Is hawaii a great place to live? if so, where in hawaii?

Question

im graduating from college and have a lil money saved and plan on moving to hawaii with my girl and want to know a good location start living..thankyou!

where can I go online to find the best jobs as well because it was hard to find anything really online..thanx

plus im coming from san jose,california..it is expensive out here too

Answer 1

I hope you have more than a little money saved. All of Hawaii is particularly expensive, and Honolulu even more so. You've noticed that when they announce gas prices around the country, Honolulu is always the most expensive metro area (though Honolulu is plenty cheap compared to where I live). Bananas that are grown in Hawaii are cheaper on the mainland than they are here because of the rent the store that sells them has to pay. Things that are shipped from the mainland--like toilet paper and cereal--are even more expensive.

The average price of single-family homes here are comparable to those in San Francisco, Washington, DC, and New York City. Local kids who graduate from college can expect to live with their parents for another ten or twelve years, even after they have their own children. The houses and yards tend to be much smaller than what you can get on the mainland.

And single-wall construction means that when your neighbor slams his door, it sounds like he's in your house, even in the nicer neighborhoods. You rarely let folks inside your house in Hawaii because it would heat up the house too much and most folks don't have a/c. You eat and drink with your friends on a picnic table in the carport, if you're lucky enough to have one. I once heard a local guy say, "Those folks on the mainland, got big garages. They nevah have parties in 'em!"

Unemployment is very low here, but available jobs tend to be in the hospitality industry, not at the professional level. There are a lot of Native Hawaiians who have moved to LA, Oregon, Seattle, Washington, DC, or Vegas because they can't afford to live in Hawaii anymore, or because the standard of living is so much higher somewhere else. I live here and make a professional salary, but I can't afford to buy a home. Luckily I live in a place with limited subsidized housing for public servants like cops and teachers.

You should also know that we've had a crystal meth ("ice") epidemic for several years here. More than 40% of males arrested in Honolulu a few years ago tested positive for ice. It has ripples through all parts of society from crime to schools, and it rips families apart.

I tried living on the mainland, and I had to come back. I just missed it too much every day. But I pay the price, Bruddah. I pay the price.

Answer 2

Does your girl have a 'lil money' saved too? You'd better do some intense research, because Hawaii is NOT the place many think it is. Although the people are relatively friendly in comparison with the mainland and the beaches are tops, it ain't cheap!
For example, a nice one bedroom apartment in Honolulu, ran about $750 a month 5 years ago. The same apartment now is double that and then some! Food is expensive because it has to be shipped in(unless you plan on ruining your teeth with a steady diet of pineapples) and medical care is equally high. I'm not trying to dissuade you from coming(I also live there when stateside), but I want people to realize that since 9/11 Hawaii has become the last bastion of tropical life available to Americans who want to live in such an environment without going abroad. But, just remember the price of paradise...and I graduated from UC Santa Cruz, so I know what you mean!

