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The cost of living is extremely high in the Hawaiian Islands. Also keep in mind that medical care on islands besides Oahu is not up to mainland standards for the most part. Great place to visit, though.
You are right, napaunui
The cost of living is very high in Hawaii. I’m currently in CA, and the cost of living is very high here too.
My focus may be more on retirement stage of my life. Which state would be more or less costly, offer better general happiness and health, how about tax status; does island of Hawaii tax retirement savings, pension, social security vs state of CA?
Hawaii - by far, is the costliest state. Followed by New York - Followed by California. The distance in how costly it is between Hawaii - NY - and CA is not even close. You don't move to Hawaii to save money - you move to Hawaii because you have money.
Hawaii - by far, is the costliest state. Followed by New York - Followed by California. The distance in how costly it is between Hawaii - NY - and CA is not even close. You don't move to Hawaii to save money - you move to Hawaii because you have money.
For mainlanders, there's one problem with Oahu and one problem only: the cost of food and ordinary items like soap and shampoo. The prices are almost double those in Manhattan (Queens and Brooklyn can often be much less pricey than Manhattan in many neighborhoods). Nice Hawaiian specialties are different -- like those roadside lunch plates. They're an occasional treat, like something from a French pastry shop in Manoa. But Shredded Wheat? Pasta? People who are not wealthy, whose employer isn't paying them a "Hawaii supplement", or who don't have family in Hawaii probably shouldn't move there.
Last edited by masonbauknight; 03-12-2023 at 01:01 PM..
For mainlanders, there's one problem with Oahu and one problem only: the cost of food and ordinary items like soap and shampoo. The prices are almost double those in Manhattan (Queens and Brooklyn can often be much less pricey than Manhattan in many neighborhoods). Nice Hawaiian specialties are different -- like those roadside lunch plates. They're an occasional treat, like something from a French pastry shop in Manoa. But Shredded Wheat? Pasta? People who are not wealthy, whose employer isn't paying them a "Hawaii supplement", or who don't have family in Hawaii probably shouldn't move there.
Where are you shopping on both Oahu and in Manhattan to come up with those numbers?
Sure, certain food items may be more than double items found on the mainland, but particularly compared to NYC (and acknowledging that NYC prices can vary based on where you are in the city, though it won't generally be a night and day difference unless you're comparing high end stores to more budget friendly stores), but I have found Oahu grocery prices to be generally 10-15% more expensive than where I shop in NYC.
That's not to say that Oahu isn't expensive (it is), but there are also many ways to stretch that dollar further to include getting a Costco or Sam's Club membership. If you have base access (10% of the island is military or dependents, and an even great percentage would have access to the commissary and/or exchange as retirees or DOD civilians), which of course not everyone does, even better.
If you're used to a certain lifestyle and aren't willing to make changes, then yes you're likely going to be spending a whole lot more for some things living here even compared to higher cost of living areas on the mainland like NYC. Note, I write some things as housing is generally more expensive in NYC than it is on Oahu, so if you're comparing Oahu to high cost of living places like NYC, things may end up being more of a wash than some think once they factor in housing price differences.
Where are you shopping on both Oahu and in Manhattan to come up with those numbers?
Sure, certain food items may be more than double items found on the mainland, but particularly compared to NYC (and acknowledging that NYC prices can vary based on where you are in the city, though it won't generally be a night and day difference unless you're comparing high end stores to more budget friendly stores), but I have found Oahu grocery prices to be generally 10-15% more expensive than where I shop in NYC.
That's not to say that Oahu isn't expensive (it is), but there are also many ways to stretch that dollar further to include getting a Costco or Sam's Club membership. If you have base access (10% of the island is military or dependents, and an even great percentage would have access to the commissary and/or exchange as retirees or DOD civilians), which of course not everyone does, even better.
If you're used to a certain lifestyle and aren't willing to make changes, then yes you're likely going to be spending a whole lot more for some things living here even compared to higher cost of living areas on the mainland like NYC. Note, I write some things as housing is generally more expensive in NYC than it is on Oahu, so if you're comparing Oahu to high cost of living places like NYC, things may end up being more of a wash than some think once they factor in housing price differences.
If it were really a wash between Oahu and Brooklyn/Queens, I would move to Oahu tomorrow. Rents on Oahu are rising faster now than in many areas. As for Manhattan, at least that island offers many good ways to save money on groceries. There are markets, produce stands, bakeries all over.You can avoid the big, expensive Manhattan supermarket chains, mostly.There are all sorts of food options, and Costcos aren't needed. I am non-military, as are most people. I agree that the PX has phenomenal deals (I've been with retired military relatives), but most folks in Hawaii simply don't have access to them. Food on Oahu is exorbitantly expensive compared to New York City, which has it all cornered, at least foodwise.
