Cost of Living

...Hawaii’s cost of living was 201.3 percent of, or double, the national average, with the primary problem being housing costs that punched in at a staggering 347.1 percent of the national average. Our grocery costs were at 160.8, utilities at 185.2, transportation at 135.7, and health care at 120.3 percent of the national average respectively....

...The state’s population has been declining for the past three years, in part because of outward migration....

...“My three bills aim directly at one of the key drivers of our astronomically high cost of living in Hawai‘i and other locations in our country that are not part of the continental U.S,” said Case....

...Hawaii residents pay over $20,000 more per year than the second-most expensive state, California....

...smaller steps that could lead to big results....

...Hawaii is the single most difficult state for workers to get ahead, requiring $96.1K to enjoy a comfortable life and 91-hour workweeks to get there....

...Annual Median Cost of Long Term Care Support Services for Hawaii....

...2nd-highest in the USA....

...Hawaii Median household income in 2018: $80,212....

...We ranked 827 counties by the ratio of rent-to-income....

...and the lowest average interest rates....

...energy, housing and occupational licensing. The “best practice” policies we have been learning about here will help us address the economic and social challenges we all face in Hawaii....

...if we work to do good for all people of Hawai'i, we end up helping Hawaiians....

...We discuss the common issues of the Golden State and the Aloha State – affordable housing, high poverty, a pension crisis, and the high cost of living."....

...the Honolulu City Council is considering Bill 25, which would add numerous energy conservation requirements for any residential dwelling that is new or remodeled....

...he is considering a proposal that would leave the Jones Act in place but forbid shipping companies from charging a certain percentage above an established international shipping rate....

...and teachers salaries are the lowest in USA when adjusted for cost of living....

...What It Actually Costs to Live in America’s Most Expensive Cities....

...The situation with LPG carriers parallels that of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers in that none of these ships exist in the Jones Act fleet....

... Fee increases for users of Hawai‘i small boat harbors and boating facilities will be implemented soon, after they were signed into law by Governor David Ige on August 13, 2019 ....

...The effects of the Ninth Circuit Court’s expansion of the Clean Water Act on our already tight housing market could be severe....

...doctors can make 50 percent more if they work on the mainland instead of in Hawaii....

...video Hawaii residents are leaving the state in record numbers....

...Lowering the cost of living would make everyone’s pay go further, especially the less fortunate....

Metropolitan Area --Real Value of $100

• 4th Lowest in USA -- Urban Honolulu, HI -- $80.19
• Maui County $93.20
• Kauai and Hawaii Counties – $99.50

...Keep working three jobs so you can send money to Elon Musk....

... Elon Musk needs money.  That's why he is a billionaire and its why you are paying higher electric rates ....

...If you retire with $1 million in Hawaii, you’ll have less than a dozen years to ride out your savings....

...Death in Hawaii is by far the priciest among all the states....

... $100 is effectively worth the least in Hawaii ($84.39) ....

...Hawaii Child Care Costs More than College Tuition....

...Hawaii is No. 1 in the country when it comes to residents whose consumer debt, not including mortgages, outweighs their yearly salary....

...The HECO LNG plans were abandoned after their proposed merger with NextEra Energy, Inc. was disapproved by the Hawaii State Public Utilities Commission....

...WalletHub compared 300 cities of varying sizes across 27 key indicators of market attractiveness, affordability and quality of life....

...Student Debt as % of Income, Adjusted for Cost of Living  (3rd-lowest)....

...To rank CNBC's 2019 America's Top States for Business, we put all 50 states through a rigorous test and graded them based on more than 60 measures of competitiveness in 10 broad categories....

...The Hawaii Shippers’ Council (HSC) recently reviewed its 1997 estimates of the cost of the Jones Act on Hawaii....

...a dirty legislative trick from 2008 has--eleven years later--effectively outlawed new installation of tankless on-demand gas water heaters....

...“These constraints, largely imposed at the local level, raise costs and limit the number of homes that can be built in places where demand is highest.”....

...despite the nation's lowest electricity consumption, chart-topping rates give Hawaii the 10th highest electric bills....

...It is universally acknowledged that Hawaii residents need more homes. So why is it so hard to build them?....

...Hawaii residents have been moving away from the islands in droves in recent years; in fiscal 2017, more than 13,000 people departed — the highest negative net migration ever....

...Out of Reach documents the significant gap between renters’ wages and the cost of rental housing....

...Honolulu residents spend the 2nd-most for food, 3rd-most as a percentage of income....

...and Hawaii has the 4th-lowest home ownership rate in USA....

...Study concludes that ratepayers are being gouged to the greatest possible degree and no other system could gouge us more effectively without us noticing....

...For decades now, the young ones have heard this message loud and clear....

...in Hawaii the dollar has less buying power than in any other state....

...the population of urban Honolulu declined in 2018 for the second year in a row....