Moving to Hawaii

[KennyLovesAriel]

Title speaks for itself. H and I are thinking of moving to Hawai'i. We have spent the last 6 months considering where we would most like to live, and (not shockingly), Hawai'i comes the closest to having the things we listed as most important.

But, I recognize that moving to Hawai'i is kind of like people moving to Disney World -- it's often a fantasy rooted in an idea of what a paradise the location is, not a well-thought out plan. I'm trying to ensure we think through our plan.

Yes, we are planning to take an investigative vacation in the next 6 months to get a better feel for the island as an inhabitant.

Things we have considered:

• We expect to spend the next 12-15 months doing research, preparing for the move, and hopefully securing jobs.
• No children & proximity to family is not a concern
• We have approx 150k in savings. But, we'd also like at least half of that to be a downpayment on a house, so while it provides a nice buffer for the transition, I'm not prepared to live off it for 9+ months
• We do want to own property, but proximity to the beach is not important. We are considering "the Big Island" because property is most affordable there. This means my job search would be focused largely at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo and the community college on that island. That may be too limiting. But, I'm less optimistic about us being able to afford housing on Oahu.

Any feedback? Anyone actual live in Hawai'i or make this move? Come rain on my parade.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Sounds like your job focus is in the educational field

My cousins son moved to Hawaii and he got a job at a surfing school. The locals are always given an edge in the job considerations, an unspoken thing so to speak.

The housing prices are mind blowing if you come from a lower cost of living area. Our friend was also a consultant there for a project and I think the rent on the house he was paying was about $5k a month. Our cousins son lived with a friend and the apartment rent that his friend paid was almost $3k a month.

We now how friends who just moved there and he is in the Navy so they are going to have it relatively easy there. He already posted a facebook picture of him surfing.

Best of luck

 

[soccerdad72]

Good luck! It's one of our favorite places to visit, but I don't know if I would be able to live on an island - I think I would feel too separated from the mainland for my tastes.

I'm sure this isn't something you're not already considering, but obviously landing jobs would have to be priority #1. The cost of living has to be insane as well, but it looks like you're starting to do some research on that.

 

[maxaroni]

My parents retired at age 55. We are a small family as both my parents and myself are only children....turns out I have an only child as well. My parents traveled to Hawaii 9 times for vacation...one year after the next, prior to retiring. The last couple of times, they included real estate agents and looking at houses. I was married but hadn't had DS24 yet, so it was the 4 of us. My mom asked me what I though of them moving to Hawaii and I told her that I wouldn't be happy as it is just so far away, but they had to do what they wanted to do. They ultimately decided against moving to Hawaii as home prices were just exhorbitant. They could have afforded it, but to get a house the size they were looking for, it was more than they wanted to spend. Who knows if they had moved, how life would have gone. However, my dad is now 81 and my mom passed away 3 years ago. My mom got very sick when she was 69 and my dad said it would have been a mistake to move that far, with us being here. I know you said that you don't have family to contend with but if you have close friends, or any other ties, it is far from everyone.

 

[Wishing on a star]

You mention an 'investigative vacation'.
Have you traveled to Hawaii, at any length, in the past.
I really researched and familiarized myself before our week on Kauai.
I get the feeling that many people who would call that home also spend a lot of time flying back and forth to the west coast.
When people mention dreaming about living in 'paradise', some of the locals will mention things like the 'living on a rock' syndrome.

I think I would only give this any consideration at all AFTER an extensive investigative visit.
One that was not a 'vacation'.

After our vacation, my DH does sometimes get a brief moment of 'retire to Hawaii'...
But, it is very brief.
I am not so sure I would be inclined to retire to an Island that is remote, out in the middle of the ocean.

 

[KennyLovesAriel]

I have taken one brief vacation. I don't think that gave me a very good sense of life-outside-a resort, so we agree we need a trip that is approached as a move planning trip -- no surfing, no beach hotels, grocery shopping & cooking in an airbnb type house, etc.

Plus, I have never been to the Big Island, which is the one we thought was most practical for a move, so that is critical.

