The Price of Paradise: The Harsh Reality for Hawaii's Middle Class
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- So it’s hard to imagine that $100,000 for a family of four in Hawaii isn’t enough anymore. I was scrolling through the news feed and that headline caught my attention because I think we’re really feeling it now.
This $100K figure comes from an ALICE report by the Aloha United Way, which talks about the struggles of your everyday person in Hawaii - someone who works and is struggling to get by, but doesn’t qualify for many public assistance programs. Basically, your Hawaii lower-middle class.
And as an ALICE household in Hawaii, I wanted to share what it’s like living in Hawaii, where it’s getting to be more and more of a struggle. I want to talk about the numbers and the struggles of housing and other expenses. And also how I think people are managing, despite things continuing to get more expensive.
Aloha United Way ALICE 2023 Report - www.auw.org/alice-initiative
Intro - 0:00
What is an ALICE family in Hawaii? - 1:22
Hawaii Survival Budget and the Statistics - 1:39
Why $100,000 in Hawaii Isn't Enough - 2:54
Hawaii Housing Struggles - 4:07
Our Housing Situation - 5:48
Child Care Costs and Struggles in Hawaii - 7:08
General Cost of Living Struggles - 9:42
How Do Some Local Families Make It in Hawaii? - 11:02
Some Locals Live off Fixed Incomes or are Retired - 11:39
Some Locals Live at Home With Parents - 12:15
Some Locals Inherit a Home - 12:40
Some Locals Live With Consumer Debt - 12:50
Some Locals Operate on a Cash-based System - 13:55
Some Locals Stay on Government Assistance - 15:51
Closing Thoughts - 17:40
Filmed using the Canon M6 II.
#hellofromhawaii
#hawaiilife
#hawaiimiddleclass
📷 IG - / hello_from_hawaii
When you were wondering how people who make a lower salary get by, I would say it's multigenerational households or people living with a lot of roommates crammed into a house. I remember messaging with someone who was a library manager in Hawaii and they said they lived in a house with six other people and they earned 80K a year. This person was single and didn't have children, but 80K for one person still wasn't enough for them to live alone.
Absolutely.
Yes, they live with families.
I know people who make less than that who are homeowners but I guess it really depends on their circumstances. Some people had help from family to get the downpayment required to purchase their home and like what he said people live off of debt. I have a friend who earns much more money than me but is in a lot of debt from student loans. He had to borrow money from family to make the 20% downpayment to avoid the additional insurance payments if it were lower. When a medical bill pops in the thousands, he has to borrow money to pay the deductible in order for the insurance to kick in and pay the rest. I am debt free and really good at saving but I don’t get paid a lot of money and I still live at home. I have choices but I was raised to fear debt because my parents and grandparents always tried to pay things in cash even for the home we live in which didn’t have a mortgage.
@Jenan
It's so very true.
Go to Hawai'i as a single digit millionaire and you're almost poor as soon as you step off the plane, for good.
That's tough. $80k and that many roommates.
The truth is... not everyone can live in paradise. It is getting more and more expensive. Most of my classmates are gone. I see the older seniors barely getting by on social security.
It is disheartening. I am saddened.
May we all pray for some change for the better.
We could change this but we don't.
Well then move to somewhere cheaper!!
I did! I used to live in S.F. and now I live in Texas!
LOVE how you keep it real. Keep doing this brah. Seems like life has gotten so challenging economically for so many everywhere.
Totally get this - born/raised raised in Hawaii but 10 years ago I moved to the OR...even in OR it's getting more expensive to live (though not as bad compared to HI). "Priced out of paradise" as Iam Tongi shared during his audition on AI. I worry about my folks and my older brother. Now....they're older, slowing down though still try to stay active but the health issues come into play. Eventually the decision to return to Hawaii won't be because I can afford it...but because I have to care for one or both - tough for anyone being caregivers for their folks or other relatives. Appreciate the vid - keep posting!
It's going to be tough for a lot of locals who moved away. Once the parents get old, it might be worth them moving away instead of the kids moving back. Tough decisions ahead.
