Pondering a move from San Diego to Oahu (Honolulu, Kailua: apartment, to rent)
OahuIncludes Honolulu
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Aloha. I am beginning to think about moving to Oahu from San Diego, more specifically Ocean Beach. One of the things I love about living in OB is that I get to enjoy a small town feel just minutes from the city and downtown. I love to surf and enjoy pretty much anything you can do involving recreation on land and water, which is why I think Oahu would be the only place that could top where I live! I have a few specific questions - I have read several threads on here already and will try not to ask any questions that are asked ad nauseum:
1. What is the job outlook like for the finance industry? Or, are there jobs outside of finance available for numbers/analyst guys like myself? I currently investigate fraud on the exchanges, but have experience in several other backgrounds. I'd like to stay in the finance sector, but I would obviously settle for something in the business end of anything if the job was worth it and seemed like something I'd enjoy.
2. My girlfriend is a massage therapist and going to school for nutrition. Although her employment is secondary to mine, are there plenty of jobs for CMTs in Oahu due to the massive tourist industry, or is the market pretty flooded? I won't bother asking about nutrition jobs as it is quite niche just about anywhere.
3. I'd optimally like to rent in the ~$1700-$2200 range for the first year or so before choosing a home and neighborhood to call permanent. It seems ridiculous to figure out where you'd want to buy without spending at least a year on there. What kind of apartment/condo/home could I find for this price? I live in a small beach cottage here in OB that is old but has been taken care of. I'm used to going without amenities such as a dishwasher, disposal, washer/dryer, etc. I do care about overall cleanliness, aesthetics, and character of the property, but don't want cookie cutter. I also know I would like to stick to the windward/East side of the island. I didn't get to spend much time there, but from first impressions and poking around Google Earth, I think this side of the island would be the better fit.
Also, by the time I get around to buying, it would most likely be anywhere from $600k to $950k. I'd have no quarrels with spending on either end of the spectrum as long as the home is nice. I value the home itself and location over property size. ~Near the water would be nice, but not essential.
4. Can you realistically get away with no A/C? I don't have A/C here in OB, but we do get a great ocean breeze that keeps us nice and cool at night.
5. What's the live music scene like there? I know most bands don't make the trek out to the islands to play shows, but I'm interested to know what is popular there and what isn't (beyond pop music).
6. Is there any decent Mexican food?! I'm a seafood lover first and foremost, but I love love love Mexican food as well.
7. Finally, can you get around well on a bicycle? I enjoy biking places as much as possible so as to not deal with traffic and wasting gas. How friendly are the roads for cyclists? Are there many bike paths?
Aloha. I am beginning to think about moving to Oahu from San Diego, more specifically Ocean Beach. One of the things I love about living in OB is that I get to enjoy a small town feel just minutes from the city and downtown. I love to surf and enjoy pretty much anything you can do involving recreation on land and water, which is why I think Oahu would be the only place that could top where I live! I have a few specific questions - I have read several threads on here already and will try not to ask any questions that are asked ad nauseum:
1. What is the job outlook like for the finance industry? Or, are there jobs outside of finance available for numbers/analyst guys like myself? I currently investigate fraud on the exchanges, but have experience in several other backgrounds. I'd like to stay in the finance sector, but I would obviously settle for something in the business end of anything if the job was worth it and seemed like something I'd enjoy. I'm not in finance, but the major finance center for Hawaii is downtown Honolulu, given the height of those bank high rises, I'd say there must be plenty of jobs. Check out Bank of Hawaii website and careerbuilder for potential jobs. Your biggest challange is getting hired as a newcomer.
2. My girlfriend is a massage therapist and going to school for nutrition. Although her employment is secondary to mine, are there plenty of jobs for CMTs in Oahu due to the massive tourist industry, or is the market pretty flooded? I won't bother asking about nutrition jobs as it is quite niche just about anywhere. Don't know this one either - I would think this is a pretty common job.
3. I'd optimally like to rent in the ~$1700-$2200 range for the first year or so before choosing a home and neighborhood to call permanent. It seems ridiculous to figure out where you'd want to buy without spending at least a year on there. What kind of apartment/condo/home could I find for this price? I live in a small beach cottage here in OB that is old but has been taken care of. I'm used to going without amenities such as a dishwasher, disposal, washer/dryer, etc. I do care about overall cleanliness, aesthetics, and character of the property, but don't want cookie cutter. I also know I would like to stick to the windward/East side of the island. I didn't get to spend much time there, but from first impressions and poking around Google Earth, I think this side of the island would be the better fit. On the east side, the upper end of that budget should get you a small 2 bedroom in a condo - it will have all the amenities.
