Oahu vs Maui (Aiea: apartment, house, find a job)

[BirdInCageBitLock]

Employment options seem to be much more so on Oahu, however, I have mainly come and visited Maui and LOVED it there. How different would it be for me? I currently live in the Phoenix metro area and leaving for the following reasons:

WEATHER!!
PEOPLE ARE RUDE!!
Lost my job and time to start over. Is there a portion of the island that "feels" laid back like Maui, but also you can have a chance to both find a job and a roommate in a fairly decent area?

Thanks and Mahalo.

[BirdInCageBitLock]

No one has any thoughts about this?

[MrSaturdayNight]

Well im sure you will get the same response from others but the general consense seems to be that jobs are pretty hard to come by these days in hawaii. Yes your chances would most likely be better in Oahu compared to Maui but still hard nonetheless. What kind of work were you looking to find? I myself have never been the Maui so I guess I cant compared but I live in Oahu and personally I like it here. Yes the congestion and traffic is overwhelming here but I like the fact that I can enjoy being on a tropical island while still being close to a city life. People here in Oahu seems to be generally nice...ive had nothing be positive experiences so far and no negative expereinces yet with the people here. I would think it may be best to visit here first if you are serious about moving so at least you can check out the different parts of the island and see where you may like to live and such.

[hotzcatz]

Well, the Phoenix area doesn't get that cold in winter does it? Will the weather be that much different?

Jobs are going to be hard to find on Oahu, harder to find on Maui, really difficult to find on the Big Island and impossible to find on Molokai. Molokai has an unemployment rate of somewhere around 37% is what I've heard. Most of our economy is tourist driven and there aren't very may tourists. Even the jobs that don't deal directly with the tourist usually cater to the folks who deal with tourists so everyone is affected.

Now, if you can bring a job from the mainland that you can do online that would be best. Then you get mainland wages, too.

[Calico Salsa]

Hi there,
Didn't answer because I live on Maui and can't compare to what I don't know about Oahu.

But in general, there are more choices on Oahu because there are more people, more businesses, more shops, etc.

Therefore your chance of finding a job (you didn't tell us what kind) or an apartment, are likely higher on Oahu. Even if you can find the same price for the same type of apartment on both islands, you will probably have more of them to choose from on Oahu.

I think there is more public transportation on Oahu too. We have our very wonderful Maui bus, but the ones on Oahu seem to run more frequently to the hotspots, and that would mean you could more easily commute.

The population density of Oahu that offers you more choices probably also means you have to drive further between job & home if you want a quieter, more laid back place to live. So then if you are OK with commuting, no problem.

[from nv]

BirdInCageBitLock --

I live in Glendale...lived on Oahu back in 2004 for a year, and then we got transferred (employment) to the Phoenix area. Since then we moved to Las Vegas, and are now back in Glendale, for just 2 1/2 months and are wanting DESPARATELY to return to Hawaii! LOL People just dont understand just how downright hot it is here!!

We were looking at Maui, but after looking into things, it looks like Oahu is better regarding employment opportunities. So we're Oahu bound (again). We paid about $1500 (back in 2004) for a VERY small 730 sq ft apartment on the 17th story of a 34 story building located in Aiea, which is just across from Pearl Harbor. Dont set your expectations too high, and you should do fine living there. We never got homesick for the mainland as most people do.

Aiea sorta reminds me of Glendale in comparison to Phoenix...large enough not to feel cramped, but definitely laid back. Public transportation, mainland eateries (Chilis, Dennys, McD's, California Pizza Kitchen), malls, HomeDepot, Target, WalMart, KMart; Kapolei/Mililani are sorta equal in comparison to Scottsdale ($$).

Not sure of what kind of work you're looking for...maybe check out CareerBuilder or Craigslist for starters. If you're looking for an admin position, they definitely pay more on Oahu compared to Phoenix, that's for sure!

There's a book you can get at Barnes & Noble or Borders...So You Want To Live in Hawaii by Toni Polancy ($19.99)...be sure to find the 2nd edition if you can. The 1st edition came out back in like 2003...the 2nd one is identical to the first, but has some updated info. It gives you the pros and cons and everything you need to know about housing & cost of living to the culture etc. for ALL of the islands, not just Oahu.

Hope this helps.. Let me know what you decide!
Good Luck!

[HonuMan]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Well, the Phoenix area doesn't get that cold in winter does it? Will the weather be that much different?

Phoenix is much hotter during the summer than any place in Hawaii -- most days over 90 degrees, many over 100, and some topping 110. To those who say, "But it's a dry heat," I respond, "So is the inside of an oven."

[BirdInCageBitLock]

Originally Posted by HonuMan

Phoenix is much hotter during the summer than any place in Hawaii -- most days over 90 degrees, many over 100, and some topping 110. To those who say, "But it's a dry heat," I respond, "So is the inside of an oven."

Also, it lasts half the year!

[4Phoenix]

We lived in north Phoenix and easily saw the thermometer topping out above 110 in the summer month. I have to agree with the 'oven'-compare, from March to October. Then came momsun with turning streets into floodchannels and thunder that made our house shake, and then come about 3 very cold month of winter nights. We left after 2 1/2 years toward Portland, Or. Now we have 8 month of rain and cold night too. After doing this for 3 years now we will......yesssss we will move to Hawai. Period. Thanks for the book recommendations!

[aqua0]

Just look at the jobs section in Maui News...

Or put your resume in an employment agency here...

Good luck!