Can I afford living in Hawaii?

Yes. Despite popular belief, Hawaii is not inaccessible or unaffordable. There’s no doubt you will have to make sacrifices, but in my opinion, the trade-offs are well worth it. The biggest sacrifice will be housing costs. For example, monthly rent for a 4 bedroom house in Tennessee runs around $1200. The same amount will rent a studio or 1 bedroom apartment in Waikiki. Maybe something a little bigger outside of town. However, there are a few money saving tactics to consider if you’re willing to cut the fat out of your expenses:

Air conditioning is a luxury in Hawaii. Most places don’t have it. While the summer afternoons can be brutally hot indoors, it will save you a considerable amount in electricity bills. There’s always the option of getting a fan or floor unit to keep the place cool. Besides, when it’s hot the beach is just around the corner.

If Honolulu is your destination, I would recommend not bringing your vehicle to Hawaii. Parking is expensive and unnecessary and there’s plenty of public transportation. Honolulu is similar to New York in the sense that you can walk or ride a bike to most of your destinations in the city. Also, mopeds are affordable and don’t require a license or insurance to drive. By leaving your car behind you’re sure to save loads of money on car payments, insurance, gas and repairs… plus you’re getting exercise and helping the environment! Just keep in mind theft is a big problem in the islands. Particularly with bikes and scooters. So invest in a good Kryptonite lock or you’ll be spending more money replacing your property. I wish I could say the police were helpful in the event of a stolen bike, but in my experiences they haven’t been.

Free and cheap stuff abounds! Hawaii has a high turnover rate. There’s a lot of people always coming and going. This means there’s a ton of deals to be found at garage sales and on sites like craigslist.org. If you’re willing, there’s heaps of ripe free stuff waiting to be plucked off the roadside. And if you think you’re the only one picking stuff off the streets, think again. Nearly everyone that strolls by a pile of rubbish stops to search for a diamond in the rough. I’m not ashamed to admit it, I grabbed plenty of goods from the streets. At the beginning of every month, people moving from the islands rid themselves of all the stuff they couldn’t sell by dumping it on the curb. If you beat the garbage trucks, there’s some real treasures to be found. I’ve scored great furniture, dressers, tables, chairs, cleaning supplies, televisions that work perfectly and some that work not so perfectly. However, it would be wise to avoid mattresses, pillows and things of that nature. Despite the obvious “bodily fluid” reasons, bed bugs are a real problem in the islands. I thought they were an old wives’ tale until we moved out here. It turns out bed bugs actually do exist, and they bite. Keeping that in mind, everything else is fair game. Just suck up that pride and rummage through some junk!

Hawaii is not only for the rich and famous. If you’re willing to make the necessary changes in your lifestyle, the dream of moving to the islands can be a reality. You’ll adapt and find a way to afford life in Hawaii if it’s something you truly desire. In return, you’ll gain perfect weather (most of the time), beautiful scenery and all the fun and free activities paradise has to offer. And remember, a little Aloha Spirit goes a long way around here.

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