Job offer to Honolulu, Is it enough? (live in, moving)
OahuIncludes Honolulu
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Actually he has 3 options in town, the first 2 are industrial zoned. Either way I am so glad you posted that. It will give the OP a good idea of whether or not the kind of home they can get for $450k close to work will meet their needs. I don't think most people from the mainland really understand (until of course they talk to people actually living here, especially those who moved from the mainland) exactly what the difference is in the SIZE of places you are going to be looking at as well as the relative lack of amenities. I'm so glad I read this forum and took everything to heart so I was well prepared to lose 450 square feet and be paying $1000 more per month for the privilege... and getting to enjoy the worst traffic on the island of course
I'm in a couple military wives groups and every time someone who is moving here says the don't want to live in military housing, and they want a big yard (especially if they are coming from somewhere like Texas) not too far from base it is really hard to not just laugh at them. Moving here really makes you prioritize and make compromises when you are looking for a place to live. Do you want a garage? A dishwasher? AC? A patch of grass larger than would fit inside a kiddie pool? Sure if you buy you may be able to add some of those later on, but those are extra expenses you may not realistically be able to afford.
OP- you CAN find something in that price range on Oahu... but it will be a commute for you. I think you are making a good decision having your GF stay with the dogs on the mainland for a while, not only will the moving process be smoother for the pups but then when you get here and start living the reality of what it is like here, you will have more time to find a suitable living arrangement for all of you... or worst case you will only have just you to worry about moving back.
I do not mind a commute as I drive 50 miles roundtrip in Los Angeles, and sit in the car for 30-45 min each way to work. We really love the East/ North East side of the island. We are starting to see many affordable places to rent that are dog friendly in that area.
I do not mind a commute as I drive 50 miles roundtrip in Los Angeles, and sit in the car for 30-45 min each way to work. We really love the East/ North East side of the island. We are starting to see many affordable places to rent that are dog friendly in that area.
30-45 minutes is pretty sweet for 50 miles in LA! I commute from Pasadena to Koreatown (20 miles) and it takes me the same!
30-45 minutes is pretty sweet for 50 miles in LA! I commute from Pasadena to Koreatown (20 miles) and it takes me the same!
I think rlddlr meant 50 miles roundtrip so 25 miles and 30-45 minutes each way.
It actually blows my mind how far people travel to work each day. Is it really that cost prohibitive to live closer to work centers? Or do people commute so their children can go to better schools? 90 mins/day for a standard 50-week work year comes to 375 hours a year or almost 10 weeks of 9-5 work sitting in your car commuting only to and from work every year. That's insane. All in, it also costs about $.50/mile to drive an average priced car that gets an average 23 mpg and that's assuming you're actually getting 23 mpg. Mpg drops by about 30% in traffic that moves at 10 mph. That's $25/day or $550/mo in mileage depreciation, wear and tear and gas for your car. If the car is pricier than average and gets lower mpg, the can go up to $700+/mo. That could afford $100K+ more in mortgage and you'd have countless more hours to relax or spend time with family. You can't really put a price on that time. People that live in Mililani, Ewa or Kapolei and work in the CBD spend that much every month + 2 hours/day of their life wasted. I guess I've been spoiled my entire life. My work commute has never been more than 5 miles one direction (currently it's 0.8 miles and I still drive LOL) but I always choose to live close to my job.
I commute to work because what is the point to a shorter commute if you aren't happy with where that commute puts you? More time at home is pointless if you don't like where you live. When I was in VA for a year I lived closer to work (20 minutes) but I was faraway from everything i liked to do so I rarely left the house other than for work. Then I moved back to Virginia Beach which was 35-45 minutes from work and I was SO much happier, my social life came back.
Here, if we lived close to base we'd be in a smaller house, which doesn't work as well for us. Plus here in Ewa I only have to drive 15 minutes or less to get to a beach, and I have multiple choices, and it doesn't matter if it is rush hour I can still be to the beach in 10 minutes.
I also have a different perspective in that my job involves a lot of driving, It's been a few years since I could just drive to the office and work, and then drive home. Spending 2 hours a day commuting is nothing after spending an average of 2-3 hours per day in the car between clients.
I commute to work because what is the point to a shorter commute if you aren't happy with where that commute puts you? More time at home is pointless if you don't like where you live. When I was in VA for a year I lived closer to work (20 minutes) but I was faraway from everything i liked to do so I rarely left the house other than for work. Then I moved back to Virginia Beach which was 35-45 minutes from work and I was SO much happier, my social life came back.
