How expensive is it to live in Hawaii?

Answer 1

Here is the cost of living for Honolulu. http://realestate.yahoo.com/Neighborhoods/detail.html?csz=Honolulu,HI

Answer 2

I had the opportunity to live there for a year and a half and I loved every minute of it. Now is it expensive? Yes but, the government provides a lot of benefits to offset some of the costs. For example you can qualify for free or discounted daycare of you fall below a certain income. Also the supermarkets where milk does cost 6-7 bucks a gallon offers free discount membership cards which brings the prices down. For example the $6 would become 3-4 bucks. You have local growers which sells their items at reasonable prices. Fresh fruits and vegetables, Avacado's falling on the street (you can grab just beware). There are a lot of ways to make living there reasonable. When we were there we rented a two bedroom apartment in Wahiawa and paid 950 for it. Phone services is just like the other states in terms of price. Its a great place to live but a bit expensive if you want to own your home one day. Good luck in your decision.

Answer 3

SO expensive, it is difiicult to enjoy living there sometimes. My husband, who was born and raised on the Big Island, and I (who lived there for 7 years) just moved our young family of four after painfully deciding we just couldn't do it anymore. Affordable housing and land is scarce. Jobs don't always pay in relation to the cost of living. Childcare is challenging and very expensive.
Unlike a previous post stated, everything from food to gas to leisure activites to electricity is much more expensive. Unless you live there, it is difficult to fathom. Compared to what I am paying now, food was up to 25%(& sometimes more) expensive in Hawaii. And I'm not talking about going out to eat. The restaurants, because it is a tourist destination, are so expensive that local families dine out very rarely.
Unless they are from a wealthy family, locals depend on each other to absorb the costs of living there-childcare, living together, carpooling-many people couldn't survive without their ohana. That is one of the reasons Hawaiians are so close. It is the aloha of friends and family that make Hawaii special. Leisure time is spent with family and friends, talking story and having fun.
Many people on the mainland have this delusional picture of someone living in Hawaii lazing under a palm tree and eating pineapples and coconuts daily. That couldn't be further from the truth. We worked hard, played little(ocean maybe once a month!)
and sacrificed any savings for the glory of being in Hawaii. Maybe one day, we can return.
Until then, if you go, try to always show respect to the Island and the sea. If you do, you will be respected in return.
Aloha to you and yours...

Answer 4

It's not so bad. Half of it is knowing where to shop and eat.

The rent was the same in Denver as it was for me in Waikiki. Except... In Waikiki I was about two blocks from the beach and the weather is always great.

How much is it worth to have perfect weather year round? How much is it worth to have access to some of the world's best beaches with nice warm water?

There are all sorts of benefits that usually don't appear on the accounting spreadsheet.

However, Hawaii is not for everyone. How much will it cost to visit your family on the mainland as often as you would like?

I have a friend who lives in Death Vally California. If you want a cheap place to live, I would suggest going there. You can buy a house a few miles out of Darwin CA on a BIG piece of land, Very Cheap.

Answer 5

Rent and owning a house is expensive.

I went to O'ahu this past July, and picked up a newspaper, and yes, rent and houses are CRAZY expensive (at least to this mid-west chick)

However, food and stuff wasn't expensive and tanning lotion isn't any more expensive than on the mainland either. I mean, if your dining at the Hilton, sure it's expensive. Me and my husband didn't spend alot on food there, we figured we can eat anytime and got by on "souper meals" (like a cup o noodles) and granola bars and water. It worked out very well. We saved a bit of money for a fancy dinner one night and blew $200 easy on that one meal! LOL....crazy!

If you shop where the people shop and not where the tourists shop, you won't spend that much.

Answer 6

Everything costs about like two times more than the other states because everything has to be inported from the other states. So like you would pay lots more for sunscreen there than you would like on the East or West coast. Thats a little bit of info that I learned in the 5th grade.

Answer 7

HA HA! dont even let me begin to tell ppl how expensive it is to live here! ppl who have lived here all their lives have had to move to the mainland. to rent a one bedroom apt will cost you 1000 and thats not even in downtown. gas, groceries are all expensive. even i have considered moving to the mainland. the median cost to buy a home is 600,000. i have no clue how ppl can afford it. even to go on vacation is costly b/c of the extra distance. but its worth having a warm sunny weather all year long.

Answer 8

we were there in May for 5th Aniv. take plenty of travelers checks or a good credit card. milk was over $6.00 a gal. eggs were about $3.00 a doz. gas was almost $5.00 a gal. every thing almost has to be shipped in making it high priced. A shack in Honolulu cost around $600,000.. but was worth it for the memories!!

Answer 9

More beautiful the area.. more expensive the land.

Answer 10

I HEARD MILK WAS 6.00 A GALLON WHERE I LIVE ITS ONLY 2.49. THATS ALL I KNOW.