Why Living in Hawaii Sucks
I’m sure when most people think of Hawaii they think of how much it would absolutely SUCK to live there. Okay, not really. I personally think it would be awesome to live in Hawaii. It’s as close to paradise as you can get (at least here in the United States).
I went to Hawaii two years ago for my sister-in-law’s wedding. I was excited to leave the freezing temperatures and ice-covered roads that are characteristic of Minnesota winters. This was my first and hopefully not last trip to Hawaii.
Photo by David Carlson
When I got home from Hawaii I naturally started to think how awesome it would be to live there year-round. While I haven’t thought too much about it since then, there is a new show on HGTV called Hawaii Life. Each episode a family, couple, or individual is featured who is making the move to Hawaii. Once again, my wife and I were thinking about how awesome it would be to live there.
Unfortunately, if I ever did move to Hawaii it wouldn’t be for quite a few years. To make myself (any of you reading this who wouldn’t mind living in Hawaii) feel better I thought I would write about the disadvantages of living in Hawaii, or in other words…why living in Hawaii Sucks!
1) Higher Cost of Living
As you can imagine, it’s a little more expensive to live in Hawaii than in the other forty-nine states. Expect higher food, fuel, and other costs. If you are having something shipped to you it will cost more than if you lived in the contiguous United States.
2) Limited Housing Market
While the Hawaii Life TV show makes it seem like there is an abundance of homes for sale, it really is a limited market. For obvious reasons, people desire to live in Hawaii, pushing prices up. If you are on a limited budget it’s going to be a bit harder to find a house that fits everything on your want list, but at the same time there are some beautiful houses if you have the cash to spend.
3) “Rock Fever” and Travel Expenses
If I lived in Hawaii, I would want to be able to travel off the island much more than I would probably be able to. Conversely, I’m sure less people would visit than I would expect, mainly because the flights aren’t always that cheap to get out there, especially from Minnesota.
Someone I know lived there while they were in the military, and one of the negatives is that the island you live on is only so big. There may be plenty to do the first few months or year, but you may get “rock fever” from being stuck on an island and not being able to drive for miles and miles like you could when you lived on the mainland. Another negative is that flights between the islands are not as cheap as one would think. In their words “I can see the island across the ocean, I’m not going to pay hundreds to fly somewhere that I can see!”
4) Limited Live Entertainment
Living in Minneapolis, there are constantly an endless number of entertainment options. You can almost guarantee your favorite band will be in town at least once every few years, if not more often. If you live in Hawaii it could be a long time before a band comes that you want to actually see. Further, if you are a sports fan there are no professional sports, and only the University of Hawaii to keep you entertained if you are looking for live action. If you are a big NFL fan like me you may be waking up before 6am on Sundays to see your favorite team play.
5) Limited Job Market
There are definitely job opportunities in Hawaii, but it’s more limited than some other places. For example, if you are looking for accounting work you may be competing for a very limited number of positions, as opposed to a large metropolitan area where there are literally thousands of accounting jobs available. Another consideration is if you get laid off and are stuck competing for only a handful of job openings in your field.
7) Relocation Considerations
Relocating to Hawaii is no small undertaking – you can’t just load up a U-Haul and drive to your new home. You have to pick and choose what is important to you and what is worth leaving behind. If you own a house, it would require selling or renting your current home, which may be more difficult if you can’t get everything finalized before leaving for Hawaii.
8) Poisonous Toads
In Hawaii poisonous cane or “Bufo” toads inhabit the land. These toads are poisonous for dogs. As described by islandermom:
It’s most common for dogs to become poisoned by Bufo Toads. In Hawaii up to 50 dogs a year die after being poisoned by Bufo Toads. When the dog mouths the toad it instinctively defends himself by releasing its venom from its parotoid glands. Often times the dog will bite down on the toad enabling poisonous venom to squirt directly down the dog’s throat.
While 50 dogs isn’t a huge number, I personally would be paranoid to bring my dog over there. At minimum I would want to be watching them at all times when they are outside.
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I’m big on comparing the pros and cons of various jobs, workplaces, personal finance strategies, etc. In a usual article, I would now list a few pros or at least give a write-up on all the positives of living in Hawaii.
But let’s be honest: is it really necessary?
We all know Hawaii is beautiful, it has awesome weather year-round and some of the most amazing beaches and scenery in the entire world.
Photo by David Carlson
Have you ever thought about living in Hawaii? Would you ever consider moving there?
The flight problem can be solved easily by either renting, chartering or buying a boat.
I think the only time I'd want to live there, would be for a period of 6 months or a year. Only as part of my 'travel the world while working" plan. But not to live there permanently for a long period of time. It would be an awesome place to visit though!
I'd love to visit Hawaii, but I don't actually think I'd want to live there. Something about living on an island I feel like I would feel claustrophobic. I'd also hate the higher cost of living although we live in NYC so the cost of living here is pretty bad too (ie. prices may be higher in Times Square, AL, and HI). I had no idea about the toad thing, I definitely would watch my dog like a hawk if I let him outside.
My cousin's husband was posted in Hawaii for a few years and, while it was absolute paradise, she found it to be a very expensive place to live and noticed that the locals were hostile towards her/the army (which made it difficult for her to get a job off the base)
I think some of these probably apply to my country, New Zealand! Yes, it's paradise in many ways (everyone who visits says that) but of course there are plenty of downsides, many of them financial.