@@HelloFromHawaii I was thinking the same thing. If it was too expensive for the kids and they had to move away, how will they afford to come back and be caregivers when care giving often means reducing work or not working at all to care for the elderly parent(s)?
100k isn't enough here in Indiana for a family, let alone Hawaii. Need to start changing how we vote/operate the country/FED or else this inflation nonesense is only going to get worse.
Right on, it is in many places of the country,, but the oligarchs like point8ng out our work ethics and not the fact that we are over worked and under paid.
If you don’t have credit card, or auto loan debt 100k is plenty in Indiana. Americans today live way beyond their means. This is exactly what I make per year here in Florida and I believe it might be more expensive here than in Indiana.
I can’t afford to live In San Diego where I was born, so I moved to a less expensive state. I do not believe I have a right to live someplace beyond my budget. You can make a good life anywhere.
@@davidwelty9763 As a single person, yes it's enough. Maybe even a couple. For a family of four, though? Nope, regardless of debt it's not enough to live on. You can survive, sure, but cannot thrive/handle the curveballs life tends to throw at you. Car breaks down, kid breaks arm, or want to save up for a house? Not able to handle any of those situations without taking on serious debt.
Insanity, I live in the Midwest well on $100k
hawaii should focus on growing more of it's own food as one way to drop cost of liviing.
I left Hawaii in the mid 1980s for all the reasons you discuss in your excellent video. I was working 2 jobs to just get by. I rented a back room from a relative. I used to joke the only locals getting to enjoy the sunshine and beaches were the very rich and the unemployed street folks. Everyone else was always at work.
🤙
Always enlightening to hear what you have to say. Thanks for your candor and insights.
I struggled in New York City and I struggle here. It is what it is. The people in power need to make changes, but they don't want to.
Dems have been in charge forever....have they figured out how to make it better yet?
The problem is that Hawaii is almost solely dependent on the hospitality and service industries which are the foundation of the tourist economy. At the same time, these jobs tend to be the lowest paid with the highest risk associated with economic downturns. At what point can people just no longer afford to live on the islands? Even living in multigenerational households at some point it becomes an impossible situation. And if people can’t sustain themselves in these service jobs, who’s going to provide the hospitality for the tourist industry? A similar situation has happened to many areas in the country where affluent people have moved in and completely displaced the locals only to find out there aren’t any workers to work the jobs which make the places run. Bozeman, Montana comes to mind.
Thats mostly true for the outer islands, there's a lot of jobs in abundance working for the government here on oahu or more specifically STEM jobs. Although its not really fair for most full time active duty military to hold a huge housing allowance thats tax free to buy out their own home while that kid who graduated from the islands can barely compete with their pocket book. Being on both sides of the spectrum I can see it can get out of hand, so tighter restrictions on out of state buyers should be put in place.
I'll tell you how Hawaii people survive here, we don't get what we want, we settle. Also my paychecks definitely did get a 18% raise but our city officials got a 64% raise because it was too hard for them to survive on $68,904 a year on a part time job. I wish I had that problem.
Sad thing is most people are not even closer to $100K salary. 😢
It's nice to see you in the Alice video. I hope that you're youtube channel brings you the income needed to buy your next house.
Thanks for sharing
Its funny. When I was in college, I was a doorman during the summer in new york. The people who lived there were VERY rich. I once overheard a father talking to his daughter about hawaii. The kid was like, why do we have a summer house in hawaii (i forget where) when its so hard for the regular people to afford to live there. His responds was that he worked hard all his life and his family desires to live in paradise. I can kinda see both ways of thinking
This is a great point, and I appreciate you pointing this out. We all think it, and feel it. We need Tax Relief as well, that would help, and it something they have control of.
After I MOVED from the Hawaii HELL HOLE my FIRST home cost me $40,000, fee simple - not a "fixer upper- everything worked , no repairs needed. BEST DECISION - IMMIGARATE!
Real Talk. We need to teach financial literacy, as well as Civics so we can affect the process that got us here.
Yes, elections have consequences. What is being seen here are the ramifications of past choices.
