Cost of Living

... Thursday, Feb. 21, noon to 1:30 p.m. at the state Capitol, Room, 312 ....

...House Bill 1315 proposes an amendment to the Hawaii Constitution that would enshrine a “right” to housing....

...Hawaii already does more than any other state to discourage car ownership....

...percent of average wages to rent--Santa Cruz County, California (81.7 percent); Honolulu County, Hawaii (74.4 percent); Spotsylvania County, Virginia (73.0 percent); Maui County, Hawaii (69.5 percent)....

...Hawaii residents now owe $4.1B in student loans, up from $2B in 2008....

...The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Insurance Division has released its annual sample premium comparison guides for motor vehicle, homeowners, condominium, and renters insurance....

Among conditions for the buyers of these “ALOHA homes”....

...The Real Cost of Smoking by State....

...Jay Griffin becomes PUC chair immediately....

...Reinsurance programs help insulate insurers from heavy losses if they end up enrolling a higher-risk population with higher claims. Insurers can thus lower their premiums, instead of raising rates....

...It’s too expensive.....

... Hawaii takes the cake as the most expensive state in the Union .... 

...If approved, a typical residential bill for 500 kilowatt-hours on Hawaii Island would increase by $8.21 a month....

...According to the Grassroot Institute, high taxes, high government spending and burdensome regulation were major reasons economic freedom in the state continued to decline; they also contributed heavily to the state’s high cost of living....

...at the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Katowice, Poland....

...the blame can be placed squarely on high housing prices....

...total cost of premiums and potential spending on deductibles ranging from $4,664 in Hawaii to more than $8,000 in eight states....

...The U.S. Census Bureau released its 2013-2017 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates on December 6, 2018....

...the baseline loan limit will be $726,525 for one-unit properties....

...Hawaii has one of the most onerous business tax situations. Another drawback: the highest cost of living in the U.S. Hawaii’s median home price of $708,000 is $115,000 more than any other state....

...Public Encouraged to Apply for the County's First-Time Buyer's Program....

...statistically significant upward adjustments on average are observed across utilities that experienced decoupling....

...how some well-intentioned regulations have had a chilling effect on efforts to build more homes....

Many Hawaii taxpayers breathed a sigh of relief after the state Supreme Court on Oct. 19 voided a ballot question that would’ve allowed the state to raise taxes....

...Hawaii among three most expensive states for home health aide services and for long term care in nursing facilities....

...LendingTree Ranks Down Payment Affordability by State....

...lower state and county taxes, reduce government regulations, allow more housing to be built, update the federal Jones Act and narrow the scope of occupational licensure....

...The state depends on mostly low-sulfur fuel oil for about 70 percent of its power. In 2020, though, demand for that fuel is expected to surge, pushing up prices....

...Aloha State utilities cost $730.86 -- $202.90 more than #2 Alaska....

...How Affordable is Your Electricity? Comparing Electric Rates, Bills, and Burden....

...Government and the Cost of Living: Income-Based vs. Cost-Based Approaches to Alleviating Poverty....

...The average annual expenditures total $111,892. The median household income of $71,977 — the fourth highest in the U.S. — isn’t enough...even without putting anything away for savings....

...law professor Randall Roth and entrepreneur Stanley Lau are leading a community movement that says the measure will actually hurt teachers and our school children....

...Of the nation’s biggest 252 cities 93% have registered Y-o-Y rent increases, 6% flatlined, and only 1% of cities have seen their rents decrease compared to  September, 2017....

...The string of islands in the Pacific Ocean obviously have an economy that functions much differently than the other 49 states....

...Those opposed to the constitutional amendment attending the news conference today stood outside a modest, family-owned walk-up apartment on Date Street, valued at approximately $1.5 million, to draw attention to the type of investment properties that would be impacted by the new tax....

...This law, which we have discussed before, recently has been used to create a “school impact district” that goes from Kalihi to Ala Moana.... 

...24 key metrics that represent financial savvy — or lack thereof....

...The Board of Water Supply will have the ability to waive the water systems facilities charges and new meter cost for qualified on-site affordable and homeless dwelling units, up to 500 dwelling units per year....

...Hawaii’s governor signed a 100 percent mandate in 2015, making it the first state in the country to require its entire energy mix to originate from renewables. California passed a similar bill in August....

...the average debt in Hawaii is a whopping $869,250....

...Finally politicians are doing something about affordable housing--they're demolishing it....

...in 1969 the only places in America where housing cost more than three times incomes were Hawaii and Stamford, Connecticut. I don’t know why Stamford was on the list, but Hawaii had passed legislation strictly regulating where people could build homes in 1961....

...Stanley Lau who is the chair of the Affordable Coalition PAC which was formed to oppose the passage in the upcoming General Election of a constitutional amendment authorizing the State to tax investment property....

...Estimated prevalence rates of food insecurity during this 3-year period ranged from 7.4 percent in Hawaii to 17.9 percent in New Mexico; estimated prevalence rates of very low food security ranged from 2.9 percent in Hawaii to 7.1 percent in Alabama and Louisiana....

...opening up more land for housing should also be on the table, if policy makers want to ease pressure on the housing market....

...The administration plans to take the rate increase to the UH Board of Regents (BOR) as soon as it can be scheduled....

...Maybe it’s just a question of semantics....

...In 4th place Honolulu $100 is worth only $80.40, in Maui County, $93.90, but in the rest of Hawaii—Big Island + Kauai--$100 is worth $98.33....

...The real value of $100 in Hawaii is $84.46. That’s less than it was in 2016, when the real value was $85.62....