Anybody here live in Hawaii?

I'm helping a friend of mine move there. Where is
the cheapest housing? Lowest cost of living?
Any information would be greatly helpful.

Thanks!

let me get you the info

does your friend want to rent? and which island? what kind of jobs do you have?

It all depends. The economies are different on every island and every job is different as well.

We don't have any right-to-work laws here.

Do you want to live in a overpopulated island/city like Honolulu? Or a large, but sparsely populated island like the Big Island? or howabout an island with an sizable population, but there is no affordable housing like Maui? Or howabout one of the wettest spots in the world, Kaua'i, where it is laid back and everyone is a surfer (the guys are HOT!!! :loveya: )

We don't even know where to start.

an immediate concern.

She wants to sleep on the beach and watch
the stars through her telescope.

She said she wants to be away from the
touristy places, on one of the smaller islands.

She's coming from Oregon where it rains constantly--she
says she's tired of the liquid skies and wants
more sunshine in her life.

That help?

one of the highest in the nation.

For example, right now on Maui, gas costs 2.35 a gallon for regular gasoline. A Box of Cereal is very expensive, and so is the juice and milk. Prices here are very inflated. This is for two reasons:

Matson (the shipping company) has cut down on the number of shipments to Hawaii, thus making the price of goods much more expensive.

Health Care costs - this is something I support. If an employee works at least 20 hours or more a week, then the employer must pay for the employees health care in some way. Sure, the employee will pay some costs, but the employer will cover most of it. (Hawaiians, correct me if I am wrong on this. I think it is 20 hours).

Our state government has a flat general excise tax of 4 percent. That goes for clothes, food, and any other necessary item.

I am assuming that your friend does not want to live in any highly populated areas like Honolulu. Therefore, cross O'ahu off the list.

Second, the prices for homes on Maui are VERY EXPENSIVE!!! There is a moratorium on giving out water meters for South and Central Maui since we are having a rain problem. The price of a house has increased by 10 to as much as 100 percent. If she wants to become a realtor, Maui is the place for her. On top of that, it is very very hard to find a small place to rent on Maui.

The Big Island is the largest of all the Hawaiian islands. It has "relatively OK priced" housing and has many attractions (like a Volcano). It also snows there during the Winter (on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa). They ahve the giant telescopes they use to see into space on them.

However, it does not have the fancy beaches like the other islands. The West side of the island is mostly Lava Rocks and Buildings. It is also very hot and muggy.

The East side, however, is very cool and wet. It rains a lot over there. Also, the housing is cheaper there than on other islands since they have so much space.

Kaua'i? Maybe Kaua'i is the place for you. Althought it is a very wet place, the people are really nice and there are some nice waves during the winter (same for Maui and O'ahu).

So if your friend is looking for affordable housing, the least touristy area, and a place where there is at least some economic growth, she should go to either the Big Island or Kaua'i.

So if she wants Kaua'i, an island that is pretty wet, then go for it. If she wants a VERY LARGE ISLAND where it has both Wet and Dry weather, then go to the Big Island.

One thing that might make her irritated about the Big Island is that it has Vog. Yes, that's right. Vog.

When the winds come from the Southeast of Hawaii, the smoke and fumes from the Volcano go from the Southeast of the Big Island to the NorthWest of Kaua'i. When it happens, Kona, the Western dry part of the big island, gets it bad. It can give you headaches, but nothing serious like a trip to the doctor.

I would also tell your friend to go to Moloka'i. Althought it is the least touristy and the people are VERY VERY NICE!!!, there is little economic opportunity there.

Also, industries that are or will be booming.

Tourism - it is doing "OK"
Construction - this will be booming
Military - lots of money there
Real Estate- Mucho Dinero!!!

The largest industries in Hawaii are:

1) Tourism
2) Military
3) Insurance (I think)

I hope you have a great time.

You might want to PM Leilani, Opihimoimoi, or Kamaaina 'Aina. They are usually on during the morning. :-)