Well said. There's still hope for locals who don't mind moving to mainland for a long while. I used to live in Kalihi and barely scraping by. Moved to Cali in six years ago. Now I own a SFH in a good neighborhood and am looking to buy a second home in Hawaii to pass down to my kids who are part Native Hawaiian. I am sad that I can't raise them in Hawaii. I hope connecting them with a piece of land in Hawaii will help them to understand their roots.
Luckily you are not renting, because I'm sure that people there are living in tents and their vehicles so bravo to you for having your own place especially in Hawaii.
Appreciate your perspective on this!
My wife will be giving birth to our first child this May and family planning wise, I think we're only wanting one kid.
We're making a conscious decision not to move to Hawaii until our child is 5 years old to avoid having to do daycare altogether and at the same time, have more time to pump up our savings and let our house appreciate more in value before we sell.
The timing ends up working out for us, but I think we're lucky and blesse in that aspect.
Mahalo for sharing. The cost of child care is high here, but there are programs to help supplement that. Heads up, though, on private school. If you're thinking about that here, tuition can run nearly $30K per year, depending on the school.
@@HelloFromHawaii Appreciate the heads up, but I don't think we'll do private school. It's just too cost prohibitive.
Anyway, mahalo for all your videos! Always look forward to them when I get the notification!
Praying you guys can find a new home soon ❤
🤙
Multi millionaires and billionaires not from the US are driving up the property prices. Like you mentioned, they are purchasing property for investment and not to actually live in them. Change needs to happen. 😢
It's not them, it's the realtors and corrupt government officials that are raising everything up in Hawaii. Some of the best things you can do to facilitate change is to attend your local city council meetings and making sure your voice is heard and getting in contact with your local district representative. Remember, they work for us.
The number of foreign buyers is quite low, based on the numbers, though. Not saying there aren't properties being bought as investments. Just might not be as many as we may think.
Your so right child care is nit cheap. When my son was young we saved up for more school. Because it cost between $385 for half day 7 am-11:30. Or full time was $775. And we did not qualify for a discount. It maybe cheaper if one parent stayed at home to take care of their children because if one parent went to work their whole paycheck would be for car payment, insurance for car and child care and child school expenses.
My wife and I live in Maui, and we barely scrape by. We don't buy anything that's not needed or necessary, our version of going out is getting groceries in Costco, we live in a tiny apartment our car is very old but fuel-efficient. No kids either. I can only imagine how paaki'ki loa it is for other families, most of my hoa hanau have moved to the mainland. The price of living here will always be a sticking point, and I think it will never end. I wish people who think about moving here would consider the level of displacement to the locals. Yes, come visit and spend money to help the po'e but as one sign in Molokai says" E hookipa mai, e kua'ai mai, e ho'i aku i kou hale."
Mahalo for sharing. Must be tough in a place like Maui, where things are a little more expensive than in other parts.
Molokai sign translation, please.
@@AGhostInTheMachine Please visit, spend money, go home.
@@cardiac161 Nice. I'll pass.
The phrase "E hookipa mai, e kua'ai mai, e ho'i aku i kou hale." is Hawaiian and it translates to "Welcome, come buy, and return home."
Everyone wants to live in Hawaii. Only a few even try to move there. Hawaii is seen as paradise and attracts wealthy people.
Well when you were born in hawaii you don't see it that way. I didnt. But I did feel the effects of not having much money growing up.
It's ironic I'm watching this today. I have to move me and my family away, and my child away from the only friends she's every known because I can't afford to live here anymore 🥺 The ironic part is I'm moving tomorrow 🤧
just come back from Oahu, shocked me that living is more expensive than NYC. But it’s paradise, just hope when retiring selling my NYC house can buy me a pic of land at Hawaii.
I have a perfect program that will decrease your cost of living by 40%. MOVE TO THE MAINLAND. Dont give me the family excuse, this is your life, u can still visit family, and going back to Hawaii once a year for two weeks makes your time in Hawaii so much more fun and exciting.
Crime is crazy in the mainland
Appreciate the suggestion. I think that's why many locals move.
@@main2333 Depends where you live on the Mainland. The Mainland is a big big place.
The banks need to work on this problem
Letting people qualify with lower incomes, or at least have some other criteria for homebuyers
They have state programs that could help lower income folks. Just not sure how much funding those programs receive.
