Cost of Living

... Long ambulance response times, costly and unreliable non-emergency transportation, and insufficient insurance coverage for travel-related health care expenses ....

... single-wall construction is considered structurally inferior in hurricane-prone areas ....

... As Speaker, Saiki Co-chaired the Governor’s Executive and Legislative Condo and Property Insurance Task Force ....

... the USDA whacked our state with an $11 million fine for its huge error rate two years in a row ....

... sewer user fees have increased by an overall average of 9% for Fiscal Year 2026, which started on July 1, 2025 ....

... Zephyr Insurance Company, has partnered with the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to accept and process applications from Condominium and Townhouse Associations ....

... This “stay-put penalty” is locking up inventory and making it even harder for new buyers to break into the market ....

... The biggest and costliest piece of the plan is establishing clean fuel requirements for all types of transportation vehicles, including cars, passenger jets and cargo ships ....

... FULL TEXT whistlelower complaint exposes PUC - HECO Corruption ....

... The contract amendment negotiated with Par Hawaii and approved by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) includes significant changes aimed at stabilizing fuel costs ...

... with just $489 left over each month after covering essential living expenses, residents are left with little room to save ....

... in Hawaii investor buyers outnumber investor sellers more than any other state .... 

... in Hawaii, rent for a one-bedroom unit costs 46% of beginning, bachelor-degree-holding teacher salary ....

... This is up 9.48% from just a year ago ....

"...they have grandparents who just passed away recently or moved into assisted living, so now they can move back home and live in that house....”

... residents in the most expensive states like California, Hawaii, and New Jersey paying up to 39% more than the national median, while those in the most affordable states like West Virginia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma pay up to 44% less ....

...Hawaii serves just 5% of its four-year-olds and 2% of three-year-olds in state-funded preschool programs, dead last among Pacific states....

... Hawaii taxes beer at $0.93 per gallon .....

... Increasing 11% per year over a 5-year period -- The Honolulu Council apparently used this as a model. ....

... Hawaiʻi ranks 24th in overall children’s well-being in the Data Book, as well as 33rd in the economic well-being ....

... 64,490 additional units are needed through 2027 but only 13,471 units are currently in development pipelines and anticipated to be available by 2027 .... 

... 11.6% of Honolulu rentals are under 348 square feet ....

... Most participants work in low-wage, non-unionized jobs—often seasonal or gig-based—in sectors like hospitality, domestic work, and landscaping ....

... a case challenging Governor Josh Green's use of emergency powers to address the state's affordable housing crisis ....

... The pace of new housing construction remains historically low. Housing permitting times continue to be long, especially in Honolulu and Maui ....

... Customers in states such as Hawaii and Connecticut, where retail electricity prices are relatively high, paid more than $200 per month for electricity ....

... WalletHub compared the relative attractiveness of the 50 states across 20 key metrics ....

... Even the bill’s supporters don’t pretend rents will come down ....

... Hawaii Residents Spend the Highest Percentage of Income on Housing ....

... The price of locally produced organic eggs increased sharply by 18.8%, to $12.07 per dozen ....

... Hawaii ranks as the least affordable state, with a median home price of $840,256 and a relatively high cost of living ....

... you need a gross salary of roughly $145,000 in order to actually take home $100,000 in Hawaii.  This is the third-worst in USA ....

... Hawaii has the highest annual costs associated with raising a small child, at $36,472 ....

... Young Brothers filed an application requesting Commission approval of a total revenue increase of $26,368,923 (27.06%) ....

... at $796,947, homeowners purchasing a home at this price point will need to work 17 days each month just to cover the payment of $5,222 ....

... Hawai‘i still pays significantly higher prices than the rest of the U.S., which averages at $4.90 per dozen ....

... Hawaii has the highest average commercial rent at $36 per square foot (#51) and the second-highest monthly electricity cost at $1,514.20 (#50) ....

... Hawaii’s road usage charge will become mandatory starting July 1, 2028, at which point the $50 flat fee will be discontinued ....

... The U.S. is considering trade sanctions against Chinese shipping that would negatively impact Hawaii ....

... Hawaii ranks dead last for medical environment ....

... Hawaii's 204 blacklisted condo projects make us 4th-worst in USA.  Since the other top states are much larger, Hawaii probably has the most blacklisted condo units per capita ....

... Let’s steer clear of tax hikes, instead focus on lowering costs ....

... some properties may now be classified within high-risk zones, known as Special Flood Hazard Areas, for the first time ....

... litigation is becoming an increasingly significant source of uncertainty and risk in Hawai‘i’s housing market ....

... Hawaii ranked dead last for the amount of square footage $300,000 can buy -- 443 square feet ....

... a leftover Unity House scheme could be costing Hawaiian Electric as much as $476M per year ....

“More Native Hawaiians flock to mainland cities and leave Hawaiʻi, citing high costs.”

“...Hawaii doesn’t have a scarcity of land. We build housing and urban development on only 5% of the land mass....”

... assisted living cost up 21% since 2023 ....

... March 11, 13, 20 ....