Moving to Hawaii (Honolulu: sale, apartment, rent)

[scubadude]

I am sure that this question has been asked before, but I am getting different results. I am going to be moving to Oahu, working for a utility company making about 40k a year. My question is can I afford to live there on this salary? I am single and low maintenance. But still is it feasible? Also are the groceries expensive to buy. Where is a nice, quiet area to live that I could possibly afford? Would buying a motorcycle be a good idea? There are a lot of questions to ask. Thank you for your response. Any more info would be great

[esaks]

Is is possible thought financially it may be a little tight. Everything is more expensive here because it costs money to ship things in. Expect to pay around $6 for a gallon of milk without your safeway card. Gas is around $3.25 now but you'll notice it goes up and down every week, sometimes by as much as 10 cents. As far as rent it depends on what area you want to live. I live in a not so nice area, 1bed 1 bath, apartment and I pay $800/month which is the lowest I've seen here for that size. Expect to pay around $1100-1300 for a similar size place in a nicer area. If you're working for HECO are you working at a substation? I suggest you try to find a place close to your workplace as traffic gets bad during rush hour times. A lot of people drive motorcycles and mopeds, the only draw back is weather is very unpredictable here, so even if it looks very sunny it could start raining instantly while you're on the road. It's a different kind of rain though, it doesn't get cold, it gets warm and muggy when it rains. Hope this helps! Aloha!

[scubadude]

Thanks for the info esaks, very helpful. Actually it is for the AES plant. How much is beer in Oahu and what brands are sold

[Jungjohann]

Now there's a reasonable question! About 20 bucks a case for Bud or Coors, 8 dollars a six pack for the good stuff, Anchor or Sierra Nevada. Better yet, brew your own. I can make a very Bud like lager with a bit more hop flavor for about a dollar a six pack!

Aloha and best of luck

[scubadude]

brewing your own sounds like good advice Jungjohann

[survivor4596]

We're considering a move to Hawaii, as well, although we'd be moving from Central Florida. It's interesting that our cost of living here seems to be pretty close to Hawaii. Rent is high (and getting higher) home insurance is outrageous, taxes are killers, gas is anywhere from $2.85 to $3.05 and salaries aren't catching up. We're starting to feel like, if we have to pay this much to live, why not go to Hawaii? We love the water (grew up in it, on it, around it) and my older daughter has visited Honolulu twice and loved it.

Anybody make the move from Florida to Hawaii with any suggestions?

Thanks!

[cynmkolohe]

Originally Posted by scubadude

How much is beer in Oahu and what brands are sold

Can't speak for Oahu, but we are a St Pauli Girl household...we like it when local KTA has it 9.99 for 12pk...but 12.99 is ok. When it goes up to 14.99 or 16.99 (rarely), we pick a local beer to switch it up, then it's back to St Pauli girl when the price is back to normal--usually within a few days of the price increase. I still haven't figured this one out.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by scubadude

How much is beer in Oahu and what brands are sold

Here's the beer on sale at foodland this weekend:

http://www.foodland.com/liquid/in_our_stores/pdfs/oahu/page_o6.pdf (broken link)

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by scubadude

How much is beer in Oahu and what brands are sold

And here's the ad for Times:

Times Supermarkets - Time to Save!

Hank

[Jungjohann]

Ahh, decisions, decisions. Go paddling today, maybe surf 1000 Peaks, or Saint Paulis versus Grolsch Lager, kind of agonizing. Sierra Nevada Summerfest is now at the top of my list, and Kolohe, you should try brewing your own.

Aloha