@@HelloFromHawaii They clearly need more
i live in italy with just 24k year, rent is usually 500 per month and good brick houses are from 100k to 300k, 250 euro worth of food last a month for 2 persons
I feel there should be tighter restrictions or more taxes to be collected by investment properties, like why do you need 3 homes? I believe we did make some progress with the AirBnB fiscal though, its just results take time if we put the effort hard enough to solve it.
We'll see how enforcement will go for short-term rentals.
Same in ca
in romania people get paid 400 euros per month in average, car and houses costs almost as much as the rest of europe but germans frenchs and italians earn around 2000 per month
1:13 Not looking forward to that either! In Hilo, some plate lunches are already in the $12 to $14 range. I'm old enough to remember $5 plate lunches and it doesn't seem like that long ago.
I still remember plate lunches under $10.
Idk where ALICE is getting their numbers. We are a married couple, no children, renting in central oahu, 2 bed 1.5 bath townhome, w garage, no yard for $2,600/m which includes water/sewer. ALICE implies that a single person could rent for $1,210/m that’s $2,420/m for 2 working adults. Maybe in a shared space but not a townhome or SFH.
We gross between $180k-200k and it feels impossible to afford kids and own a SFH!
The biggest thing I see is that if people are in multi-generation households they need to focus their money on trying to acquire either a house or property, collectively. Instead of focusing on buying the new tundra or 4Runner try to as a family buy a house. It means being somewhat selfless but I believe that could be a solution to this. I’ve had a coworker and his mom do this. It’s not impossible but priority’s for people
Btw I’m Hawaiian from Kauai since that needs to be a disclaimer sometimes haha
😆 some people gotta get the newest truck or Tesla
I also noted that a lot of people, locals but really poor quality grocery. High sugar, junk foods including high sodium packet noodles. They also buy the cheapest meats and probably cook at home.
😄 Spam and Vienna sausage
Its a tough time we find ourselves. The older paths dont seem to work anymore. Hardwork is undervalued and the jobs that pay to make a living off of, are in short supply, and only seem to go to people of a certain privilege or have very high level of education.
I mentioned in another comment that i hope that those locals/native hawaiians that find themselves having to move off island, is that they are able to find success where ever they end up.
And although i dont think the rest of the US isnt as beautiful as our little islands, there are still beautiful and wonderous places to live. I dont think living off island is necessarily bad or the worst thing that could happen, but it does suck. But i think the experience is helpful, especially if these displaced locals find their way home one day.
Anyways, aloha and mahalo
It all boils down to what I have mentioned previously, everything is felt more because is an island , to add insult to injury, you got people who are holding Hawaii hostage , like the importing ports from California and the Gas company in Hawaii, I understand that Biden has just been asked to intervene in the teamster's disputes in the shipping docks in California. You mention qualifying for Hawaii's assistance program, just what are the qualifications .
I hadn't been to my favorite Korean eatery since pre-Covid and found my favorite "Special Plate" was over $20. Exactly how much I can't remember but I know, with tip, I payed $25. Haven't gone back since.
Nowadays, $16 for a Zip-Pack??
Things are definitely getting more expensive.
$100k is enough in HI. If you are single and frugal. Not enough if you have a family.
It used to cost $425 to register my car. In Texas it’s $75 food is expensive everywhere
Wow, what a price difference. 😃
last month I was offered 2 government jobs…1 in Hawaii and 1 on mainland..i sooooo wanted to the Hawaiian job, but the pay rate was ridiculous unfortunately
Minimum wage here needs to be $25-$30/hr. At least for kids still in college. If anything below $120K don't take it. That will get you a comfortable studio or 1bdr apartment.
@@O42pola the job at honolulu county was offering me was definitely below that..i'm talking $18 an hour as a law clerk
Tough to compete on those salaries.
Plate lunches at Nico's $26!
As a retired teacher, I never could own a house. I had $2.10/hr at Dole Cannery in 1975!
Hawaii is for the rich and famous, and the poor. The middle income pays for all!
