Cost of Living

... groceries +69.3%, transportation +46.6%, utilities +99.4% ....

...Hawaii’s negative migration of the past several years in a row is going to accelerate....

...well-connected people often found their way to the tops of housing waiting lists while the names of people who really needed affordable housing disappeared....

...When your state lacks sufficient housing, the last thing you should do is make building a difficult, risky and lengthy process. But that’s exactly what Hawaii has done....

...Hawaii’s residents need more housing that they can afford. And one of the simplest ways to provide it would be to reform a mysterious organization called the Land Use Commission....

...The average monthly Medicare Advantage premium changed from $63.86 in 2020 to $57.28 in 2021. This represents a -10.30 percent change in average premium....

...The state Land Use Commission has strayed from its core mission, leading to fewer homes and higher home prices for Hawaii residents....

...This purchase adds ZERO new affordable units because these units were already affordable in the private sector....

... Oahu projects run as high as $0.13 pkwh even as competitors offer $0.089 pkwh ....

...but the Big Island is much more affordable....

...What is the Real Value of $100 in Your State?....

...Disconnection notices and disconnections for nonpayment will resume after Sept. 1. Late fees resume after Sept. 15....

...A new study that allegedly shows the Jones Act has no “negative impact” on the cost of living in Hawaii actually shows the opposite, according to the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii....

... the Supply-Demand Connection They Won’t Talk About at UH: Hawaii’s artificial restriction of land supply has profited KSBE, A&B and other major landowners by making housing unaffordable for middle class and working class families.  Greenmail protests and litigation by OHA, sovereignty activists and enviro groups shapes the land-use environment and drives young families out of Hawaii ....

...In Hawaii, the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a two-bedroom apartment is $2,015—the highest in USA....

...2020’s Most & Least Energy-Expensive States....

...The HPUC perceives the underlying problem as YB management’s inability to control costs and operate an effective service....

...the Trump administration has since revised the rule, making it more difficult to challenge land-use rules that make housing more expensive....

...Oil is so cheap that HECO should be forced to CUT rates.  This is the consolation prize....

... YB is absorbing operating costs for Saltchuck's unregulated services.  This is a standard accounting trick for companies that are partly regulated and partly unregulated ....

"...We also considered factors like how large and how crowded homes are in the state...."

...urging the adoption of additional policies to close critical gaps left by the new federal moratorium on evictions and the state’s recent emergency orders....

...Hawaii housing costs are 329% of US average....

...Ewa Beach has the highest credit card debt in the USA at $29,658 per household.  Waipahu is 10th at $25,258....

...Carbon Tax to become $15B Slush Fund for Developers....

...Hawaii is the 8th-richest state but has the 5th-lowest per capita income in USA....

... 1 in 4 Honolulu residents say they plan to be gone by 2025 ....

...Multiple jobs. Doubling up. Hawaii adults say they’re doing it all and still struggling....

...An expert on Seattle's experience will address 2 Hawaii events....

...if this bill passes, guess what is going to happen to your electric bill....

...HB 2541 HD1 would make the state earned income tax credit refundable and permanent, and increase the refundable food/excise tax credit. In addition, the bill would increase the minimum wage....

...Railroaded: City proposes Mind-Blowing 233% increase in bus fares....

...Hawaii County's median listing price decreased by 10%....

...said state Sen. Mike Gabbard (D-Kapolei-Makakilo), who introduced the measure, “This is the right thing to do!”....

...Hawaii Population lost: -7,047 -- Population decrease: -0.50%....

...Public debate falls into two schools of thought as to why housing costs are so high....

...This year’s Legislature has produced some unique proposed solutions to deal with our housing crisis....

...the tax on gasoline would begin at $8.22 per barrel in 2021 and top out at $23.16 per barrel in 2030....

...HHFDC to decide how many units go to OHA and/or DHHL.... 

...More mandates and government red tape won’t build houses....

...These are the kind of people who make Hawaii what it is today....

...The study was done by Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (APA), which (previously demonstrated its reliability by conducting) a salary study in 2014 for HIDOE and the Hawaii State Teachers Association....

...Personalized Elder Index -- How Much do you need to live in your community in Hawaii?....

...the state in which you live can play a big role in how early you can retire....

...a big reason why construction budgets are about 25% higher than the rest of the country....

...STEM workers are in fierce demand and Honolulu is just not competitive....

...‘Cost of Ownership & Maintenance’ highest in USA....

...how do we attract more doctors to Hawaii — and keep the ones we still have?....

...no land shortage....

...Manufacturers of everything from tablets to toasters to tractors make it too difficult and too expensive to repair their products when they break....