I am from Tennessee but have spent many years abroad. I have just recently moved back to Tennessee and enjoy my family but would like to move my husband, from Holland, back to a tropical environment- of which he loves very much. We are in a money saving state of mind and would like to be able to save money and live a good life. Is this possible in Hawaii?
Hawaii is truly an amazing place to live. I have been here for about 18 months and am having a spectacular time. Some things you should be concerned about before moving here though.
– Cost of living is very high ($5-7 for a gallon of milk at SAFEWAY)
– Two seasons: rainy and dry (hard for people used to winters and falls)
– Hard to get a job – most pay minimum wage
– Expensive to move/leave – have to pay to ship everything across the ocean
– Traffic is really bad if you are anywhere near Honolulu
– Expensive to visit relatives (airfare) though many will probably visit you!
– Shipping is very expensive and some companies won’t ship out here.
– Some companies don’t have branches out here.
– Time difference from East Coast (5-6 hours).
– Maybe culture shock – A LOT of Asian culture here. (I love it though.)
Aside for the above, Hawaii is fabulous! It is beautiful year round with great weather, wildlife, etc. With the exception of cost of living, it really isn’t that expensive. There are tons of “nature” activities to do that are free. Surfing, snorkeling, hiking, etc. don’t cost a dime and are the true Hawaiian experience. Also many tourist companies offer “locals” discounts if you have a HI drivers license.
Depending on what you plan to do, there are a lot of great places to live. Oahu is the most populated island. Maui comes second and probably the Big Island (Hawaii) third. On Oahu, since that is where you will prob live, Waikiki is for tourists and the service industry, Honolulu/downtown is for business (but not much), Salt Lake is a relatively short commute with reasonable prices if you’re going into Honolulu every day, Aiea and Mililani are nice suburb-type areas with a lot of military, Windward side (Kaneohe) is great if you want great views but a long commute to Honolulu.
Good luck.