Rich get tax breaks and poor gets welfare and affordable homes. Scholarships go to the needy.
Just like how our ancestors migrated to Hawaii, the next generation migrate to alternative locations.
They need a hefty increase in out of state residents and a luxury tax on wealthy. It is done other places just not here cause a couple scrubs approving it and getting rich
Must be a good plate lunch 😆
The crazy thing to me is that California is even higher than Hawaii. Being an island one would assume it would be more expensive there. In the Bay Area the low/mid/high of middle is $80K/$121K/$243K!
This is true. For example, childcare costs in the Bay are nearly twice what's in the video. $1400 - $3500 is about the range I've seen per month. The lower end are sketchy non-credentialed daycares, though
I've commented on at least one of your videos before, and you're right, you would need at least $175 to $200,000 realistically to have a good life depending upon where you are at. If you look at mortgages, the average house is not possible for most.
I think that's why most are looking at condos or town houses. Much more affordable.
One hundred grand really doesn't make it here in So Cal either.
I was making about $90K over 20 years ago and was comfortable, not wealthy either. Luckily I lived below my means.
Get creative with your housing. Buy a multi-unit or an apartment building with partners. My 1st building was a 9 unit with 8 partners. We all took a unit and put sweat equity into it. My share of the mortgage was less than rent. When you improve the building its value goes up. Sold it 3 years later and doubled the value. By putting 20% down you use bank money to double the value, but only pay the bank interest to use their money. Leverage. Then my next property was with only 4 partners...now I'm on my own. It can be done.
Don't stay on assistance or you will be stuck. It's just as much effort to get creative on building wealth as it is to work at getting assistance...
Capitalism at work. Not complaining and whining.
Relocate to Alaska. Depending on your skills and willingness to work you'll easily top that $100K upon arrival and live decent. You'll own a home and some ground. Hawaii is like a 5 hour flight from Anchorage.
I know the mainland isn't your home per se, but the cost of living in many places, like the SE where I am for example, is way better than Hawaii. Check out South Carolina, Georgia or Florida. Still a little bit tropical and has ocean and beaches but so much cheaper. Good luck friend!
Mahalo for the suggestion. Heard some locals move to Florida and North Carolina.
If something isn't done to change things, I fear Hawaii will become a totally stratified state with the wealthy and then , for lack of a better term, a "servant" class who work in industries supporting the wealthy such as restaurants and other service sectors. The service workers would live in dorm style apartments on the outskirts of the city(ies) and commute or be bused into the city to work. There would still some middle/upper middle class jobs with the city and state and some private industry, but it would be greatly reduced, especially if Hawaii doesn't diversify its economy. Oh, and the military. There would still be military families in Hawaii on temporary assignments living in military provided housing. It sounds dystopian, but if things don't change it's not beyond the realm of possibility.
It's hard to say what will happen. Like I mentioned, locals have been finding ways to get by.
The doctrine of Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum (WEF) elites: You will own nothing and be happy! This is all by design. As George Carlin said, it's a big club, and you ain't in it.
There are people in Hawaii who refuse to leave Hawaii because they are in love with the weather here, despite working long hours and not ever going outside to enjoy the weather, beach, or the nature. They love the weather so much that they are willing to live paycheck to paycheck, not afford a retirement, and not being able to give their children a college education and a better life. That is madness. Their children suffers when they grow up. Even worse, their children grows an attachment to Hawaii so they may want to stay in Hawaii. Things are only getting more expensive and wages are not keeping up with the cost of living.
100 % true
I also think family is a big reason for staying. Hard to leave.
$100,000 household income in Silicon Valley is below poverty. $300,000 is about the average. I think people need to establish residency in Hawaii to buy properties. Or pay more $$$. I am all for preserving Hawaii and give more benefits to the locals. More for the natives. Or we can model it so that outsiders can only long-term rent houses. I have been going to Hawaii every year for many years. However, I do not feel welcome lately and they are taking advantage of over-charging travellers. Now that the pandemic is over, there are more options available. Hope Hawaii still welcomes Californians as we welcome them in CA. During the 80s, Japaneses purchased a lot of properties in CA but they all disappeared due to the financial crash in Japan. Sometimes, the problem itself takes care of themselves. Still, I want to protect the locals and the natives. Respect their situation.
