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I live in NH and make a salary of 71K, have a wife and two small children. Am on the verge of accepting a new job in Honolulu in my same field, for 73K. Based on the on line cost of living calculators, in order to live the same way I do here in NH on a 71K salary, I would have to make 110K to live in Honolulu. What I dont understand, is that a salary of 73K seems to be on the higher than average side for the Island. So, if that is better than average, how do so many survive there ?
The company I will be working for has thousands of employees, making even less than what I would..... seems like they are surviving fine ?
My wife in an Islander and has a lot of family there so we have been several times. We have found that shopping in the right places, that food, clothing items for the most part are very comparable to mainland prices here on the east coast. Thank you Walmart, Sams Club.
I find no reason why a family of 4 would be financially strapped living there unless there is something huge I am missing.... please fill me in.
If the cost of living is so high, yet the average salaries are level with mainland salaries...... how does everyone survive ? Not everyone there is a millionaire..
Technically, "millions" don't. Hawaii is about the same size as New Hampshire. The state populations are each about 1.3 (v 1.4 million). All of Oahu only had 905,601 people in the March 2008 estimate.
I live in NH and make a salary of 71K, have a wife and two small children. Am on the verge of accepting a new job in Honolulu in my same field, for 73K. Based on the on line cost of living calculators, in order to live the same way I do here in NH on a 71K salary, I would have to make 110K to live in Honolulu. What I dont understand, is that a salary of 73K seems to be on the higher than average side for the Island. So, if that is better than average, how do so many survive there ?
The company I will be working for has thousands of employees, making even less than what I would..... seems like they are surviving fine ?
My wife in an Islander and has a lot of family there so we have been several times. We have found that shopping in the right places, that food, clothing items for the most part are very comparable to mainland prices here on the east coast. Thank you Walmart, Sams Club.
I find no reason why a family of 4 would be financially strapped living there unless there is something huge I am missing.... please fill me in.
If the cost of living is so high, yet the average salaries are level with mainland salaries...... how does everyone survive ? Not everyone there is a millionaire..
We have same size family and are not making it! Biggest reason we are strongly considering leaving is school system which is among the worst in the nation! -You should definetely consider this before moving. We are at close to 100k and struggling. Housing, food, gas, utilites are all much higher than years ago when we lived here and still climbing. I suppose if you sacrifice going out to eat pretty much all together and do very little driving and keep groceries to a minimum you could survive just fine. However, we enjoy eating out probably too much and getting out and exploring the islands which eats up lots of gas. Plus our kids like to eat so our grocery bill is rather high. -Just our 2 cents
All good to know...... but isnt it all relative ? For instance......
Gas prices in NH are currently $4.00 and in Hawaii $4.22 (Honolulu Gas Prices - Find Cheap Gas Prices in Hawaii).
Heating oil is expected to be $5.00 a gallon this winter, which means it would cost $1,000 for 200 gallons of heating oil.... average cost to heat your home in NH this winter will be $7,500 for 6 months of heating.
No income tax in NH, but Real Estate Taxes are sky high,,,, Im paying $4,600 a year for a home asessed at 263K..... a home in Oahu assessed at 310K has a yearly tax of $1200.
Transportation system in NH in non existent..... the bus on Oahu is $2.00 ?
I have spent a great deal of time on Island and driven the roads for weeks at a time...and with the lack of mountains everywhere like here in NH, I found that a tank of gas went a lot further that it does for me here.
It Does look like Hawaii is one of the lowest for SAT scores, currently ranked 48th with an average SAT score of 1463 against the national average of 1511. So thats a bit saddening. SAT Scores
Im still stuck on the myth that Hawaii is so expensive to live. The math just isnt working out on my end here. As I said earlier, my in-laws are locals, and live just fine to the standard they desire. We have spent a great deal of time on island and find no significant differences in pricing on most grocery items, fuel or clothing. Yes, gas prices are climbing and the cost of living is increasing, but thats happening everywhere, not just in Hawaii.
