Move to Hawaii

OK - I'm sure we've all been there - go on vacation to a place we love and want to move there - cause we think it'll be vacation the whole time. Well - just for fun - we're looking into moving to Hawaii. I'm a successful accountant so I think I could make ends meet. I'm from Seattle where the cost of living is pretty high in it's own right.

My question is - is it feasible? Anyone have any opinions. I don't care if you want to shoo me away - I'm just curious at this point. Wondering mostly about cost of living and work ethic. I'd imagine that working 55 hours per week plus (which is what I do now) isn't exactly "allowed" on the islands? Am I dead wrong? I want to relax, work 40 hours a week, enjoy my family, dive, and did I mention relax?

Thanks in advance for any and all of your replies!

"OK - I'm sure we've all been there - go on vacation to a place we love and want to move there - cause we think it'll be vacation the whole time. Well - just for fun - we're looking into moving to Hawaii. I'm a successful accountant so I think I could make ends meet. I'm from Seattle where the cost of living is pretty high in it's own right"
Thats why I moved here. Keep in mind that all the islands are very different from each other, I vacationed in Maui but moved to Oahu. Not even close to being the same. I lived outside of Seattle in Mill Creek from 98 to 01 and Seattle does not come close to Oahu as far as the cost of living. Most people work over a 40 hour week to get by. Military and Civil service usually don't have to due to the Cost of Living and Housing allowances. The traffic here is bad but Seattle's traffic is worse. Even with the high prices it is still better than living in the Pacific NW, and before the bashing starts, I lived in the PNW for 23 years. Which island are you planning on moving to?

Cost of living is typically pretty high. Hawaii usually ranks in the top 5 most expensive US states to live in. But remember only 4 percent sales tax. I moved here from San Francisco and didn't notice much of a change. Found a job quickly in my field and found decent housing quickly as well.

40hr work week is normal. Depends on what kind of company you work for. Some are more relaxed than others. If you work under a mainland style environment then expect the usual hustle and bustle. If you get in with a locally run business then expect it to be a bit more relaxed. Some companies allow overtime, some don't...it really depends.

webbah:

My question is - is it feasible?

Click to expand...

Some thoughts:

Yeah, it is feasible, if you are coming from an area of very high property values. That should allow you to buy a "decent" house. I accentuate "decent" because houses here are not going to be in the condition you might be used to: climate and attitudes take a toll on things. I was more than a bit dismayed at how hard it was to find a house that was in acceptable condition to live in. Still need fixing up, just at least livable while doing that work. A tolerance to mold being from the NW might help there. I bought in a fairly dry part of the island (Oahu) because of my wife's sensitivity to that.

Actual living costs are not bad, again, if you are from a high priced area. Utility bills here are somewhat less (no heating needed, solar water heat) and food not bad if you choose right (Costco, discount supermarket club). Gas is about the same as SoCal where I moved from, insurance slightly less, property tax a lot less.

Also do not underestimate moving costs, and if at all possible get that paid for as part of a recruitment package. You are not thinking of coming without a sure job, are you?

Think about coming over without family and working/living a while before selling your house. It is different living/working here than on the carefree vacation. And as mentioned previously, the islands are all much different from each other, in cost of housing, traffic, availability of work, conveniences, etc. Some will love it here, others will regret what they had back home. Plan carefully.

Because of joining a start-up high tech firm (tech is very rare here), looking for months for a house to buy, and now the vast amount of work the house needs, I have had no time to relax and really enjoy life yet. It is coming, but not the idyllic romp I would have liked. Your mileage may vary.

Still glad I did it, will be far more glad once I can get into cruise mode. Others will have their own thoughts, this is what tumbled out of my brain on quick reflection.

One thing you will notice, jobs pay less than in the Seattle area. This surprised me but any recruiter will tell you the same thing. Make sure you have a job first.

Also, it isn't supposed to be so, but there is some prejudice against mainlanders here. It's subtle but it exists.

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. My daughter is 14 - if we want to really pursue this dream - we'll probably at least wait until she graduates from high school. So - I'll start saving now to live that dream and in the meantime - I'll come visit as often as we can!

Aloha,

Jim

You also have a choice of Islands to fit with your desired lifestyle - Very laid back and relatively affordable housing on the Big Isle (Hilo side especially ... even more rain days than Seattle annually). Maui has a bit more activity than the Big Isle, however we are much slower paced than Oahu ... Oahu is the closest to mainland "bustle" you'll find over here especially, as Leesa pointed out, if you are working for a mainland company.

Sometimes I wish a 40hr. workweek was all that was needed to make it here

Aloha, Tim

My x is leaving to go back to SoCal. He cannot stand the "slow" pace in Honolulu, in medicine. I have to admit, medical care here is very behind. That is frustrating to me, because the doctors seem to be in the 80's, with regards to care.

I love it here (did not want to come from Santa Barbara). He has never liked it, and it was his "idea".

My major expenses include private school tuition (16 K x 2). I don't use much gas, and my clothes/shopping bills have been drastically reduced. Little use for ac/ heat.
Food is high, we use Costco. I would never buy certain things at the grocery store, like steaks or fish because it is so high.

Real estate is comprable to OC or San Diego but the houses are not as nice. Less $ than Santa Barbara. Mine has almost doubled in 6 years, but we are now turning downward. My best guess is 1-2 yrs from now will be a good time to buy, if rates stay down.

Another thing that bothers me, is that there is no real labor force available in construction. I have so many projects, just no one to do them. I fixed up properties and flipped them in the 90's in SoCal and thought I would do that here. I am not confident that I can get decent dependable contractors and that interferes with time lines on any projects like that. I did well one one, but the experience worried me about biting off another.

Having said all that, it is a great place and a great place to raise children, as it is very international (Honolulu). They get a lot of exposure without many of the inherent risks of a major city. My children have taken the bus from a very young age all over the island, and I never worry about abductions and those nightmares. Very little violent crime. Most of it is domestic stuff and ice related. Not as materialistic as SoCal, and probably Seattle. The diversity is fascinating and eye opening.

I need an accountant! I was charged 600 dollars for a simple return, so I plan to try Turbo tax this year. I am guessing that would be a good line of work.

Hawaii not full of political passion, even at the local level. A huge self storage commercial building just was put up on the most valuable waterfront property in Hawaii Kai (what were they thinking?). Poor community planning will make some of us nuts. They call the laize faire attitude "Polynesian Paralysis". It permeates daily life, but is not really the Polynesians. My first impression of this was seeing people at bus stops, slouching staring downward. In SoCal the people just look/act so much more high energy. Kids at bus stops busy themselves with activities...those kick sacks, dancing to i-pods, talking... I am puzzled by this.

People are wonderful here. My first week here, my son was very sick and could not even walk. I was struggling with a big tv and a rental car in the parking lot, and some random guy and his wife drove it to my house in their truck. Very typical here!

Aloha and best luck,

oh, and don't make the mistake of thinking Oahu *is* Honolulu. I think we have what they have *plus* a real city. I would choose Kona or Lahaina if I did not have to work or have great schools. Just too limited for raising kids, IMV.

The following links will take you to a web site that has a lot of information about the Big Island (specifially Kona) and moving there. The second link is to a fourm on the same site devoted to moving to Kona.

http://www.konaweb.com/ Don't forget to check out the web cam views on this page


http://www.konaweb.com/forums/moving.cgi

Good Luck!

you might want to check out this book

http://www.amazon.com/So-You-Want-Live-Hawaii/dp/0966625307