If it were really a wash between Oahu and Brooklyn/Queens, I would move to Oahu tomorrow. Rents on Oahu are rising faster now than in many areas. As for Manhattan, at least that island offers many good ways to save money on groceries. There are markets, produce stands, bakeries all over.You can avoid the big, expensive Manhattan supermarket chains, mostly.There are all sorts of food options, and Costcos aren't needed. I am non-military, as are most people. I agree that the PX has phenomenal deals (I've been with retired military relatives), but most folks in Hawaii simply don't have access to them. Food on Oahu is exorbitantly expensive compared to New York City, which has it all cornered, at least foodwise.
My wash language is being generous. It's actually more expensive to live in NYC than it is to live on Oahu. Well, that is unless you're living on public assistance, which Oahu has, too, if you're lucky enough to get it. The average cost of a one bedroom in Brooklyn is over $3,200 a month: https://www.rentcafe.com/average-ren...s/ny/brooklyn/ This is compared to an average cost of $2,429 on Oahu: https://www.rentcafe.com/average-ren...ds/us/hi/oahu/ Yes, you can find rents for less than that in both locations; in fact, I rented for $1,300 a month in Pearl City when I first moved to the island in 2016 (this was a one bedroom). My old LL is renting the same unit for $1,650 today. Where you get into trouble rent-wise on Oahu is if you're trying to live in a super modern/luxurious building, want to live in an upscale neighborhood, or otherwise are trying to rent a single family home, which can be prohibitively expensive for many.
Take a look at one of the cost of living comparison sites to get a better idea of things. I searched "cost of living in brooklyn, ny vs oahu" and found one of those sites note that living in Oahu costs 12% less than living Brooklyn; I didn't post the website link as it may be a competitor site and linking to such sites are against City-Data's TOS.
We can talk about the relative cost of groceries and other goods, but that's not the bulk of people's budget. Rather, that would be housing. This reminds me of conversations that I have with some who say they are cutting out Starbucks in order to save money, while they continue to live in the same expensive housing; their once a day Starbucks run is a relative drop in the bucket in terms of their overall expenses.
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We can talk about the relative cost of groceries and other goods, but that's not the bulk of people's budget. Rather, that would be housing.
Agree.
The only things grossly expensive here are housing and electricity. Rent can actually be on par or cheaper than many other major cities. Purchase price for property here of course is among the highest in the nation. But it seems that all the "affordable" places on the mainland are now no longer affordable. I have a friend that just moved to Scottsdale AZ and her rent there is actually slightly higher than what she was paying here. Granted the place is about 30% bigger... but still... Arizona??
People complaining about the "high" cost of household stuff, toiletries, etc, I don't get. You'd think by now they've heard of Target, Walmart, Amazon. Zero price premium over "the mainland". Other things are actually dirt cheap here like car and home insurance. Buddy of mine lives in Florida pays over $8,000/year for home insurance. I have a similar sized place as him and I'm paying $1,600 for identical coverage. That's a $6,400+ difference...over $500/mo. Electric is crazy expensive here but luckily we don't need heat. And if you have a SFH, you can always just put solar. After 4-6 years once the system is paid off, electricity is almost free for the next 15-20 years. Not to mention if you ditch gas cars and buy EVs you'll never pay for gas or electricity since the solar will also charge your cars. Zero cost to charge for 15-20 years once the solar PV system is paid off.
And I always hear that "food is twice as expensive in Hawaii" yet I have never actually witnessed that in my life when traveling to other states. Fast food has a roughly 20-25% premium here. Food at Costco/Sam's maybe 20-30% higher than average mainland prices. Safeways, Foodland, etc 30-50% higher. But if you buy food on sale (stuff is always on sale) the price premium delta drops significantly. With the exception of a few small select grocery items, nothing is 100% more expensive here when compared to the average mainland city. All in all I'd say the average person on Oahu would spend 35%-40% more on all food purchases including home and dining out restaurants.
35%-40% is a huge premium but if it's on what would normally cost $500 in the mainland, you're talking $200/mo. If $200 puts a big dent in your monthly budget you should definitely not be living in Hawaii.
The only things grossly expensive here are housing and electricity. Rent can actually be on par or cheaper than many other major cities. Purchase price for property here of course is among the highest in the nation. But it seems that all the "affordable" places on the mainland are now no longer affordable. I have a friend that just moved to Scottsdale AZ and her rent there is actually slightly higher than what she was paying here. Granted the place is about 30% bigger... but still... Arizona??
Scottsdale is supposedly nicest neighborhood in AZ, but still in the middle of dry flat desert like the rest of AZ.
The summers were harsh with scorching desert sun, average temperature 110 F …
Plumeria20, you are planning on moving to Oahu and renting first, aren't you?
It's almost impossible to find the best place from the mainland over the internet. Buying somewhere locks you into where ever you buy, at least, without a lot of hassle with selling and buying another place. If you move over and rent for about six months, you'll have a much better idea of which neighborhood you really like.
For all we know, you'll visit one of the other islands and prefer them instead. Renting for six months first gives you time to look around and see what you want to do and where you want to have easy access. Oahu has scads of traffic and even the other islands are beginning to experience traffic as well. If you want to take up such as surfing in your retirement, well, then, you'd want to be near a nice surfing beach, wouldn't you?
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