The remoteness is our favorite thing about it. Ironically, neither of us particularly dream of living in paradise, lol, I just know that's how many who would consider this move might view it. We are looking for a climate we like in as remote a location as possible while still being able to find work (with a few other considerations on the list) If we don't do Hawaii, we may do a small town in New Mexico, or even Mexico. We also looked into Australia, but I like that Hawaii keeps us in the US, and that certainly keeps the job process easier if we don't need a visa.

 

[SgtTibbs]

On the plus side Hawaii is conveniently located between Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland.

 

[pryncess527]

I've never been, but it sounds like a grand adventure!!

 

[Uncranky Donald]

Lol, my dear friend is moving back from Maui in August and I have spent the past 2 weeks trying to secure passage of his large Doberman back to the east coast. I got her there but it's even harder to get her back. Sooo I can give you all the advice in the world about pet travel on and off the islands as well as info about tattoo shops(his career), but little else I myself am going for the 1st time in July before he leaves, very excited!! I think your prospects sound adventurous and fun, he enjoyed the adventure though he says it seems a common theme that many find it a transient place and few end up staying long term...but obviously some must stay for a lifetime Good Luck!!

 

[nkereina]

We spent 16 days in Hawaii on our honeymoon in September. We did not visit the Big Island because it was the one that least appealed to us - more remote, less commercialized, fewer resort areas, etc. Our TA described it as having a "hippy" vibe which I took to mean it's pretty laid-back and free spirited. For a vacation, its fine, but I don't know if it's a place I'd want to live. Just my opinion of course, everyone is different! We did visit Maui, Kauai and Oahu and enjoyed all of them but DH and I even talked about what it would be like to live there. The traffic on Oahu is a nightmare - its one thing to be a happy-go-lucky tourist sitting in traffic in your convertible, but its a whole other thing to deal with that as your daily commute, driving into the city to go to an office all day or wherever you'll work. Paradise loses some of its luster when you have to deal with "real life" things like traffic, 9-5 jobs, grocery shopping... little, menial, every day things. Maui and Kauai were smaller islands, and we remarked how we might get bored after a while if we lived there. Being islands, there's only so many places you can go, places to eat at, things to do. Beach/ocean is great for a two week vacation, but living there its something I assume people take for granted.

Someone mentioned it up thread, but the prices for everything are astronomical. Housing, gas, milk, groceries. Things are imported. There also seems to be some higher crime rates and levels of poverty the further inland you get and I suspect it's due to the cost of things.

Where do you live now? We live on the east coast and Hawaii seems like another country to us. It's far, but its also just a different culture. We can't relate to the people born and raised there, its a different lifestyle. It would be hard for us to adjust and I think once the novelty and excitement of it all wore off and we settled into every day life there, we'd have some buyer's remorse.

Don't mean to sound discouraging, just a warning to proceed with caution, especially considering what a life altering change it is and how expensive of a change it would be. Best wishes in whatever you decide to do!

 

[KennyLovesAriel]

Where do you live now? We live on the east coast and Hawaii seems like another country to us. It's far, but its also just a different culture. We can't relate to the people born and raised there, its a different lifestyle. It would be hard for us to adjust and I think once the novelty and excitement of it all wore off and we settled into every day life there, we'd have some buyer's remorse.

The Midwest. And quite honestly, it feels like a foreign country. That's a huge part of our desire to flee.

Thank you for your discouragement! That's honestly what I am here for -- it is easy to think of all the reasons I want to do this, it can be harder to be sure I've covered the practical side. That's exactly what I'm counting on you guys for.

 

[Straitlover]

My oldest sister lived there back in the late 80s. Her DH worked for a dairy. She said that outside the tourist areas there was a whole lot of poverty in the area where she was (Waianae or something close to that). don't know if it's still like that or not.

And if Hawaii 5-0 can be believed , a lot of the locals don't care for the haoles, LOL. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haole

I still sure want to visit there, though!!!!

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Why you shouldn't live in Hawaii.
You will come to like Spam. Resistance is futile. You too will be one with the Spam. You will be assimilated.
This looked good after just a week. Imagine after a month. A year. TEH HORROR!!!! Don't do it. Think of the children!!!

 

[Wishing on a star]

Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
OMG
Too funny!
Even at Mcdonalds, you can get a breakfast plate with SPAM and rice, instead of bacon and hash browns.