Everyone who has ever visited there thinks the same thing, "this must be paradise living here!" But unless you were raised there and it's in your blood, it's a very hard place to live. Other things not mentioned were racism. Yes, it exists and is hard for mainlanders to fit in and often times find work because of it. Locals are favored. Understandable to some degree! If you live in Honolulu, traffic is just as bad as LA. If you move there with a pet it has to be quarantined for a quite a while (I don't have the exact numbers). I've had several friends who have lived there...all have moved back. One friend who currently lives there and makes quite a bit of money had the hardest time finding a one bedroom apartment near Honolulu. I don't want to rain on anyone's parade...but I just know there is a LOT to consider before moving there. That being said, I LOVE Hawaii and it's very easy for me to visit there (been there 4 times), so I would aways recommend it as a place to visit. I believe it's a much different experience than living there.
@Beachbudget Ah great points and thanks for sharing. I think if I ever became so wealthy I had no idea what to do with my money I would buy a vacation home there : )
From the west coast, flights are incredibly cheap and I have only been there once. The best time to go is in the winter around Christmas which is their high season. Summer time is much cheaper, but not as desirable. I remember food was 20% more expensive besides housing etc. One of the few professions they recruit for is teachers. They pay pretty well, but when consider the costs it is not so good. I live in southern California, so it is close to paradise.
@krantcents1 Ah yes if you lived in Cali vs. in Minnesota you could cut two whole flights out of the equations (MN -> LA and LA -> MN) which I'm sure would bring the price down.
It's too bad it's not a place where there's a lot of decent-paying finance jobs...I would still consider the move then!
I've never been but have always wanted to go. About 4 years ago I had a hairdresser here that was originally born there. I didn't know that and one day I said something about how nice it would be to live there. He said I was crazy. He said that it was very expensive and that the people that lived there were either very rich or very poor. The people that run the banana plantation were the rich ones. He said as soon as his parents could afford to do so they took him and his brothers and sisters and moved to Canada to build a better life for themselves. i can clearly remember how emotional he got about how much he didn't like living in Hawaii.
@TacklingOurDebt Wow! That's quite the story. Honestly, I'm not sure it would be worth it to live there either unless you were economically well-off enough to afford a decent house and lifestyle. I imagine the job and business opportunities would be more limited which would explain why their parents wanted to move them to Canada. Sounds like an interesting person to talk to.
I was on Maui last summer and wondered what it would be like to live there. I think the only way I could do it is if I lived up in the hills a really long way from the beaches and tourists.
@KyleJames1 Maui was the same island I went to when I was in Hawaii. Beautiful place.
Funny, I was watching House Hunters in Hawaii last night and thought how much I'd like to live there and my husband reminded me about the really big bugs that I'd have to combat. Didn't make it a deal breaker but the 1BR, 1BA 574 sq ft house for almost half a mil did.
@Eyesonthedollar The episode I watched they showed a tiny house like you described that was incredibly expensive, but it was right on the beach. The couple ended up getting a 3 bedroom house with a 2 car garage for relatively cheap (and it was newer construction!). So it seems there are some very expensive houses there and some that are somewhat more affordable.
My father lived in Hawaii for quite some time. He enjoyed it, but said that it gets tiring after a while. Also, with the expanse of ecommerce, both Hawaii and Alaska get the short end of the stick when it comes to shipping. No ground shipping to either. Boo!
@DebtRoundUp The no ground shipping thing is killer.
Lol rock fever. Apart from the high price of real estate I would like to live in Hawaii. Of course you have to adapt your lifestyle and stop trying to eat and live like you're in the lower states. Fruits and fish have to be pretty cheap, and you can change your diet a bit. I would hope to do and visit as much as possible locally but sure you can get bored after 2-3 years and want to move back.
@RFIndependence Good points about the diet. I'm sure if you adjust you can save some on the food prices.
It's funny you write this because we get a lot of the same comments about living in the Caribbean. Yes, it's pretty here in Grenada, and yes, the water is blue. However, it's still a developing country with an extreme amount of poverty, and the cost of living is pretty high for the US people who live here (Think $500 a month to rent a '95 CRV). We're glad we made the decision to move here, as it's been a life changing experience. But, we're also glad that we won't live here forever and that in 2014 we'll be moving stateside.
@BudgetBlonde Did not know you lived in Grenada! That's really, really cool!
@DC @ Young Adult Money Thanks! It's fun. Yeah, here is the nutshell version of our move on my about page: http://www.budgetblonde.com/about-me :)
@BudgetBlonde Awesome will check it out!
I think I'd enjoy living there if I had the money! However it would stink to have no family there and that would be my biggest reason for why I wouldn't want to do it.
@SenseofCents Yeah I would want enough money to fly back at least a couple times a year, if not more. It would be hard to live that far away from family and friends.
Ha! Awesome title. I wouldn't consider moving to Hawaii. It's such a nice place to visit that I think the shine would wear off if I lived there. It'd be like living at Disney World. Wouldn't that completely suck living in Cinderella's---wait....I'd love living at Disney, what the hell am I talking about?
@AverageJoeMoney Haha!
I'd totally take it right now with the snow we have on the ground! I would have to say the same thing about Alaska. I lived there for three months after college and loved it. It's beautiful and so much to see, but they deal with a number of the same issues that Hawaii does. Not to mention that it's dark for six months out of the year! I'll be satisfied with another visit though. :)
@FrugalRules I've never been to Alaska but I can see how it would have similar issues as Hawaii, as well as similar benefits (beautiful place to live I'm sure). I'd like to visit Alaska, but would probably visit Hawaii again first : )