Can’t compare Silicon Valley to a whole state. Silicon Valley pays their workers at least $150k working in tech companies right out of college. Hawaii is not Hawaii anymore. Gotta move away if you work a normal job.
5miles out of Silicone Valley is below 3rd world country. People living in tents. SFO is the worst place in all of the US. Average people work force in Hawaii just need option.
@Keliiyamashita True. Lately, there is a crash in the tech. Hopefully, the tech salary drops. BTW, CA has higher sales, state and property taxes. And higher gas price than Hawaii.
@@O42pola Agreed. Should not have reduced the SF cpos by 500 and soft on criminals. Another reason to protect Hawaii.
@min C we know it's more than pay rate, Haw pp, etc. Haw people barely qualify for that program because they are all mixed. It's set up to fail. Its not just to protect Hawaii its to protect Aloha and its culture. If Hawaii is all foreign than there is NO Aloha. We will may as well dance like the characters in Disney. On top of thar businesses in the service industry cannot afford to pay anywhere near 60K annual salary. They have to charge $50+ an entree to make that kind of money. Then average tourists cannot afford to visit here. That's our primary jobs and income.
A new strategy is necessary these days Brother! 🙏🙏🙏
Wages are a problem everywhere. Property is not affordable most everywhere to the average wage earner. On the big island Property is affordable in lots of areas. But no jobs to support a mortgage. No easy answers but requiring assistance partners to try harder doesn't work if you take one for one. Maybe a sliding scale...great subject.
It's too bad there aren't more jobs on Big Island. Even working remotely or at a satellite office there would be a nice option.
Dude the whole US economy and housing is crashing. I know Hawaii seemed to not experience this last time in 2008, but the locals will not be immune this time around
SO not true about housing crashing...and I'm in the mortgage biz so I see exactly whats going on in the industry every day...
@@jimandcathep9915 lol delusional. So you giving out 5% down with 6% interest, or have you already move onto the NINJA loans. I’m in the actual home building industry and I’ll tell you it’s collapsing like last time
@@chaseallen4352 So wrong - the rates SHOULD be 5-7% in a healthy RE market. I am busier now than I have been in the past 18 months. And 99% of those loans are purchases. It's actually a good time to buy a house. If you think 2-3% rates are normal - or think you will ever see them again in your lifetime, you are delusional.
@@jimandcathep9915 Yes rates will be higher than 2-3% but eventually the rising rates will bring home values down. Can't sustain the increases on both.
Ok. This is just 2” hours ago. Bowl of soup already $18-25. Hardly anything in it but broth. Your lucky to have enough noodles and meat in it. Even vegetarian are crazy expensive! I’ve been growing my own food. It’s not worth eating out with less they are offering
Wait til you encounter the big movement by the elites to have you eat insects instead of meat. In the name of climate change, of course.
I'm lucky because I bought 19 acres in the Ozark mountains in Arkansas and the costs here are much cheaper than Hawaii.
I’m a healthcare worker and make about 90k and my wife works at a bank and makes about 35k. We have 1 daughter and a duplex that we are buying. We are surviving but Definitely can not save anything. We live on Kauai. I feel like a lot of business are paying a lot more than they used to (Walmart $20 an hour etc) but my wages have stayed almost the same since before the pandemic. Restaurant workers are making almost as much a me now and I have a Bachelors Degree/State License and 10 years experience. It’s getting tougher and tougher to make it even at just over 100k combined income.
Still, we love it here and are very thankful for what we have. Just would be nice to get a cost of living increase that isn’t 50 cents.
Mahalo for sharing. Yeah, with the minimum wage increase, it feels like a lot of other wages didn't get the same percentage increase as well. Definitely tough to save up.
You right under the table side jibs are being done while the other parent is working and making $80,000 or more in order to survive. I find that more are moving to the Big Island. So you can even afford rent or maybe after saving hopefully buy a home one day. It’s so sad to hear people having to move. Part of the problem is property tax and being priced out of Hawaii.
