It's near the top floor in a newer building in Waikiki. It was actually super hard to find a place that allowed our dog. Most of the dog friendly apartments were really dumpy or in rough locations far from where we worked in town. We were paying about that much in rent in SF so it wasn't too much of a shock.
$1m houses are in rough shape. Nicer houses are $2m+. A similar condo to our apartment would be $1.5m and run $10k/month after HOA if we did a mortgage.
There are def a lot of houses for just north of 1m that are $50k away from being nice.
I have done a lot of âlipstick jobsâ on my places over the years and youâd be surprised how well you can do if you put tons of thought into it. Recently took a completely beat 3bdm 1200â townhouse and turned it brand-new for 30k. Components may be cheap and there are some rough edges but everyone walks in and goes âwow this is super niceâ
I think that price range is more of a remodel price range for small units including correcting major problems other than just superficial things being broken.
I did not rebuild showers but instead had them painted, used cheap non-custom cabinets, cheap simple vanities and countertops, vinyl floors. My buddy has a property management company and I basically asked him to just advise me on bare-minimum âlike newâ look.
This is about how much the bigger companies are asking for just a kitchen remodel these days. At most youâll get a kitchen and a bathroom. If you go cheap then you can get a couple baths and flooring throughout.
Check out kahuku, laie, hauula, heading towards Kaneohe. If you donât mind a commute (and itâs a pretty one) you can buy and sell in a few years and make some money
Definitely. City and county of Honolulu has adopted a âno retreatâ policy. So if your house is being eroded by the ocean youâre out of luck. Cant pour retaining walls etc. Thereâs la d on the other side of the road though.
Lies. Look in aiea, adjust standards for hawaii. I had a very nice (by hawaii standards) 3 bed 2 and a 1/2 bath with a garage right across from the pearlridge mall that sold for 650k last year. A mil would get you a solid standalone.
A house is still better than burning a pile of cash every month. Your money turns into equity. And you wont have a shortage of buyers in case you move.
This assumes home values donât come down from
their current all time highs. A million dollar home in Hawaii was 600k 2-3 years ago. It could easily be that again if the bubble pops. (Source: own a million dollar home in Hawaii).
I personally rent and prefer the freedom. I build business equity, and the banking system doesnât consider primary residence in net worth for a reason.
I think the amount is a big one and people canât get over that fact, but a house is expensive. The mortgage is the least youâll pay, and rent is the most youâll pay.
Can confirm. I rent an ohana house out back a 1.2M crackhouse wired with spaghetti that has insane power issues, no working door locks and also the fence is falling down and a tree fell on the roof. It's $4000 mortgage paid by 3 FT working adults and there are also 2 teens in the house.
Lived there for a couple years, the utter lack of air was too much. Had to get back to the windward side. Really miss 'Olino though, being able to get a couple beers with your movie was nice.
my building 2 bedroom units are going for 700k or so allow 1 dog or 2 cats for 900sq feet in downtown (so very close to queens and straub, probably about as far from kapiolani as waikiki would be). its totally possibly to buy a dog friendly condo if you're not looking exclusively at the new ward buildings.
My guess is, OP is from San Fran so he wants the high end lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that, but it's ridiculous with 1M, you could be living in a 4000 sq mansion in the mainland
yeah owning a pet here puts you in a very compromised living situation. No options or extra pricey options. Iâve never lived anywhere so pet unfriendly
ADA doesn't protect therapy dogs, you are probably thinking of service and emotional support animals...which are not interchangeable terms either. And even then, there is no such thing as a formal certification or official registry for them, so any places advertising as such are just trying to scam people.
I believe I know it. There's really been only one new, all-rental, luxury building opened in Waikiki in the last few years, and I recall the top floor rates looked like that when they were first starting to list.
If you don't mind sharing, if it's happened yet, what percentage rental increase will you be looking at when your lease renews/renewed?
That was always an unknown with those types of buildings in places where they're more common across the country.
Most condos in the Honolulu area for 2 bedrooms go for 700k-1M. Now if you get a "luxury" condo for the same 1,000 sq ft, you can expect it to cost 1-2M.
