard of living, many decide to leave after a year or two. I see it all the time. That's why my rule of thumb for a single individual moving to Hawaii is 60k income per year minimum, preferably job locked down before moving. Married couple requires more money. And kids requires much more money.
I just moved here from Texas...and I even moved where most recommended not to, Waianae, and I adore it here. We found a gem of a place closer to Nanakuli for 1500 and love it. Yes there is traffic, but I get to look at the ocean my whole ride. It truly is a give and take. I was truly surprised to find that gas was about the same as it was in Texas....milk was not $8...and I have yet to experience racism. We sold everything, shipped our cars and took the plunge...only thing i recommend is use Matson to ship your car....food is a bit more but i am learning to eat local....i love it here and plan on retiring here....all the luck to you....there are pros and cons....weed out the extreme and just follow your gut!
Hi Kristen,
Love your post! I too am making the move.. to Big Island in a couple weeks and your story sounds very similar to mine. I've visited the islands well over a dozen times and tried not to visit as a typical tourist during my visits. I'm still searching for that $8 gallon of milk. I did find an $8 loaf of bread in Maui once, but went to a store outside the tourist area and that same loaf was $2 bucks!.
Love your post! I too am making the move.. to Big Island in a couple weeks and your story sounds very similar to mine. I've visited the islands well over a dozen times and tried not to visit as a typical tourist during my visits. I'm still searching for that $8 gallon of milk. I did find an $8 loaf of bread in Maui once, but went to a store outside the tourist area and that same loaf was $2 bucks!.
This was in 2015, but YMMV. The milk prices over the last few years have come down to more reasonable levels.
The persistent myth of $8/gallon milk is based in reality, as over the past few decades there have been shocks to the Hawaii markets, including closure of local dairies, that prompted huge spikes in pricing, as distributors attempted to shift to mainland sources. And any shortages or issues with the mainland dairies is going to push prices up as well. Milk produced here is expensive, shipping it here via refrigerated containers is expensive as well. You live here long enough, you will see $8/gallon again.
I know people who sell cow's milk for $20/gallon, and I know people who sell goat's milk for $40/gallon. And I know Walmart has cow's milk for about $5/gallon.
If the price of milk at your store is too high, shop somewhere else, but don't tell the world that a gallon of milk costs $9 in Hawaii because in most places it doesn't. You can pay more if you WANT to.
I agree totally. One of the big requirements for transplants living successfully long term here in Hawaii is self sufficiency. I don't mean in the rugged outdoors context, but in the satisfaction with being by yourself and with yourself context - being content with being in your own skin and making your own entertainment. Friends will undoubtedly come a go and it's a constant effort to cultivate new acquaintances to replace the ones who've cycled out.
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Originally Posted by rya96797
i dont know what ethnicity you are, but I think you'll be ok on the race front in hawaii. All racism is bad, but I think redneck racism is the worst actually, as they will get in your face about it.
The main issue will be cost of living and relatively low income, as you mentioned.
One thing that isn't mentioned much, but I think other locals would agree is that because there are so many transients in hawaii, whether it be tourists or military, that you may have trouble developing close relationships with people, at least until you're here for a few years or so yourself. If you end up living here in a tourist area like waikiki or work a tourist related job, you'll also notice that you'll meet other people that moved here somewhat recently. And that over time, one by one, the majority of your new friends will head back to the mainland citing cost of living or some other reason.
I too have lived in redneck places (mainly TX), and I definitely would prefer a more tolerant and liberal area. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I currently live in DC, which overall is liberal, but also very expensive like Hawaii. And although DC is liberal, it still has a ton of racial tension between white/black - though likely not as bad as Baltimore. I don't think there's any place in America that's immune to racism, including Hawaii. And as I stated before, I've definitely heard of some tension between the native Hawaiian population and white people. Overall though Hawaii is known for it's tolerance, and open mindedness, much more so than other American places. And I think almost all desirable places to live have very high costs of living unfortunately. There's a reason it's very cheap to live in Mississippi or Alabama.
Just my 2 cents, but isn't it closed minded to assume an area is tolerant because it is liberal? Not my intention to hijack this thread into a political thread, but I have met extremely closed minded and intolerant people as well as open minded and tolerant people on either end of the political spectrum. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck with your decision and hopeful move. Our family is also hoping to make Hawaii a reality one day in the near future. Hawaii is such a beautiful place where politics is meaningless to me and wont see the time for getting overly caught up in it. No matter where you are in the world, if someone happens to be a jerk, wash your hands of them and move on. Many of my best friends and family members have opposing views than I have. Yeah, we will engage in the free exchange of ideas, but matters little to me and matters little to them where they stand on the political spectrum.
Last edited by Nyfinestbxtf; 07-16-2017 at 03:26 AM..
I live about 60 miles west of you in the Shenandoah Valley where it's not out of the norm to see Confederate flags on the flag poles of homes and waving on their trucks. It's an area with many rednecks and is a pretty red voting block. As a matter of fact, most rural places happen to be red yet amazingly liberal folks are able to peacefully and happily live in these places surrounded by not like minded people. What's even crazier is I have met liberal minded rednecks, though they are rare, they exist, just as there are conservative homosexuals. There are probably more conservative homosexuals than there are liberal rednecks. No matter where I have ever been, not once have I ever been asked if I'm conservative or liberal, maybe it is not that important. I suppose if it is important for you to live in a liberal area, just look up how the area precincts voted and make your choice. And just saying here, if being surrounded by people who think like you is very important, how tolerant and open minded do you really think you are? Just saying.
As a ten time visitor to Hawaii (Oahu, Maui & Big Island) I have experienced racism first hand. I can confirm young Hawaiians have a racist problem with non-Hawaiians. Yet I have not experienced racism from older Hawaiians, especially from Aunties. Yes, I played ball with Caucasians, Hawaiians, Samoans and Tongans and in sports, racism is not allowed. My 35 year marriage to a foreign born Asian and my family loving her more than me, a blood relative, means being prejudice is not an option. We have friends from over twenty countries and I speak multiple foreign languages. I learned, like Obama, to compete by out studying most students. I been accused of receiving "affirmative action benefit' when I received an exemption simply because I was a graduating college senior (twice). I grew up in Iowa and have multiple college degrees. Education is the key to compete in today's world. Young Hawaiians must learn to compete by learning to compete in a rapidly changing world. We will be moving to Hawaii for warmer weather.
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Your are spot on!