Answer 3

This is my standard answer that I give. There are good things about living in Hawaii and there are some not so good thing about living in in Hawaii. Living here is not a 24/7 vacation there are no grass shacks on the beach. I say this because people come here expecting it. And when they find out the truth they go back to the mainland disappointed and complaining about Hawaii. Don't come here to be homeless. it is illegal and annoying.Have money saved. Oahu is the most populated. There are areas where it really crowded. And other areas where it less crowded. The weather great it does not get bellow 60 degrees. Hawaii does have it share of natural disasters. Hawaii is expensive. Ninety percent of everything is shipped in this is the main reason it cost more. Gas prices are in the four dollar range. Visiting Hawaii is different then living here when you visit you don't pay rent or utilities. Right now our unemployment rate is quite high . If you want to work in tourism it good to know another language. With out an college education you will need to work more than one minimum wage job to survive.Another think about jobs. If you are only going to be here for a short time jobs will go to Locals first. Our Public Educational system is lacking. It goes way beyond the Furlough Fridays. Hawaii is just as safe as anywhere else maybe safer. That is not to say Hawaii does not have crime. One of out biggest problems is with illegal drugs .We have everything the mainland has except for a few restaurants and stores. The water that surrounds us does not make much of a difference. No Daylight Savings Time we never move out clock forward or back. We have an excellent bus system on Oahu. If you are willing to take the time then it will cut down on gas costs. You can have car but you might want to take the bus most of the time and use a car only when really needed. Right now gas is in the mid to high three dollar range. I have seen gas at $4.24 Hawaii is one of most culturally diverse place in America. We have several cultures here. Hawaiians being the most obvious. We also have a diverse Asian population; Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese (sp?). All these culture differ. And it is best if you learn the differences. If you love food Hawaii is one of the best places to be. Due to our many cultures we have many different kinds of food. Try them all. Since we have many different cultures in Hawaii there are many set of "rules" all of them slightly different. Make an effort to learn. When you make an effort to learn the the differences then you will be accepted. There is racism in Hawaii, racism is everywhere. Some of the racism is aimed at Whites. Racism at White is not all that common so you will get Whites saying that all Locals and or Hawaiian are racist. That is not true. The Locals and Hawaiians who are racist toward Whites tend to be racist against other cultures. Racism is not right. But it does exist. Not everybody who lives in Hawaii is Hawaiian. To be Hawaiian to must have Hawaiian blood. Or be of Hawaiian ancestry. If you are like me and have lived in Hawaii all their life but have no Hawaiian blood you are considered a Local. Do not call anyone in Hawaii "natives" if you have to say Native Hawaiian. We also have a dialect of Pidgin Creole English. Or it is called Pidgin for short. This language was created during the plantation days. We had workers from all over Asia and the Pacific they all spoke different languages and the needed a way to communicate. So a new language grew and was created.There a some who hear Pidgin an the equate it with lack of intelligence. Do not do this! Then there is what can be called "Rock Fever" some people tend to feel trapped because they can't drive anywhere else but Hawaii. There is no way you can drive into another state. If you need to fly home to the Mainland then 1) take more time because you have to fly over an ocean first. 2) Will cost more because you have fly home

Answer 4

Hawaii is a beautiful place to be, however, I wouldn't recommend living there. I went to college there for awhile, and as much as I loved it, there are some serious things to consider:
- I was paying $620/month for A BEDROOM! not a one bedroom apartment, but a bedroom in a house on the big island. Also food is twice as expensive there as anywhere else, so I hope you like ramen :)
- There is very little industry there (except for honolulu, where the cost of living is especailly outrageous). So, unless you want to work in hospitality, this probably isn't the best move career wise.
- The culture is VERY different from the mainland. This is quite a broad generalization, but locals there aren't necessarily warm to outsiders, due to political tensions - again, not all locals feel that way, but there are many who do.
- Tourists become an annoyance, even if you're basically living there as one. I didn't think I would start to feel that way, but when I saw 100 couples in matching outfits getting off of a cruise ship every week, it's hard not to get pissed off. I can't really explain it, but a lot of tourists come in with the attitude "I paid up the *** for this vacation, so if I expect you to lick my boots, then you'll lick them", and just a general arrogance because they have money. Not all tourists, but many act this way, not having a real clue about the culture. I felt many times like a zoo animal to them, because I look like I could've been originally from there (consider this when looking at the hospitality industry).
- The land is unstable. There is a very long list of things that could go wrong: flooding, earthquakes, volcanic eruption, tsunami, hurricanes...I was in a few earthquakes while I was there (not big ones or anything), and it wasn't pleasant.
- ISLAND FEVER! It is very expensive to get around. You can't just drive to another island, and as far as I know, there aren't any interisland ferry boats yet. So, you have to fly everywhere (expensive). You can go six hours west to japan, or six hours east to north america. Once you've seen everything on the islands, it can be maddening to drive in circles over and over. It took maybe 3.5 hours to drive around oahu, and about 5 to drive around the big island. Some of them, you can bike around, like kauai. Serious thing to consider.

So, if you ever visit hawaii, or even decide to live there, learn everything you possibly can about the culture, treat everyone and everything there with respect, learn the local language to understand it, but as an outsider, NEVER EVER speak it. Never talk trash, especially on a beach, and NEVER to surfers when surfing. I saw some pretty nasty fights happen when people steal waves. Not good.
Good luck to you!

Answer 5

All of Hawaii is gorgeous. find work first, then live close

I am so jealous - enjoy!

Answer 6

I prefer Honolulu.

Answer 7

kailua, oahu