Also, by the time I get around to buying, it would most likely be anywhere from $600k to $950k. I'd have no quarrels with spending on either end of the spectrum as long as the home is nice. I value the home itself and location over property size. ~Near the water would be nice, but not essential. If you want a nice home on the east side or windward - you'll need to be in the $800K + range
4. Can you realistically get away with no A/C? I don't have A/C here in OB, but we do get a great ocean breeze that keeps us nice and cool at night. I don't know how people do it in Oahu - I live on the windward side and by midday it is broiling inside the house with all the windows open, and I live on a breezy hill. I use AC if home daytime and evening - and have a timer to turn it off in the middle of the night.
5. What's the live music scene like there? I know most bands don't make the trek out to the islands to play shows, but I'm interested to know what is popular there and what isn't (beyond pop music). Plenty of live music, although you'll need to treck to the Waikiki or Ala Moana area to see them. A lot of the big bands make it here - I've seen Aerosmith, Elton John, U2, and Journey next month....lots of local bands.
6. Is there any decent Mexican food?! I'm a seafood lover first and foremost, but I love love love Mexican food as well. NOOOOO....I've yet to find anything even somewhat decent compared to the mainland.
7. Finally, can you get around well on a bicycle? I enjoy biking places as much as possible so as to not deal with traffic and wasting gas. How friendly are the roads for cyclists? Are there many bike paths? Another big no - not a bike friendly state - in Honolulu the roads are narrow and not well suited for bikes. It is a little better on the east side (Hawaii Kai) and away from Honolulu.
As someone who has spent a lot of time in Pacific Beach and lived on Oahu for most of my 20's... I wouldn't do it unless surfing is your number one priority in life. There are a lot of similarities between the two places but Oahu costs more and pays less plus you are isolated in the middle of the ocean. I think the positives of Oahu are that beaches are nicer, the weather is more beach friendly (warmer air and water), it is physically beautiful (so is SD) and the culture is distinct and unique. As far as live music goes, there are bands playing all the time but it is reserved to mostly Hawaiian music (which is cool) or Jahwaiian music (a sort of mix of Reggae, Hawaiian, and old pop/r&b). The advantages of SD are better job market, better downtown, more travel options, better pay, slightly cheaper, professional sports teams, proximity to other cities and ski options, better food options (although Oahu has awesome asian options), and I personally prefer the culture in SD but that is just me.
As far as the biking thing goes, I spent 3 years on Oahu with no car and made it around fine but you have to watch your ass because the roads are narrow and there are cars parked EVERYWHERE which create blind spots. I read once that Hawaii has the most cars per capita of any state in the U.S. and I believe it. There is also an epidemic on Oahu of trying to jump the light on left turns which means that people try to shoot across the intersection and make a left immediately when the light turns green even though there is oncoming traffic. When people are doing this they rarely look for pedestrians or cyclists. So keep your head on a swivel. There is a lot of "drive aloha" going on, which is nice because folks will make eye contact with you and let you know they are yielding by waving or something as well so I don't want to give Hawaii a completely bad wrap. But things just feel like a big cluster**** on the roads when you are cycling out there. By contrast, I was actually shocked how aware SD drivers seem of bikes and pedestrians. I got cut off a couple of times but as a whole they were very aware while still being efficient in getting around. This is a little dated but it will give you an idea where the bike routes are on Oahu. Some are paths, some are just roads that are supposed to be bike friendly.
As far as the A/C goes it really depends on where you live and your exposure to trade winds. People will try to tell you that it never gets hot in Hawaii. Bull****. It gets plenty hot. Not Arizona hot or Alabama hot, but I spent many days sitting on my couch sweating my ass off watching football with no shirt and board shorts on. I would recommend a window unit for those times when the trades die down or you want to be in the house during the day (when the sun is out). Some folks can live with it being 85 degrees and humid in their house, I personally like it around 70 and dry (another reason why I prefer SD).
At the end of the day though, you really can't go wrong if you can afford it. Both of these cities are in my top 5 to live in the U.S. if money is not an issue. Hawaii is one of those places that can be absolute perfection for the right kind of person, but it is hard to say if you are that person until you give it a go.
As an aside, I know you mentioned the quality of properties and cleanliness. Two things to consider coming from SD.
1) The quality of construction on Oahu will probably seem substandard. Single wall wood or cinder block is the norm unless you are spending a lot of money. This is your standard house:
2) You will have bugs in your house (roaches and ants), there is probably nothing you can do about this it just is what it is. Million dollar houses in Aina Haina have ants and roaches.
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