6:25 Wait until chris finds out you can do a simultaneous closing so he could find a local to sell to. Many agents and mortgage brokers don't bring them up for a few reasons like many don't know they exist, they can't do them, they're harder to get financing so won't bring it up as a solution, and also more likely to fall apart before closing. I wish I could be a fly on the wall when you learn this and have that conversation with you're person lol.
hmm it seems like living with parents or extended family is very common in Hawaii to make ends meet, I am in my early 30s and my classmate is a realtor for luxury homes in Hawaii but can't afford their own place and still lives with their parents. Those who live independent lives have good jobs like engineering but I know many of them can only afford to own a one bedroom in a run down apartment.
Does your classmate see the irony in selling luxury homes yet being unable to live on their own in any kind of home, luxury or not? And you'd think realtor (luxury homes or regular) is one of those jobs that would pay enough for someone to be able to afford their own place.
@@jenanalleman6285 well my classmates come from a pretty well off family and they have a very nice house so I’m sure they would have to lower their standard of living if they lived on their own. Also with realtors it’s a bit unpredictable on when they get paid but they have sold a few million dollar properties so I’m sure the commission was high at the time of closing the sale.
Interesting that they sell homes and can't find a place for themselves. Maybe saving for a down payment. Surprised not renting.
The idea that housing, a basic need, is a traded commodity for maximum profits is insane.
credit. confirmed.
I’d like to help local families or groups pool their resources together to buy real estate. In the coming decades, corporations and the rich will just accumulate more. Locals need to preserve their place on the islands.
The islands will end up being like Monaco; super rich residents.
If you look at money as a barter system you will treat it differently. Everything you buy should be a investment. get those things that give no return down to a minimum.
Have you considered doing a video of the locals differences between Countries and Townies?
I was born in the early 60's, and the Ewa end of Oahu was barely being developed. And condos springing up in Kakaako has skyrocketed. So the population has grown all over the place.
So where is the current line for distinguishing oneself?
Even though Pearl City, Waikele and Mililani was once "Country", it hasn't looked like country for a couple of decades now.
So who considers themselves as a proud resident of those sections of the island?
Are the people who live on the Windward side identify themselves as Countries, like those on the Ewa-plains? Of do they call themselves something else altogether?
Just a thought . . .
Mahalo for the recommendation. Great topic.
Hawaii has a ton of problems, but I think cutting/lower taxes, limit government spending and permanently abolishing the Jones Act are the 3 things that can be major, positive game changers. Do all 3 and I can assure you things will be better.
Look at all the construction and development right now and who it is actually for. Here on maui its $13million private Wailea residents club and golf. Look it up. Insane, painful and disheartening to say the least.
I don't know the right answer to this and it is happening in a lot of places, I moved jobs and got a 20% raise since I bought my house in 2019 and I could not afford my house if I was in the market now, it's demoralizing. I do think investment properties are a large part of the problem where I live, houses getting bought by investment firms or landlords looking for their nth property so they can jack rent up to the maximum they can get away with. It has to stop, the rampant greed has to stop and I don't think it will unless we legislate it.
Yes after taxes it’s 80k- 30k in rent, $50k- utilities, food car gas…. It’s the same here in NYC.
It’s so sad when corporations make billions of $$$ and make us pay for their lifestyle that they don’t deserve.
how do you know they don't deserve their lifestyle?
Unko Chris, it's time to admit it.
Hawaii is not the same way it was in the 90s, 2000s and even 2010 to around 2018. (In my opinion the financial struggles started slightly before covid 19 started. It's just much worse now. )
There's no hope left for local people born and raised. I won't sugarcoat it, no disrespect but this is a big kine problem.
Hawaii is exclusively for the rich.
Game over.
Priced out of paradise is not a matter of if for many of us kama'aina.
But when.
In North Carolina Preschool/daycare is $1400 a month, which was the same we paid on Los Angeles. I guess it's just the going rate. You make too much for free preschool and too little to get assistance.
Wow, still expensive in North Carolina.
Byron bay locals left there town because all the celebrities business people moved in the town kingscliff is following Byron bay too this is In Australia
Yes you pay but the struggle is real
red state blues
Scary how pricey stuff is, isn’t it?