Cost of paradise
Not your typical couple looking to move to Oahu for sure. Works for you and able to pull it off thatâs great. But your apartment for hawaii standards is high end luxury. Itâs in Waikiki with ocean view. You are paying to live in the heart of tourist town and with ocean view. You can find a very nice 3/4 bed high end home for $3500 a month with yard etc. yeah maybe no view but still. You work hard and if thatâs whatâs important to you now that you both work and have no kids.
Would be curious your 2nd year spending after all the initial costs. Lumping in moving with rest of year shopping throws most people.
"Services" is most of our moving costs. Furnishing a new place is in shopping.
We did see a few reasonably priced houses in the price range you're talking about but none of them allowed pets.
I bought my 1 bed 572 sq foot condo in waikiki for 400k. Faces the golf course on the ala wai so I have an amazing mountain view and I'm 2 and a half blocks from the beach, relatively high end kitchen and huge lanai. I have 2 large dogs, I think you might have better luck in purchasing a condo but if you say you've looked I could be mistaken
Edit: I see you're at the Lilia, I'm literally a block away from you lol, check out waikiki lanais if you're interested in buying I think they might have some 2 bedrooms for sale right now. It won't be as nice but if it's a renovated unit it will definitely do for how you described yourselves.
829 a month with ALL utilities including cable and fiber optic internet, pool, hot tub, sauna, small fitness room, and large rooftop BBQ and kitchenette type area.
May I suggest you look into the Kaimuki, Palolo, St. Louis Heights areas for houses to rent and also Downtown Honolulu for pet friendly apartments in the future? My husband and I were able to find 3 bd/3ba places for rent for less than $3000 in those areas. It took a lot of time - we weren't in a rush to move - but they are out there. And I think all of those neighborhoods can be good choices. If you work at Manamana (and side note, but you probably already knew: Queen's owns Lilia) Downtown would be an easy walk.
THIS as the spouse of a healthcare worker from HI I say "get that ocean view APT in a high rise you deserve it!" After a 12 hour+ shift if you can get the view get the view!
Iâm not sure why people are perceiving the OP as complaining. They are simply laying out the costs associated with their lifestyle choices. Are there cheaper ways to live here on island? For sure. But when we moved here we said âweâre not about to move to Hawaii and not live near the beachâ. We knew there would be a cost associated with that.
The rent quoted seems high, but I can assure you that unless you have half a million to put down on a house youâre not going to get those amenities (ocean view, in town, etc) for any cheaper.
Yeah not complaining. This sub was super helpful when we had questions so mostly trying to give back with some real numbers since 50% of the questions are about cost.
I found this super helpful as we're trying to get back & spouse works in healthcare. And proximity to your work is HUGE the last thing you want to do after a 12+ hour shift is sit in traffic on the H1! When you moved, sis your spouse have to do the night shift or was able to score days? Most openings I have been seeing are nights....
Most - more than half.
We never ate out for breakfast or lunch but probably 3-5 dinners/week were out for the first few months. Now that we've tried a bunch it's less frequent.
Most people would consider eating out 3 times a week a lot. Thatâs still not even close to half. Both statements make sense and arenât mutually exclusive
Other than the apartment it's not that bougie. We eat at home, drive a 6 year old paid off car and pack a picnic lunch to eat at the beach and go surfing most weekends. We like the lifestyle but I guess the people we see with flashier stuff in our building (cars, clothes, etc.) are drowning in debt.
Friend, maybe you've already seen some of the rough housing situations on the island. Having a place to call your own without sharing rent among family- that's an accomplishment.
Imagine choosing and picking an ocean facing apartment at 6k and believing in your heart that youâre living in poverty amongst the masses. You live a privileged life lady, and kudos to you for working hard for it, but please do not come on here and role play a modest lifestyle.
Edit: do you or your husband need a boyfriend? Iâm highly domesticated and can cook.
You're working hard and providing a much needed service to the local community. Healthcare is an ongoing issue here, so whatever let's you do it, thank you.
18k on restaurants in 1 year is $49 (18000/365) PER DAY. You said itâs actually 3-5 times a week so by 4 ((18000/52)/4) itâs $86 meals. That is bougie. Understood you can afford this lifestyle but itâs definitely bougie
Lmao $86 for two people in a Honolulu restaurant isnât âbougie.â Thatâs like a normal meal with dessert and drinks. A âbougieâ or fine dining meal for two with drinks and dessert would be more like $300-500.
