Tardis Girl Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Talking like the Waimea / Kamuela area, not Kona or Hilo. We've always lived in the midwest of the mainland -- Wisconsin, Chicago, St Louis. Besides climate, what can we expect in terms of daily living, homeschooling, cost of living, housing for a family of 5 who would like to bring a cat and dog (and I've reviewed some of those transport issues), bugs, whatever!! And assuming we continue a modest lifestyle, is it possible to live on a hair more than $50k/yr? (and I'm starting another thread with the same questions relating to a similar prospect in Florida....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Well I can only compare to Honolulu area (because my daughter lived there, and I was able to spend 12 weeks there over the last year and a half), and I think it'd be tough living on 50k where she was. I don't think it'd be impossible, but you'd have to have a really low debt ratio (think no car payments, cc or other monthly loan-type bills). Housing is just SO expensive (renting is also). Groceries are high there, unless you shop the local markets. Those were abundant around Honolulu, but I have no idea what they'd be like on the Big Island. I am sure there are places to buy local produce and things like that though, and you can definitely do much better with fresh items bought locally. I know this probably isn't much help, and it could be comparing apples to oranges since it's Oahu vs the Big Island, but it's just some food for thought. I saw your West Palm Beach thread also - I think you could live better there (think money better, not necessarily better - Hawaii is an AWESOME place) on the same money. There are some super pricey areas, but also more reasonable ones. We have a good bit of family that has lived there for nearly 20 years. ETA: One other thing to keep in mind about living in Hawaii is the cost to travel back and forth to the mainland for visits with family. If that is something you want to be able to do, even once/year, it needs to be factored into your budget because it is costly. Living in WPB, you can always make road trips to visit family. From Hawaii, you're at the mercy of the airlines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 A good friend was stationed there for a few years (Air Force), and reported that cost of living was heart-stoppingly expensive. But they were happy during that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*lifeoftheparty* Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 No way, no how would I live in Hawaii on $50K a year. We lived there while in the military, on Oahu, but there isn't THAT much difference between the islands. 10 years ago, we paid $1700 a month plus utilities for a 2 BR, 1 bath, very basic townhouse. Be wary of cheap rentals. MANY places do not have central A/C, just window units. The bugs are HUGE. Roaches and Centepides were the worst. We were lucky b/c we could buy gas and groceries at the commissary. Milk was $7 a gallon at the regular grocery store. Gas is more expensive. Almost everything is more expensive. We knew families who stayed there when they got out of the military. One family had 5 kids and knew they would not be able to fly back to the mainland to see family, like, ever. Too expensive. Another family that stayed had to leave b/c it was just too expensive. They racked up $20K in cc debt just on groceries and every day spending and they made $80K a year. We lived there for 3.5 years and LOVED every second of it. It was beautiful and there was SO much to do. But there is just no way I would live there on $50k a year. Not saying it can't be done. There are lots of native Hawaiians who live on less; but they live with several generations in old houses, and eat a lot of spam and homegrown food. You would not be able to save money. No trips back to the mainland to visit, and if you have up, it would be increbily expensive to move back. We would live to move back once our kids are grown, but dh works for the govt. and they would pay to move us. We would never do it on our own dime. Shipping cars and furniture is very expensive, I suggest just selling what you have and buying new stuff when/if you get there. Sorry, not trying to be negative :) But you asked, realistically what life would be like. It would have to be simple. Small, simple place to live. No frills. Might want to have a garden. Most of your money would go toward living expenses and you wouldn't be able to travel much off the islands. But you could spend lots of time at the beach and doing other outdoorsy stuff. It's very relaxing. Life moves slower there. You couldn't be depressed there even if you tried, lol!! The people are nice, in general, though you will find lots of Hawaiians who don't like white people (haoles), and it might take some time to form friendships. I suggest you do LOTS of research on it and really KNOW what you are getting in to, because it is an incredibly expensive mistake. Definitely make a trip out there first and really get to know what island life is like. If you really, really want it; the simple style of living won't matter :) When we visited Kauai, we met this group of people who lived in tents (!!) up at the tip of the island. They were all middle aged adults with no kids, decent savings accounts; they quit their jobs, sold everything they owned and moved there. Tents at a (beachfront) campground were all they could afford, and a food truck drove out there eveyday at lunch time, lol, which is how we met and talked to them. Anyways, they said they had never been happier in their lives!! Most of them had corporate jobs and did plan to return to "real life" at some point; they were just enjoying it while they could. It's just so beautiful and relaxed there, far away from "the world" and all it's issues, you know?