Dreaming of the island life

Just got back home (WA) from a vacation to Oahu....

I am ready to move there. I have family that live on the island and as soon as I stepped onto the island I knew I wanted to live there. Locals and the weather was the best part!

What does everyone do for a living? I drive a concrete truck in wa and make 70k/y but I noticed most trucking jobs on the island are garbage pay... which is crazy since the cost of living is higher.

I want to live on the east side! Any advice? Anyone to talk me out of it? Best poke I ever had btw was aloha poke on the west side! I had it everyday almost!!!

 

The volcanoes are like a free fireworks show not limited to the 4th of July and New Year's Eve. Should be exciting.

 

Ehh the big island is having some issues but it’s not affecting the other islands. In fact 50pct of Hawaii tourism got hit since people think the entire state is on fire but it’s just not true lol

 

So Oahu is your island choice? Yes, cost of living is definatley high that’s why a lot of locals move to the mainland! Lol ... I’m not even sure if you could find a job that pays in the same ball park even for the same type of job. Sad but true. I wish jobs paid higher since we pay more to live in Hawaii! Go figure!

 

I almost bought in the Big Island a few years ago. Beautiful island, beautiful people.

 

I visited Maui last year and instantly wanted to live there. The Toyota game over there is sick!

Unfortunately, it's a life out of my means currently.

I say go for it, live your dream!

 

I agree! You never know until you try! Unlike me, I missed my chance and shoulda,woulda,coulda ya know? Now I can only wonder about the “what if’s”. If you want it go for it. WA will always be there and if it didnt work out you could always go back.

 

yo man looking for Adventure! https://static.next-episode.net/tv-shows-images/huge/ice-road-truckers.jpg

 

Lived on Oahu for 3 years and came to hate it, sure its cool for the first six months but after that it starts to get old. As far as the locals go, if your not a pacific islander expect to be treated like shit, some places on Oahu you better not even set foot on if your not a local.

 

I’m a local and I do not treat people bad! Not all local people are bad and it would be the same as if a local moved to the mainland! And for the record, there is good and bad every where not just in the islands. Heck there’s some places I don’t even go and I’m born and raised here and no I am not native Hawaiian.

 

Yeah everyone I came in contact with were more friendly and easy going then any stranger I have ran into on the mainland. And I have lived in az,CA,WA

It’s different lifestyle and I can tell I fit in perfectly.

 

I’ve always thought living on some exotic island would be cool. If only I could get paid to sit on a beach drinking hurricanes.

I say why not. If you have the means and won’t be stretching yourself thin, go for it. Sometimes a little risk can be worth it. And like others have said if it doesn’t work out, you can always head somewhere else.

Edit: also, maybe someone will correct me, but I don’t believe you can pass down “owned” property to family if you aren’t a native. Just something to think about. Unless I’m wrong...which happens often.

 

Huh? Lol well let’s see, if it’s hawaiian homelands (there are certain areas specified) only actual native Hawaiians can purchase that land therefore that can be passed down to family. Any where else can be purchased by any nationality!

 

I live on the Big Island. Pros/cons just like anywhere else. Oahu is so congested w/ people and traffic is a nightmare. I'll stick to my open roads, less people and active volcano here on the Big Island . The lava is currently affecting a small area at the moment. I personally would've never bought land in the area that is affected, but it is sad to see homes destroyed and families displaced.

If I had no choice but to live on Oahu. I'd prefer North Shore side away from Waikiki and more Island style. If you wanna move to Oahu, I'd say more than likely you'd take up to a 50% pay cut and pay a ridiculous mortgage or rent along w/ cost of living. I just saw a one bedroom studio in the downtown Honolulu area for like 1300/month and well Oahu can keep their outrageous cost of living. I pay that much for a 3 bedroom 2 bath here on the Big Island.

I say go for it, if it's within your means. Why the hell not.

Cheers

 

That's a $45k job around here. For an experienced hand.

Always consider the total cost of living at a place you are looking at. It actually takes some work to dig out all the numbers and come up with something meaningful for your circumstance.

If you can figure out what it would really cost you to live in Hi, and what you could actually earn, you can determine if you can afford it.

 

I lived on Oahu for 4 years and loved it there. Met and made some great friends. Seemed like people either loved it or hated it. Those who loved it were the type who would be happy anywhere. Most of those who were unhappy realized that they could not hop in the car and drive over to see mommy. All of this is from a military point of view. I say go for it and enjoy here's one to ya

 

I just remember being told something about non-natives not being able to pass down property that they own. Could be way wrong though lol. I’d have to clarify with the one that told me.

Either way Hawaii would be a neat place to live. Certainly beats where I live...

 

Do it, do it!

 

The wife and I are planning on buying a house on The Big Island still. If you have been there and explored the entire island, you know that the volcano erupting is down in the SE area of the island. We were looking at the west side (maybe SW) area for property. We planned on buying now and using it as a retirement house when I hit retirement in 14 years. Love the island life. When I was in the Marines, we lived in Okianwa, Japan for 7 years. Island life is so awesome, weather is great year around. The Big Island is also no so populated like Oahu is. I hate crowded areas.

 

Yeah, paradise.

http://m.hawaiinewsnow.com/hawaiinewsnow/pm_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=od:vqrdwkUV

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_Haole_Day

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28932-i36-k10061699-o30-Racism-Hawaii.html