Cost of Living

... Hawaii shines as #1 out of only 18 states where it’s more cost-effective to build rather than buy ....

... Bill 40’s proposal would increase the home exemption by a mere 10% and the exemption for older individuals by just 7% ....

... more Hawaiians are moving out of Hawaiʻi every year ....

... Housing expert says Hawaii fits pattern of areas losing residents ....

... Now living in Seattle, Tongi was asked by judge Lionel Richie, “Why on Earth would you leave Hawaii?” ....

... 2023 U.S. Bill Pay Category Breakout Report ....

... This can make it very difficult for Hawaii employers to offer HDHPs to their employees ....

... Median Monthly Mortgage Payment: $4,403 ....

... Decades of neglect in monitoring the program has left the department unable to evaluate its success ....

... Green’s “GAP” plan seeks to provide tax credits for food, rent and child care expenses primarily to Hawaii’s lower- and middle-class families ....

... This is the 5th-highest percentage, nationwide .... 

... greenhouse gas concerns, as well as the comparatively high cost of biomass electricity ....

... Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It ....

... More than 15,000 people left Hawaii for the mainland last year ....

“They should look for ways to make government cost less and run more efficiently and operate on a leaner budget."

... we have high hopes for a few ideas that could make a real difference for our state ....

... the average cost for a dozen eggs in Hawaii is about $9.73. That's 51% higher than a year earlier and 53% higher than #2 Florida ....

... Areas with high living costs, large immigrant populations, and housing shortages are abundant with multigenerational homes ....

... Residential A properties went up 39.9% ....

... To this day, I still wonder where the $58 million that was earmarked for testing and tracing went or whose pockets it lined ....

... 156 bills are on the current docket to be introduced in the House of Representatives and Senate ....

... Governor Josh Green, M.D. signed a sixth emergency proclamation to extend federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) emergency allotment benefits, in keeping with ongoing federal COVID relief efforts ....

... high gas prices, rush-hour traffic congestion and poor road quality ....

... Hawaii’s population has been declining for six straight years, and if policymakers don’t do something quickly to avert the looming increase in county property taxes, that is likely to continue ....

... 6th highest in USA ....

... According to recent data, searches for side jobs have seen an increase of 49.89%, with Hawaii ranking sixth among the states ....

...The lie that tourists pay 30% of the GE Tax is front and center as Gov Green and legislators quickly walk back Green’s fake 2022 campaign promise to eliminate the GE Tax from food and medical care....

... Hawaii residents paid on average $210.26 a month up by $38.08 ....

... Grassroot Institute of Hawaii’s “wins” over the past year ....

... and that doesn’t account for state tax rates, which are among the highest in the nation ....

... The Price of Pizza Hut and Domino’s in Every Country and State ....

... Akina and Iwasa discuss the history of property taxes in Hawaii, how assessments are conducted and what reforms the counties should consider ....

... more than 15,000 left the state between July 2021 and July 2022 ....

... Hawaii’s population dropped by almost 7,000 people, or 0.5%, between July 2021 and July 2022 ....

... The rate increase is subject to approval by the PUC and any increase is not expected to impact member bills until the second half of 2023 ....

... The attorneys general warned about possible abuse of a proposed rule requiring refunds when there’s a significant change in flight itinerary ....

... assessments of all real property on Oahu went up by 12.4% compared with the previous year. And that’s just the average ....

... retirees can expect to burn money fastest in Hawaii ....

... City to Send 2023 Real Property Notice of Assessments ....

... many Hawaii families are taking a hard look at their finances and calculating how inflation and recession will affect their holiday plans, if not their entire economic futures ....

"...higher inflation will pressure pension liabilities via rising employee wages, which raise projected benefits, and automatic cost of living adjustment mechanisms...."

... by-right approval for affordable housing projects would streamline the process for homebuilders and potentially yield big savings ....

 ... Wednesday from 3:30pm to 5:00pm on Zoom, a panel discussion on housing in Hawaii with three Hawaii housing legends ....

... a 2% increase in resident tuition rates at the three UH universities in AY 2025–26 and a 2% increase in AY 2026–27 ....

... The result is exactly what we have in Hawaii: a lot of talk about lowering the cost of housing, but very little effective reform ....

... the new ordinance is likely to do more harm than good by discouraging more homebuilding ....

... the new sales price calculations will reduce the cost of affordable homes by an average of 22% ....

“...First, do no harm....”

“...Are out-of-state buyers, especially foreigners, really driving Hawaii’s high home prices?....”

... Honolulu ranks 90th of 100 cities ....