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samiam Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 I've heard the crime is really bad there as well, once you get away from the main tourist strip....because the cost of living is so high, crime becomes the option for many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 we love the big island to visit..... i think out hilo way would be way cheaper (also way wetter), but we love it. the air is so perfectly clear and breathable. have you visited there before? fresh fish, amazingly cheap; we learned to make our own sushi :). a local hilo church digs a huge pit each thanksgiving, and you all bring your turkeys, they get wrapped in banana leaves and cook for two days.... yummy! definitely a cooking from scratch place, as boxed stuff is just, well, expensive. we simply won't talk about the cockroaches, or the mongeese, which for some reason i just can't abide. ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 I don't know if I'd agree with the crime. I'm not saying there aren't more robberies and things like that because I don't know that for sure, but I didn't get the impression from watching the news there that they have a high rate of more serious crimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardis Girl Posted May 9, 2013 Author Share Posted May 9, 2013 Thank you so much for all your replies! This is just such a huge help to me, I can't even tell you how much. Would this be a good time to mention that I have an aversion to centipedes in particular?? It stems back from our first basement apartment as newlyweds and the centipede nest in our bedroom. <sigh> So I have to confess I'm freaking out a bit about the centipede comment...and roaches? OK, so I will never be an entomologist, it's safe to say. lol I did visit Hawaii when I was about 12yo or so, with my grandparents. We were on Oahu and I remember the Polynesian Culture Center and Hanauma Bay, among other things. So I don't feel like it's much to go on. I think I love the *idea* of Hawaii and what it represents. Is that silly? And I have struggled with letting go and THINGS and decluttering for years, so I like the idea of essentially being forced to let go of all that is really extra. Is that crazy? I think my dh would love the job, and I think we love the idea of living there...but I'm not sure that we are prepared for the reality vs the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 Talking like the Waimea / Kamuela area, not Kona or Hilo. We've always lived in the midwest of the mainland -- Wisconsin, Chicago, St Louis. Besides climate, what can we expect in terms of daily living, homeschooling, cost of living, housing for a family of 5 who would like to bring a cat and dog (and I've reviewed some of those transport issues), bugs, whatever!! And assuming we continue a modest lifestyle, is it possible to live on a hair more than $50k/yr? (and I'm starting another thread with the same questions relating to a similar prospect in Florida....) We lived on Oahu (and are in the process of moving back), not the Big Island. But, all of the islands have a high cost of living. This is partly due to the expense of shipping everything in and partly due to the high cost of land. A 4 bedroom home in a regular neighborhood (not luxury beach type, not a crime-ridden area) rents for around $3,500 or so per month. Homeschooling is fairly easy. You submit a notice of intent and educational plan (I simply sent a bibliography of the books we planned to use) to the school the kids would attend. You test in 3rd, 5th and 8th grades. I don't know what the homeschool group/co-op options look like on the Big Island. I will tell you that some people I know were told that they were not welcome in one of the local groups. Some people have a hard time adjusting to living in Hawaii because they are not used to being a minority. We had already lived overseas in Europe, which I would say was similar in how people interacted with us. Neither of my female neighbors in Hawaii spoke English fluently, they were both Filipino. It is very different from living in. The US. Moving our dog to Oahu cost us around $800 or so total. There is a blood test and series of shots that you must do 120 days in advance of shipping them so that they don't have to be quarantined for 6 months. The blood tests and shots were around $300. We did not have orders soon enough to do the shots 120 days in advance of when we flew, so our dog had to stay with my aunt. We bought my cousin a round trip plane ticket and he flew as baggage with her. It was cheaper than the dog flying by himself. There are big bugs (similar to Florida), but we had more lizards in our house than bugs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisbeth Posted May 9, 2013 Share Posted May 9, 2013 The only things I have heard lately from friends: they are very lenient with sexual offenders, including against children and it is quite liberal there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 The only things I have heard lately from friends: they are very lenient with sexual offenders, including against children This is not really true. This is a current talking-head push, to get "Jessica's Law" (giving a minimum 25 year sentence to convicted sex offenders) passed in every state. You could make it a million year mandatory sentence and the fact is, most are never sentenced in a trial, they plea down. It is a waste of political power and money. and it is quite liberal there. That really depends upon what you mean by liberal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I lived there as a kid 2x for a total of 6 years. I was going to mention being a minority. Also it was common at the time for young couples to move there for a couple of years then get island fever and return to the mainland. It wasn't all it was cracked up to be. You are trapped in a place you can only drive x hours from end to end. Far away. Expensive. If this was a short gig I would say go for it though. It was a great experience for me as a child and high-schooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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