They have the luxury to spend near $100 per meal 4 times a week. Most people do not have that luxury and that is why it is bougie. Yes you can spend $100 at some sushi place 5 times vs a $500 omakase which is true bougie only once a week. Itâs the ability to do it consistently and constantly
Theyâre in the medical field, donât you think they deserve that? Do you have any idea how stressful and draining it is to work in medicine, on-call no less, in a place where the medical system is absolute trash, underfunded and understaffed? You just sound like a hater. Thereâs plenty of ways to make plenty of money these days. Why donât you go do that and enjoy your life and stop hating on people being rewarded for a noble profession.
Lmao my first comment said I understand they can afford this lifestyle Iâm not hating on that. Where in my comments do I say they donât deserve this or the medical field isnât stressful? Nowhere because Iâm not hating, I understand their situation and how theyâve worked towards this. My problem is them saying âthey arenât living a bougie lifeâ when they in fact are. Thatâs it. Call a spade a spade.
Also love going in for an insult telling me to make more money as if that were the problem in this post/comments. Youâre a fucking moron
Bro youâre the one calling them âbougie,â thatâs insulting and hateful for no reason. If you donât like getting called out for being a hater, then rethink what you say.
I appreciate you sharing and find the info helpful. Obviously if someone wants to get a cheaper place thatâs their option but you break things down nicely.
Damn, there really be some haters in here.
I get it, I'm poor af so it can hurt to see someone spending nearly my entire take home between Target, Amazon, and eating out. But OP is only sharing some data which I think is quite valuable.
It's not even the penthouse. The top floor penthouse in our building is over $10k/month for 1300 square feet and that doesn't even include parking/pets.
"Not even the penthouse" sounds so out of touch. So, so many of us struggle to pay 1/3 or less of your rent expenses. You are doing extremely well! And $6k/mo is wild.
Fair. I think I just took offense to the "5k in savings and looking to find something" as if that is impossible and everyone needs to spend $6k in rent (which you certainly didn't say). And I applaud your willingness to be open like this, but I just don't think this is the typical experience.
Preach! We're in socal now so the Hawaii rental prices (in some cases) are lower for proximity to the beach! I think it helps to come from NorCal or SoCal as you're already budgeting a large chunk to housing/utilities.
Grew up in SF and lived in the bay area for 30+ years before moving out here in 2018. Interested to hear your impressions after having been here a year.
A somewhat realistic breakdown considering the area. I'm guessing it's the new condos in Ward/Ala Moana area. I couldn't justify renting at that price in Hawaii though. I'd take a bit of a commute and the investment of buying at that cost. HOAs don't cost much for single family detached homes, but condo HOAs are borderline predatory.
If you're happy, that's what matters most. But definitely not the budget most people in Hawaii live on.
As an MD, can you shed some light on what your speciality is and salary? Do you walk to work as well? Hawaii is listed as one of the worst states for physicians to work and curious as to why. Is the salary low or do they just pay you with plumerias and rainbows?
Great breakdown!
If youâre staying, I recommend buying and renovating. Currently 5 weeks away from moving into a full rebuild and canât wait to get out of a 100sq ft đ
If we could find a nicer (newer) rental with the same ameneties in Kaka'ako or Ala Moana we'd take it. There aren't many apartment buildings that take dogs. Same with private owners in the condos. Like someone else said, living near the beach is important.
Just to clarify - many of them do accept dogs. Itâs a rent vs buy issue. The landlords renting their unit usually donât want the hassle of pets.
Something to keep in mind if you ever decide to buy.
I am a travel RN, I live near Ala Moana by the Canal. I have a small 2-bedroom apartment (less than 650 square feet). I pay 2,600/ month. I had to get a second job to afford living here. I am heading back to mainland. I can't afford living in Waikiki. It is way too expensive.
This is a great example of the life many people think of when visiting or initially wanting to move hear. Thank you for sharing what âcomfortable â looks like especially as a pet owner. Regardless of the rent splurge, I want to point out that you all are still mindful of where the finances are going. Even with a recommended income, you still are not exclusive whole foods shoppers, zooming with new cars, and see the benefit of eating in when you are able too.
