Cost of Living

... the average monthly energy bill comes to $321 ....

... The cost of bills in Hawaii totals an average of $2,731 per month, 44.6% higher than the national average ....

“...When the government inserts itself into markets, taxpayers often foot the bill....”

... This would give Maui the second most restrictive affordable-housing law in the country ....

... 11 of 16 Hawaii towns are in the top 10% of most overextended mortgage borrowers ....

... Hawaii has the 5th lowest Avg. Annual Wage for Physicians (adj for cost of living) ....

... I have a 5,000-square-foot, five-bedroom house on half an acre with a view that stretches to a river, and that house costs me $539,000 ....

... Hawaii is down by more than 1,000 physicians, with no prospect of the situation improving ....

... A Maui bill to increase affordability requirements is the backdrop for a discussion on how current housing policy can be improved ....

... the ALOHA homes program as currently envisioned in SB1 likely would result in an expensive, non-sustainable government project that would fail ....

... Instead of creating more affordable homes, they reduce development and cause prices to go up ....

... in Full-Service Restaurants, most workers who earn minimum wage receive significantly more compensation in tips ....

... Where They Moved To: California, Texas and Washington ....

... lift zoning restrictions that hamper creative solutions to the lack of affordable housing ....

... ILWU, Teamsters, IATSE, UFCW ....

... UHERO second quarterly survey of rental property owners and managers ....

... gas prices to rush-hour traffic congestion to road quality ....

... Honolulu is the only city where mortgages have taken up more than 40% of homeowners’ incomes in 2010, as well as in 2015 and 2020 ....

... 33 Hours worked to afford median rent for nurses -- Hawaii ranks 43rd ....

... Hawaii Cost of Living Index is 196.3--the US Average is 100 ....

... potential monetary losses — including both the lifetime and annual cost of a cigarette pack per day, health care expenditures, income losses and other costs .... 

... “the carbon tax” is most likely the “barrel tax” ....

... 8 of 16 Hawaii towns are among the worst 10% credit card debtors in USA ....

... Ratepayer money will be shoveled to Elon Musk to buy batteries ....

... DPP has released its Annual Report on the status of land use on O‘ahu for fiscal year ending 2019 ....

... an initiative that will provide applicants on the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) Waiting List with down payment assistance for a fee-simple residential purchase off Hawaiian Home Lands on Oʻahu ....

... Increase in Long Term Care Costs in Hawaii Surpass National Trends; COVID-19 Pressures Future Costs ....

...for every dollar the University saves with on-campus (solar) investments, other customers will pay $1.15 more -- UHERO.....

...in Urban Honolulu it is 48.1% ....

... 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...."