And, WHAT is that strip of, whatever, over that spam and rice?
I am thinking it might be like the seaweed/fish wrap stuff. Sorry for my ignorance, but I can't remember the name.

 

[dish rag]

I thinks it's nice see someone take a big leap of faith. I've taken several. I couldn't imagine living life safe. I read the paper from the area I grew up in that is mostly small villages. It's very common to see old people die in the same small coal town they were born in. I could not imagine living like that.

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Why you shouldn't live in Hawaii.
You will come to like Spam. Resistance is futile. You too will be one with the Spam. You will be assimilated.
This looked good after just a week. Imagine after a month. A year. TEH HORROR!!!! Don't do it. Think of the children!!!
View attachment 230738

My gag reflexes just kicked in.

 

[abdmom]

I made the move to the Big Island this past summer. I had visited >20X and owned property for 10 years before moving. The east side of the Big Island is most affordable, in particular the southeast side, it's true, but there are issues, some related to the cheapness. A lot of people migrate there because they want to be "off the grid". Off the grid means the water for your household may be "catchment", i.e. you catch it in the big swimming pool sized tub in your backyard. Sounds OK, except snails like those tubs and the snails carry... get ready for it.... rat lungworm disease. Eeeew. There are other issues such as crime, drugs, an active volcano that can decide to send lava your way, and long distances to get anywhere. The best beaches are 2-3 hours away. It rains a lot. Other areas of the Big Island don't have these issues, but they're also more expensive.

You may wish to check out the city data forums for the Big Island. I'd also be happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

[AlohaNow]

Been there, done that, got the aloha shirt - and absolutely loved it! We lived on Oahu for four years. Moved there with two little kids and without jobs. Got a place to live, found jobs, did not starve in the process. We did not do a scouting trip, but had been there on vacation seven years earlier. It was not a case of “went there on vacation and it’s our dream to live there” at all. Really it came down to, we were ready to move somewhere new, and where would we like to live. Kind of did an inventory of what we wanted, and Hawaii fit the bill.

We decided to not job search before we were on island, knowing that employers get endless amounts of resumes from the mainland from folks just putting out feelers. We figured it would be better to be right there, saying, I’m here and I can start tomorrow! One of us worked for a non-profit and one of us worked for a tour operator. I guess we were supremely confident in our ability to secure employment, but we figured we had to be in order to make it work! Traffic is killer, and with most jobs being in Honolulu, carefully consider how far away from there you’d like to be (if you choose Oahu). (My favorite bumper sticker: I lost my Aloha on the H-1) DH campaigned heavily for us to move to the Big Island but I just wasn’t into it, knowing that there are fewer jobs there. Yep, housing is certainly cheaper, but show me the jobs!

So, how to afford it? It all comes down to one simple word: priorities. We knew that our square footage would be cut drastically while at the same time our cost per square foot would skyrocket. We also knew that food would cost more. Gas costs more too, but as I always said, where are you going to go? It’s an island! We adjusted our expectations way before we actually moved there. I know some folks who think they’ll move to Hawaii and enjoy the same exact kind of lifestyle they have on the mainland. Well, with buckets of money that may be attainable and I’m happy for anyone that can do it. But if you are just regular people like us, you must adjust and prioritize. Anyway, I could write a book, but I doubt everyone on here would want to read it! But I wish you the best and I really hope that you find a way to make it work!

 

[longboard55]

We know some people who have done it. Employment is the problem. Its hard to get a good job when you are new. Seems like you need to take any job and put in a few years. Don't pretend you will be real estate agent and will be making money right off the bat. Speaking Japanese is a huge bonus

 

[lullwater]

I think you have a good game plan, though I prefer the leeward side of the Island as opposed to Hilo.

My wife and I plan to movie to the Big Island once our youngest goes off to college. We’ve spent the last 2 summers visiting. The wife has been researching and perusing homes for sale since last year. One consideration are the Lava-flow Hazard Zones. A high risk zone can greatly affect or disqualify one from conventional home loans and property insurance. A number of homes we have looked at were occupied 10 years or much less before the occupants moved back to the mainland.

We are visiting this summer in July for 2 weeks; ostensibly for a vacation; however, we plan on looking at houses and will buy a place if we fall in love with something unique. Another thought is to buy an empty lot.