It’s not enough in most places. The highest cost of living in 2023 in the usa were: 1. Nyc 2. Los angeles 3. San Francisco then. 4. Honolulu.
I split my time in honolulu and west la. It’s not much different. The cost of living in honolulu is exaggerated unless your coming from hicksville usa.
Plate lunches are 30$ at pearls
Plate lunches already are $20 😢
Yes. Just fat and bones
I knew a girl on the Big Island who worked 3 jobs and still needs roommates to pay rent.
Ever thought of getting a boat/yacht house?
Children are the future of America bgvu
Hawaii needs to be a tax friendly state. Get rid of the income tax. That will incentivize professionals to come to Hawaii which we are lacking. Get rid of the GET tax and increase the sales tax. Get rid of the unfriendly business tax to incentivize more local business.
We need to organize, and bring solutions , and accountability to our politicians. I am interested in being a part of a solution. LMK
The cost of living in Hawaii is like living in NYC.
It might be similar, but without the same salaries and economic opportunities.
When your single it's easy. When your married and both work that's really good! If your married with kids, both must work. Or have to move to mainland with 1 income. Unless your rich.
Agree. Too bad it couldn't be like when my parents grew up. Only one income needed.
@@HelloFromHawaii my parents too! Everyone I know in Hawaii who has kids works both people work full time unless the man is extremely rich...these days. Btw our grocery bill went up too the past month it so. I wonder if it has to do with Walmart downtown suddenly closing we went there a lot for crap food but still
Bruh, $100k is not enough ANYWHERE in the US anymore. Not to buy a car, definitely NOT to buy a house, and not enough to pay rent AND save and live comfortably
I guess thats the reason why people move out of Hawaii and move to West Coast for affordable homes and cheaper goods.
sorry. I own my home I got it for $15.000 my taxes and insurance in Ohio is $1095 a year
A genuine dilemma that is affecting households across the country. It’s felt more acutely in Hawaii, no doubt and I’m afraid there’s no fix in sight as locals compete with off-island competition coming both domestically and internationally. Money talks and any real change will come too late for the the current people of Hawaii. You ask what Hawaii will be without Hawaiians… unfortunately, we shall see within your generation 😢
While there’s plenty of blame and finger pointing at banks and gov’t - complaining alone (as seen in the comments) is not a solution and I’m afraid there is no solution in the foreseeable…
We'll see what happens. Give it one generation and then we can look back.
The classic working-class squeeze, but even worse. Hawaii is one of the places with the worse increases in cost-of-living relative to earning potential. I don't have data to back that up, but that would be good to see. Best of luck out there.
Too many big companies and rich people are tax exempt and not paying their fare share !! I blame the corrupt politicians! Don’t focus on the small businesses and farmers market owners trust it is not them !
i have no life. i cranked overtime and bring in roughly 130k my wife makes roughly 80k. and we still need to watch what we spend after the mortgage and child tuition etc😊
Mahalo for sharing
My advice to all the married couples inspecting babies, divorce! Have the person with lower income apply for child care assistance. 1 year of preschool cost $18,000 and your kid will not be eligible to kindergarten before 5 or 6 years old (depending the month was born). So I’m talking of 2 or 3 years of preschool. My husband and I made combined 6 figures, just rent and preschool takes 60% of our income. We’re not having another baby because we can’t afford it.
While I wouldn't advise people to get divorced just to get assistance, I understand the high cost of preschool.
At what point does it become not worth it to live in Hawaii? As others have said in the comments, it’s detrimental to families to stay in Hawaii. It creates a life of perpetual struggling. Unfortunately, things are only going to get worse. The sooner you get out of Hawaii the better.
Great question. That's something that each person will have to decide.
Having kids and a mortgage in Hawaii seems insane. Even with a dual income household. Kids not cheap.
Lol plate already 20$😢
I know people that eat Vienna sausage 3 meals a day. Seriously… sad. And the rest live off of parents and grandparents. Sadly, the wealth may not pass on since it will be eaten up.
I like Vienna sausage, but not that much. It's too bad some people have to eat that way.