2007-12-02 05:51:21 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Honolulu
Ha, ha ha ha ha ha!!! Good one.
2007-12-02 05:53:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are fairly heinous. Start with the fact that most of the land is owned or controlled by a handful of institutions. That makes the land that is available for fee-simple home ownership very expensive.
Add to that some folks from California and Japan (in particular, not exclusively) who come and buy up plots of land, sit on them for a year or two and then sell them for a profit. Plus retirees who buy a home out here because they want to live here when the weather's bad at home and leave the house vacant or rent it out occasionally for half the year.
Housing costs (purchase and rental) are on a par with the more expensive major metropolitan areas in the US (SF, DC, NY), just without the professional-level job opportunities. Hospitality and customer service jobs don't pay well here, either. To add insult to injury, local people tend to be paid less than their counterparts who come from North America. Mainlanders are more likely to say no to a low salary, and employers know it. Since they aren't trying to be near friends and family, they're in a better negotiating position.
Meanwhile, local folks who have children are likely to live with their own parents or in-laws well into their 30s. They just cannot afford their own place. Quite a lot of Native Hawaiians have moved to Las Vegas because they can't afford to live in Hawaii anymore.
Add to that the fact that almost everything for sale in the islands is made somewhere else and shipped in, or is made from materials that are shipped in from somewhere else. Have you ever noticed on the news that the most expensive gas in the country is always in Honolulu? That's actually because they're only counting urban areas. Out here in the smaller islands, it's more than $4/gallon. A decent-sized box of cereal runs $5 easy, and I quit buying milk, so I couldn't even tell you how much that costs these days. Shipping rates are about to go up, too.
Oh, and if there's talk of a longshoreman's strike, better hope you're one of the first to hear the rumor, so that there's still some toilet paper in the stores for you to hoard. You'll also want to make sure there's at least half a tank of gas in your car, since an earthquake in a place you've never heard of could cause a tsunami in your neighborhood.
State income taxes are pretty heavy, one of the highest rates in the country for lower brackets.
2007-12-02 15:35:12 · answer #2 · answered by Beckee 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hawaii in general is a very expensive place to live because the islands are catering the majority of time to tourists. May be a little easier for you if you have a Hawaii driver's license. Found this out from someone who lives there.
2007-12-02 13:55:57 · answer #3 · answered by kriend 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have been there 4 times in the past 2 years and it is expensive. You have to remember that everything either has to be brought to the islands by plane or ship. This makes everything more costly. Rents are comparable to what the prices are in California.
2007-12-02 14:01:12 · answer #4 · answered by Katie H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://www.ask.com/web?q=honolulu+cost+of+living&qsrc=19&o=0&l=dir
2007-12-02 13:56:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In a word, expensive.
2007-12-02 15:54:57 · answer #6 · answered by stan l 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check apt.listings on honolulu.craigslist.org ~ http://honolulu.craigslist.org/
Check grocery prices at Foodland ~ http://foodland.com/liquid/in_our_stores/pdfs/oahu/page_o2.pdf
Gasoline ~ $3.20-$3.30/gal. Regular
Car Ins. is relatively high also
You can save money on long underwear, warm clothes, & heating oil
2007-12-02 15:02:53 · answer #7 · answered by Maui No Ka Oi 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its resonable prices and cool beaches
2007-12-02 13:54:22 · answer #8 · answered by mark m 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