Cost of Living

... Are we going to put more pressure on our taxpayer base to dig into their pockets ever more deeply? ....

... States with the Most People in Financial Distress in 2023 .... 

... An analysis of average electricity prices by state shows Hawaii is easily the most expensive at 30.31 cents per kilowatt ....

... keeping you distracted while keeping housing costs high ....

... This is only the second time in KIUC’s 20-year history – and the first time in 12 years – that a rate increase was sought ....

... when you come home from work, you will be paying 52 cents per kilowatt-hour on Oahu, and 62 cents per kilowatt-hour on the Big Island ....

... U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawai'i recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would incentivize state and local governments to liberalize housing regulations around transit projects ....

... the state’s lone geothermal plant on Hawaiʻi Island produces five times the amount of electricity as one of the state’s largest solar farms, while requiring 80% less land area ....

... “It has among the strictest restrictions on residential building in the country. And in 2022, the state worsened the problem by enacting a statewide urban growth boundary that limits land development.” ....

... at $52.85, Hawaii has the highest average turkey prices of all the states ....

... Were you fooled when the Carpenters Union pretended to end its opposition to panelized construction after the Lahaina Fires?  Sucker ....

... For most lessees, the increase is a $1,250 jump in rent per month. ...

... Grassroot videos on Instagram rack up more than 1 million views in October ....

... 28% of Hawaii respondents — or 410,410 people — said they suffer from insomnia because of concern over their debt ....

... Hawaii residents had the largest debt increase in Q3 2023 at $1,093 per household ....

... since 1969, the median home price in Hawaii has surged from being less than three times the median income to nearly 10 times the median income today ....

... Hawaii is the only state where a six-figure salary is required to live comfortably — and no other state even comes close ....

... all boards involved in an affordable housing project covered by the proclamation should comply with the Sunshine Law’s requirements ....

... Hawaii ranks third-highest with a $223 median student loan payment ....

“...Does social housing actually work? Setting the record straight on the Vienna Model....”

... Hawaii is the most expensive state for realtor fees with a transaction costing $44,576 to the buyer and seller. ...

... the average housing unit that cost $400,000 was only 260 square feet, about the size of a 16’x16′ room. That means the cost was $1,500 per square foot ....

“...once in a while, go in and break the system....” 

... customize data reports based on location, with information such as property and rental market, demographics, zoning and housing stock ....

... Bissen asked the Commission and Hawaiian Electric for a temporary suspension of the pilot program for the randomly selected customers on Maui due to the recent wildfires ....

... including rentals of residential dwellings ....

... 51st – Avg. Salary for Teachers (Adjusted for Cost of Living) ....

"...we can't continue to do nothing and expect the problem to just go away....”

... Here are some of the highlights:  Adds “affordable” housing to the title ....

... a new tax classification specifically for long-term “gap” rentals ....

... a family of four earning Hawaii’s median income of $88,005 a year would have a state income tax bill of $5,086. At that income level, only Oregon families face a higher tax burden ....

... NEM solar users bills increase: 100%, 200%, or more ... 

"... Innovative Transaction to Rehabilitate Properties and Preserve Long-Term Affordability ...."

... Can single-stair construction actually reduce the building costs and contribute to alleviating our housing shortage? ....

... how regulations and building codes have made constructing small apartment buildings more expensive and less efficient ....

... addressing critical issues related to clean energy access, affordability, and fairness in Hawai‘i ....

... “It really does is just put pressure on the Legislature and say, ‘Are you going to act?'"....

... Hawaii residents spend $3,070 each month on the ten most common household bills, which is +50% above the national average ....

... state law prohibits them from increasing prices on basic goods during Governor Green's State of Emergency ....

... Because it is temporary, Green’s Proclamation ensures that too few projects will be approved to actually bring down the cost of housing ....

... a 1961 land-use law and subsequent amendments placed most of the land in the state off limits to development ....

... data gathered by Hawaiian Electric and will ultimately determine how the program may roll out to all customers starting in late 2024 or 2025 ....

... private shipping companies cannot exclude shipments to Hawai’i and other non-contiguous parts of country and cannot charge inflated costs ....

... Hawaiian Electric Co. recently released its integrated grid plan, which put the cost of interconnecting the state’s planned renewable energy plants at around $9 billion — and that doesn’t include the cost to build the plants themselves ....

... At the ceremony, the Governor made clear that tax relief, especially for ALICE (asset-limited, income-constrained, employed) families, is still on the table.  There will be a Phase 2, he said, apparently targeting the 2024 legislative session ....

... Since the program’s inception in 2021, service providers from the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and Hawaiʻi Community Lending have been serving homeowners with the greatest needs ....

... Senate Bill 941 allows the School Facilities Authority to join with public and private agencies in developing off or on-campus housing for teachers and other staff ....

... why have prices spiked over the past half-century? ....

... UHERO released the first edition of an annual report on the state of housing called “The Hawaiʻi Housing Factbook” ....