All good to know...... but isnt it all relative ? ...
... Im paying $4,600 a year for a home asessed at 263K..... a home in Oahu assessed at 310K has a yearly tax of $1200. ...
...Im still stuck on the myth that Hawaii is so expensive to live.
The difference is in the real estate mostly. Your NH $263K home is probably quite nice. I challenge you to find a home on Oahu, that you could even remotely stand to live in, for $310K. Hawaiians who have owned their homes for some time, can live easily on the salary you earn in NH. No big tricks other than sensible shopping, as you mention. The cost of living stats are high because they factor in this reality.
Hawaiian real estate is going through some "correction" (except Kauai), as is much of the rest of the country. Even on Oahu. And it is entirely likely to get yet more "corrected". However, you will still have a tough time finding an affordable residence in your range.
I live in NH and make a salary of 71K, have a wife and two small children. Am on the verge of accepting a new job in Honolulu in my same field, for 73K. Based on the on line cost of living calculators, in order to live the same way I do here in NH on a 71K salary, I would have to make 110K to live in Honolulu. What I dont understand, is that a salary of 73K seems to be on the higher than average side for the Island. So, if that is better than average, how do so many survive there ?
The company I will be working for has thousands of employees, making even less than what I would..... seems like they are surviving fine ?
My wife in an Islander and has a lot of family there so we have been several times. We have found that shopping in the right places, that food, clothing items for the most part are very comparable to mainland prices here on the east coast. Thank you Walmart, Sams Club.
I find no reason why a family of 4 would be financially strapped living there unless there is something huge I am missing.... please fill me in.
If the cost of living is so high, yet the average salaries are level with mainland salaries...... how does everyone survive ? Not everyone there is a millionaire..
Jazz, what online calcualtor are you using? Also What company do you work for?
All good to know...... but isnt it all relative ? For instance......
Gas prices in NH are currently $4.00 and in Hawaii $4.22 (Honolulu Gas Prices - Find Cheap Gas Prices in Hawaii).
Heating oil is expected to be $5.00 a gallon this winter, which means it would cost $1,000 for 200 gallons of heating oil.... average cost to heat your home in NH this winter will be $7,500 for 6 months of heating.
No income tax in NH, but Real Estate Taxes are sky high,,,, Im paying $4,600 a year for a home asessed at 263K..... a home in Oahu assessed at 310K has a yearly tax of $1200.
Transportation system in NH in non existent..... the bus on Oahu is $2.00 ?
I have spent a great deal of time on Island and driven the roads for weeks at a time...and with the lack of mountains everywhere like here in NH, I found that a tank of gas went a lot further that it does for me here.
It Does look like Hawaii is one of the lowest for SAT scores, currently ranked 48th with an average SAT score of 1463 against the national average of 1511. So thats a bit saddening. SAT Scores
Im still stuck on the myth that Hawaii is so expensive to live. The math just isnt working out on my end here. As I said earlier, my in-laws are locals, and live just fine to the standard they desire. We have spent a great deal of time on island and find no significant differences in pricing on most grocery items, fuel or clothing. Yes, gas prices are climbing and the cost of living is increasing, but thats happening everywhere, not just in Hawaii.
Really, since you are going to Honolulu, I would just take Maui 08's comments for what it is...Life in Maui is completely diff. than Honolulu. I too have found that the Honolulu costs are similar to mainland. Basically, the major diff. in cost of living is in the rent or mortgage, maybe some services but nothing major. Since you have a large family, I believe you would not be living in Honolulu...If you want to live in Wakiki, yes you will notice a huge diff. Finding housing that meet your budget and expectations will be the biggest challenge. You will have to most likely sacrifice significant amount of space!
Most families live together with grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. due to high cost of housing; maintenance on a condo can be $1K per month; work at least two jobs. It is an island, which means everything has to be flown or brought in via water therefore the cost of food, building supplies, etc. are high and passed on to the consumers living in HI.
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