Or moved from Hawaii?
Or currently live there?
What's it like?
I absolutely love it there and am considering relocating. However vacation is one thing, but living there is something else entirely.
2006-10-23 12:02:47 · 11 answers · asked by bebop_groove_bonanza 3 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Honolulu
You are absolutely right. Visiting Hawaii and living here is completely different. When you come here as a tourist you don't have to worry about jobs and housing and cost of living. Living in paradise is great, but you still have to pay the bills and run errants like everywhere else. Food in Oahu is more expensive as well as rent. But I love the warm weather and the fact that I can swim in the ocean every day of the year! People here are friendly and seem more relaxed. So, overall life here is more pricey but so far I don't regret the move!
2006-10-23 14:33:31 · answer #1 · answered by asia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I moved from San Diego to Big Island and stayed for seven years. I met a wonderful local boy, got married, and had two babies. Alas, we spent the last three years wanting to leave, and could not afford it. It is very challenging to make ends meet for a young family. That's why local families are so close-in order to make it work families have to live or work together, or grandparents watch the babies. It is a very close knit community, no matter which island. Outsiders feel like just that. It took me years of holding my head high to prove that I was not a transient. The islands have a way of weeding the negative people out, and many people don't make it past the first 6 months. Every person I knew on the Big Island under the age of 25 still lived with their parents. There are very limited rentals, and lots/houses for sale are astronomical. Yes, we lived in paradise, but we were both working so hard, we only got down to the ocean maybe once a month. Shipping out to the islands increases the cost of everything dramatically-Furnishing a house is easy-if you're rich. People who move there should bring everything they own(because of the price of replacing it-and alot of companies will not ship to Hawaii), and if they leave, sell it all.
We finally moved to Maine this summer, and miss the Big Island and our family greatly. But the struggle to live there and the stress my husband and I had to go through to get by was taxing. Hawaii is an incredibly special place; but for some, it should be enjoyed on vacation, not as a resident.
2006-10-26 01:54:08 · answer #2 · answered by radlmama 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I moved to Oahu about a year ago from the Detroit area. The biggest thing that you have to consider is the cost of living. Depending on where you are moving from, everything costs more in Hawaii. The overall cost of living would be compareable to LA or NYC. Food is more expensive in Hawaii than LA and NYC but housing is cheaper than those places. Also, some jobs will actually pay you less than on the mainland. They call it the paradise tax. The weather is great and you do get "rock fever," but if you can survive the 1st 6 -12 months...you'll have no problem staying forever.
2006-10-28 14:06:44 · answer #3 · answered by jfunkus 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I currently live in Hawaii and you are SO right. The only thing is, if you are used to road trips, your out of luck. Also, good luck trying to get a house, right now I am living in an apartment b/c of the real estate market. My suggestions of where you should look is maybe around pearl city or hawaii kai. aloha!
2006-10-26 17:10:46 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My sister moved to Maui for 6 months and prpomptly came back. She got "rock" fever, ran out of things to do, got bored with the unchanging weather and was floored by the high prices. Keep going there for a vacation. We've been about a dozen times, but only for a week at a time.
2006-10-23 14:44:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get this book. It's a pretty realistic view of what it's like living there as opposed to vacationing. It's much tougher to "make it" in Hawaii than on the mainland, but it is do-able. There is even a Hawaiian saying that the locals use- I don't remember the Hawaiian pronunciation, but in English it means "Too broke to stay, too broke to leave".
http://www.amazon.com/So-You-Want-Live-Hawaii/dp/0966625307
2006-10-25 08:33:50 · answer #6 · answered by Jason 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Housing is scarce and very expensive there. Just take a look at http://www.craigslist.org and you can get an idea. It has beautiful beaches and nature though and a great weather that doesn't change much all year round. There are many tourists from Japan and other states and they have trolleys and trams catered to them. It is also quite a safe state with few drugs or gang problems.
2006-10-24 16:30:39 · answer #7 · answered by Raines 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was just chosen "Best Answer" for an almost identical question the other day titled "What would it be like to live in Hawaii?".
Just follow the link below. I hope this answer helps your question as well.
Aloha,
Dave.
2006-10-23 23:54:37 · answer #8 · answered by Hawaii SEO 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, I lived there for three years. If you want modern, go to Oahu. If you want modern but with some of what it used to be, go to Maui. If you want a lot of what it used to be (beautiful!!) and a little bit modern, go to Kauai. If you want desertedness, go to Molokei (lol...I spelled that one wrong) It's a great place with great people. You can get local rates when you live there for stuff that tourists go to, so that part is cheaper, but the regular cost of living is insanely expensive!! Nice place though...
2006-10-24 00:02:06 · answer #9 · answered by beccysan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I moved here Dec 31, 2005.
2006-10-25 22:21:31 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