Have you ever been to Hilo? I lived on the Big Island for a year — on the Kona side — and found Hilo to be very depressing. Not only does it get 140″ of rain per year, but it is an old town. It is run down, nothing is open on Sundays, and it’s just sad. You used the word ‘decrepit’ and that pretty much describes Hilo, in my opinion, anyway. If you can handle the crappy weather and the fact that there is nothing to do there, go for it. I think you should visit first though, like the first poster said. Get an idea of what your town as well as your living accommodations will be like and go from there.

I looked at your link & didn’t see much in the price range you referenced. I live in Honolulu, not Hilo, so I really do not know about prices of rooms there. But generally, the cost of living is higher on the neighbor islands & I don’t think you could find anything very nice in that price range. I think it would be very wise to take a vacation in the area & look at what you can find for that price. I know that won’t be cheap, but it could save you a lot of heartache in the long run.