Here, if we lived close to base we'd be in a smaller house, which doesn't work as well for us. Plus here in Ewa I only have to drive 15 minutes or less to get to a beach, and I have multiple choices, and it doesn't matter if it is rush hour I can still be to the beach in 10 minutes.
I also have a different perspective in that my job involves a lot of driving, It's been a few years since I could just drive to the office and work, and then drive home. Spending 2 hours a day commuting is nothing after spending an average of 2-3 hours per day in the car between clients.
Most people that live in or near the urban core of Honolulu are very happy with where they live not just because they aren't slaves to the country's worst traffic (getting to and from work) but because their homes often puts them close to friends, relatives, cultural activities, high-quality education, various forms of entertainment, restaurants, etc etc. They love their tiny, modest homes with small yards just as much as those with much larger homes.
Almost every one I know that bought a home in Ewa has regretted that purchase/move. Those that saved enough ended up moving back into or closer to the urban core. Those that couldn't just deal with the inconvenience; eventually an inconvenience just becomes the norm for them and they "adapt". Just like you drive a lot for work... sitting in your car hours on end every day is fine with you. For most people though, it's like being in hell. It wears on them and creates stress and anxiety. Countless studies prove that sitting in traffic increases mortality rates and has significant negative mental health impacts. Some may get used to sitting in traffic every day (and not get anxiety about being late to work or being stressed in general dealing with idiot drivers) but it's expensive to do so... a lot more expensive than people realize. And after rail gets built it will get really expensive. Toll roads, increased gas taxes, GPS monitoring and fees, etc will be the norm for commuters in West Oahu coming into town. People in West Oahu will be forced to ride the train because the city needs X amount of ridership to support the operating cost of the multi-billion dollar beast. And because those in West Oahu overwhelmingly wanted it, they will be forced to ride it by making traveling by car cost-prohibitive. Living far from the urban core will become markedly more miserable over the next several years as thousands of new homes are built and will become dramatically worse after rail is built.
There are homes in town that are slightly more expensive (after factoring all the gas/maintenance/depreciation/wear and tear on car) than those in Ewa or Kapolei but they are smaller (smaller interiors, smaller yards) and the homes are generally older and need some TLC. But Americans are hooked on shiny pretty new things... and big houses, big yards. It's sad, really. Most could enjoy a significantly less stressful life if they could just settle for a smaller home that needs a little bit of elbow grease. But people will slave away to have the nice pretty big house with the big yard and waste away literally YEARS of their life sitting in traffic. I just could never relate to the typical American. Homes in Hawaii are generally about 30-50% smaller than those found in the mainland. Those built in town are small because people were simply happy with these small homes when they were originally built. Nobody in 1940 complained that their bedroom was only 10x9' and their entire 3bdrm home was under 900 sf. They were happy as beans and loved their homes. I love it when someone moves here from the mainland and says "wow, homes here are so tiny, crappy and expensive!". They almost all end up living in West Oahu and whine incessantly about traffic.
Funny nobody has mentioned this yet, but while $75K in Honolulu represents an increase in gross pay from $63K in LA, looking at average Cost of Living figures for the two cities, it actually represents a step down in Standard of Living.
Overall Honolulu is about 24% more expensive than LA. so $75K in Honolulu is roughly equal to $57K in LA. And without any relocation assistance it's worse, because you'll easily drop $5-10K getting moved and settled. For a quick calc, lets call it $7K, and that now drops your first year Honolulu gross to $68K, roughly equivalent to $52K in LA.
See how that works? In terms of the standard of living you currently enjoy, accepting the offer will be like staying where you are now and taking a $9K salary cut for the next year, in the vague hope you might get it back at bonus time. And that doesn't even account for the two big dogs, which will cost you dearly.
Only you can decide whether that's a cut you want to make.
Good luck.
How can I find out the percentage of how much more it is to live in Honolulu over Atlanta, GA?
We are considering the move also for job offer.
thanks!
I'd say stay in LA, in ten years you'll be financially much better off having saved instead of all the expenses of moving back and forth. I think most people get island fever after a while (meaning they feel trapped on an island where you can only drive in circles instead of on the mainland where you can go on a day drive in all directions).
I'd say stay in LA, in ten years you'll be financially much better off having saved instead of all the expenses of moving back and forth. I think most people get island fever after a while (meaning they feel trapped on an island where you can only drive in circles instead of on the mainland where you can go on a day drive in all directions).
Yes, because everyone is just itching to drive thousands of miles to see different places.
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