Not so great for me
-
4/11/2012
I have lived in Honolulu for about 8 months and have already made plans to get out (4months and counting). I don't regret moving here and experiencing this place, but I simply can't recommend anybody live here unless you have money to blow and really, really, love the ocean stuff. And if you like living everyday ghetto-ness. I have a PhD, my wife has a masters, and we make six figures, but even we feel poor here - though most people are much poorer. Don't underestimate the additional costs here to live, it is significant. The food is about double what I use to pay, and the rent is double. The grocery prices really are a farce though - it costs less to order pizza from papa john than to buy the ingredients and make your own pizza. Don't buy the shipping excuse for the costs - food is shipped all over the mainland as well. And pineapples grown here costs less in the mainland than at my local market. My theory with the high cost here is that the business owners here are making big mula so that they can live comfortably here. The tax system also just schemes off of tourists and residents with wage income while property owners enjoy low property taxes here. I also feel that it is morally wrong that native hawaiian groups and interests own a significant fraction of the land and get in perpetuity money off of the users of the land from leaseholds. The natives have their own schools, housing programs, and healthcare resources that are openly discriminatory based on blood race. They natives get these benefits as birth rights. I thought my poor feudal farming ancestors left central Europe 150 years ago to get away from birth rights and then lo and behold here they are again. I also feel that it is immoral that many establishments and activities offer local rates cheaper than the tourist rates. I hope that the mainland starts charging Hawaii residents an extra 10-20 percent when they are visiting the mainland just to even the score. The drivers are extremely bad here - someone dies in a car accident every other day here - oftentimes pedestrians and cyclists are victims. Overall though, I find myself a little bored of the free activities and don't have the budget despite my income level to enjoy the activities that cost money. Also, I think our bus system is terrible here. Da Bus goes all over the island, but da bus is packed, slower than walking, and never on schedule. Cycling is the only efficient way to get around, that is until a driver kills you off.
Mark | Honolulu, HI