Cost of Living

We're the Hawaii expats....

...a breakdown of the most and least expensive states to call home....

...the phenomenon of locals leaving Hawaii to live on the mainland has been increasing significantly in recent years....

In 2015, Hawaii had the highest SNAP spending at $222.99, while New Hampshire had the lowest at $103.87—a difference of 115 percent....

Gov. Ige’s signing of the new IECC will pave the way for the eventual adoption of the code by Hawai‘i’s counties, requiring that all new commercial and residential construction meet the code....

Honolulu ranks first for installed solar capacity per capita in the United States....

Hawaii Ranks #1 for Fewest Hours of Sleep per Night ....

Only 20.2 percent of younger households own their homes, the lowest among the states....

SB107 would raise the minimum wage 62% from $9.25 / hour ....

...42 key indicators of affordability, economic strength, quality of education and health, and overall living standards....

Because the savings rate is calculated from local price comparisons, it will vary by region due to differences in the cost of living, even when commissary prices remain uniform and constant....

...UHERO: ‘Discriminatory’ HSTA Property Tax Plan hits Renters Hardest....

...six components: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care, and miscellaneous goods and services....

...unaffordable housing is almost everywhere and every time caused by the same factor: housing supply restrictions....

Hawaii lawmakers want to make unlicensed short-term rentals a class C felony....

...non-government workers in Hawaii make, on average, $43,544 in annual pay and benefits (adjusted for cost of living) which ranks as the lowest compensation in in the nation....

If retirement is still a big question mark for you because of finances, consider relocating to a state that lets you keep more money in your pocket....

Up to 2,000 customers dependent on life support equipment or increased heating and cooling needs due to a medical condition verified by a physician....

Raising a healthy, stable family sometimes requires moving to a new state....

...Total leftover income after cost of living expenses: -$367.09  Hawaii is the only state where the median earner is in the hole....

Listings booked more than half the year on AirBnB make up only 0.18% of Hawaii housing stock....

Home Ownership More Costly Than Renting on Oahu, Maui, Big Island ....

Nishina previously served in the role from December 2009 to January 2011....

The first two wharfage increases of 17% and 15% on February 1st and October 1st respectively will result in a 34.5% increase in 2017 on a compound basis....

The next scheduled raise is Jan. 1, 2018 when it will increase to $10.10....

Company cites spending $900M in grid upgrades for reliability, renewable energy....

Instead of spending money on enforcement, it would be better to use resources to expedite the permitting process....

...OHA milked $12,684,000 from Harbors Division in 2015....

...presentation for the Building Industry Association of Hawaii's 2016 summit, "Still Houseless in Honolulu."....

...asking Harbors to release the financial information that would justify the need for a wharfage rate increase....

...what isn’t working....

... 10,000 ‘rent-to-equity,’ truly affordable homes ....

...The first public hearing on the proposal will be Nov. 7 at noon at the Pier 11 terminal at Honolulu Harbor....

Expenditures on gasoline and other energy goods declined 27.4 percent in Hawaii....

...Only 8 states have RETAIL rates higher than the 0.145 per kwh WHOLESALE rate HECO is touting here as if it were a good price for erratic electricity....

Here's how the rates will compare with current residential rates....

I've met so many young people on the campaign trail, who graduated from college, work hard, and are still unable to buy their first home....

Kaiser rates are going up 25.9% ....

“local barriers to housing development have intensified....”

Value-to-income ratios above 3 suggest real or artificial limits on the ability of homebuilders to meet the demand for new housing....

...the city of Honolulu dumping nearly $10 million of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money into buying apartments over property value to remain eligible for the funds....

24 Percent of U.S. County Housing Markets Less Affordable Than Their Historic Norms in Q3 2016....

...the City failed to spend $26 million in the affordable housing fund and such failure may require the City to give back these funds to the Federal government....

"Last week we learned that the City failed to spend tens of millions of dollars in the affordable housing fund and we may now lose this money."

TOU rates are higher during the evening when the overall electricity demand is greatest....

If approved, a typical residential bill for 500 kilowatt hours on Hawaiʽi Island would increase by $9.31 a month to $171.16....

...229,000 people are living below the poverty line in Hawaii.  This is 16.8% of the population....

When New York City implemented tough rent control policies during the 1970s and early 1980s, over 300,000 apartments were abandoned over an 11-year period....