I’m looking at moving to Hawaii with my wife and baby, can anyone give me the pros and cons of Honolulu?
Cadence asked:
I know that the housing is expensive but the job market seems good. Im coming from Wisconsin which is quite expensive living costs already. I have researched as much as I can and have been to the island. I just dont have an inside look from someone who possibly does or has lived there. I am looking at buying a condo near waikiki.
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I know that the housing is expensive but the job market seems good. Im coming from Wisconsin which is quite expensive living costs already. I have researched as much as I can and have been to the island. I just dont have an inside look from someone who possibly does or has lived there. I am looking at buying a condo near waikiki.
January 29th, 2009 at 11:54 am
contact Wil
he’s a taxi driver and has this
great blog
February 1st, 2009 at 8:26 am
Honolulu is a big messy Tourist Trap. I suggest you go to Hilo on the Big Island. Much more civilized.
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Waikiki is very crowded and like a big city…traffic & all. The food prices are very high. I paid about 75 cents a pound for bananas last August! Gas prices are high also. But, if your income is substantial than the prices are worth the beauty of Hawaii. I would look into a different Island, like Kauai. The prices are about the same but the lifestyle is much more relaxed. Some of the roads are still one lane on the west side of the island.
February 3rd, 2009 at 5:52 pm
i have lived here for 7 months, and believe me? the expense is not worth it. honolulu is basically a tourist city. so the prices are jacked up 5 x original price. its not a family town. houses are more expenisve than southern cali. alot of people are homeless, and they live out in the sun. and they harrass tourists, because they’re insane. its not friendly. please move somewhere better, big island isnt as crowded but still has the same [if not more] of the natural beauty that oahu has. i hope you make the right choice in the longrun
goodluck
February 3rd, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Waikiki is the tourist trap not all of Honolulu. There is a differance. Yes it is expensive. But it the culture that a lot of people have a difficult time with. Hawaii is very different. We have several cultures here. And they all have dffering practices. And learning these practices is on of the best ways to be accepted.
Some people ten to feel land locked or water locked beacuse they can get off the island.
If you need to fly home the will be an extra expence due flying over a ocean.
February 7th, 2009 at 12:01 am
Hello! I moved from San Diego to the Honolulu in 2004. I lived there for two years and I can share my experiences with you.
1) It is very expensive to live there. The normal things: groceries, gas, & Walmart cost more than they do on the mainland because everything is imported to the island so they have to rise the prices to compensate for the shipping fees.
2) I am white and I encountered some very rude/territorial Hawaiians that acted as though Hawaii was not a part of the United States and everyone else didn’t belong there. On the other hand, I met some of the nicest people there and they were Hawaiian.
3) Traffic *****!! There are three major freeways on Oahu that are being utitized by everyone on the island. But, they do have a really good bus system. I took the bus when I first moved there and it helped me get used to the areas – also it is cheap. For like $40 you get a month long bus pass to use over and over again.
4) The jobs do not pay as much out there as they do on the mainland. I was making $16/hour in San Diego and doing something similar in Hawaii paid me $10/hour. So be expecting to make less and pay more.
5) I never got what they call “Island Fever”, but my husband did. I was content staying on an island all the time, but my husband felt the need to leave the island after a while.
6) I wasn’t crazy about the food over there. They have a lot of what they call “lunch plates” which is a fatty meat with a scoop of macaroni salad. Fortunately, they do have some chain restaurants that you will be familiar with.
7) Between October and April it rains off and on for half the year. Some times they are light rains, some times, it rains for days on end without the sun coming out.
I know this now sounds like a horrible place to live, but anywhere you go, you will encounter similar problems. I loved living there. I had to move because I met my husband there and he is in the military, so we got sent to a new state.
I hope my experiences have helped you. Have fun!
February 9th, 2009 at 12:57 am
You know I lived in Waikiki for 3 years and enjoyed it. I’m not sure what career path you’ll be on but Oahu is a wonderful place. Weather is good year round and everythings close by.
list my pros and cons
pros- aloha spirit, laid back, easy to get around, weather, beaches, lot of jobs, plenty of rentals
cons- career oppurtunities, housing is over priced, some of the locals be on that are you from here( haole shi).
Overall I enjoyed Hawaii it was a great experience for me. I’m from Chicago which is also expensive which I found to be like Hawaii. Now I am in San Francisco which is higher priced than Hawaii.
February 11th, 2009 at 4:30 am
Pros:
Great weather (OK it rains in the winter, but if I have to choose btwn rain & snow, I’m voting for rain)
Lots of opportunities for fun outdoor activities (hiking, beach, etc)
Low crime rate
Very nice people
Great food (there are SO many more things than plate lunches to sample!)
Beautiful scenery
Cons:
Cost of living (you may think you are prepared, but you probably are not)
Condo living isn’t really the best enviromnent for bringing up kids (in my opinion, anyway)
Public school system has its share of problems
Some people get rock fever
Expensive to travel “home”
Some folks have significant homesick/miss family issues
Traffic is bad
Some folks have trouble with mulitculturalism (I think that is one of the best things about living here, though)
Although the con list is longer than the pro list, I absolutely love living here.