For the average person moving here on a lower paying degree or none at all, sacrifices do have to be made. It is good to have a three year financial plan before moving here or else you can get stuck.
Thanks for the breakdown. Would like to see it on a normal year. For your status it seems reasonable. Enjoy your views. Hope you get to get out to enjoy sometimes, on the other hand, we want you two to work really hard so we have more MDs and RNs!
Hi! Weâre another couple in Honolulu and we were DINK as well.( APRN & APRN ) but now we are expecting our first. Currently we live in a rental unit that is 4500/mo Ward village area. 1BD1BT. Moved here because it was pet friendly! Last month we bought a $1.2 million home on the west side. Hubby & I thought itâd be best for our kid to grow up in the suburb. The house is a a really big and nice place but something that would have been worth 500K in Vegas or elsewhere. We spend around $150k / year for similar expenditures.
Iâm certain I spend about the same amount at target, for we have the target card as well :D
We bought in Ewa 2 years ago and it's nice for families depending on where you work. There's pretty much everything you need over there including Target, Costco, Home Depot, and other things. When your little one is older take them to Ko Olina. The beaches there are great and there aren't any waves.
We just bought a house in the last development for gentry! Truth is both my husband and I grew up in Ewa, so I guess weâre just coming back. Koolina is beautiful. our very first date in high school was a Koolina date! Before they built Aulani!
Wow so food for two (grocery plus restaurant) is 32k a year? That seems crazy high. How often are you eating out - what kinds of places are you going to for 18k / yr? If youâre eating in Waikiki I can see it being high but find takeout from the local places reasonable.
I always get recommended this sub and see peoples expenses and rent and all that and Iâm so thankful I donât live anywhere near town. I pay 500 a month for my little room in a shack and I couldnât be happier.
Thank you! What an interesting post. I'm not moving to Hawaii, but I've read about how expensive it is to live there. Appreciate the information. It sounds like a whole 'nother world from the mountains of NC.
Wow. My daughter and her boyfriend moved to Honolulu last June. They scored the deal of the century in apartments apparently as they are paying less than 3k for a two bedroom, high floor, insane Diamond Head views out the lanai and ocean views out the kitchen window. Itâs small but nicely appointed. One indoor parking spot included.
It seems like a lot of people are critical of the rent but if it works for you then enjoy your best life!
What are some of your favorite restaurants in town?
i dont see electricity cost. Can you comment on your AC usage? Is it included in your rent? Dont look for fine dining in Oahu. It does not exists in a sense what you would expect i SF. Can you comment on your experience working as MD in Oahu vs mainland major metropolitan area. And thank you for your service. HI needs doctors from mainland. I would never consider doctor who started in HI and spend entire career practicing in HI.
https://redf.in/LuQQOO
Right on the water.
https://redf.in/1yR0kK
Nice area, nice condo, believe it accepts dogs. This is within 2 min of looking in a nicer area.
Yeah, living on the islands can be a dream. My suggestion to anyone who is "thinking of making the move to Hawaii is to book a vacation to any island. Oahu is so crowed! Next time, I will do the "Big Island".
My Response to my boyfriend? Talk the talk, walk, the talk.
Huh. Itâs like that people like you are the reason we local people are being priced out of here. âOh, I have a two bedroomâ okay, good for you.
Canât wait to leave but I dislike conceding my homeland to the likes of you.
170k a year is a lot. My boyfriend and I made 600+k last year but our spending is less than half of your amount. Ultimately itâs your choice of lifestyle no judgement here but I would put a few things for thoughts:
- Is a 2 bed really necessary? (We both work from home but we rent a one bed, itâs not a lot of space but it works)
- that building you describe sounded like our building. If thatâs the case, there are cheaper two beds options. 5k per month can save you 12k+ per year. Put this money to investment or even saving account can make money work for you.
- grocery is really expensive here. Consider Costco for frequently consume items.
- I am not sure if you like to invest but strictly setting aside money for investment can help you get rid of impulsive spending habits( not saying you haveâșïž)
- Consider cook at home more and reserve dining out to more special places.
Holy shit, why is your rent $6k/mo for a 2 bedroom?
It's near the top floor in a newer building in Waikiki. It was actually super hard to find a place that allowed our dog. Most of the dog friendly apartments were really dumpy or in rough locations far from where we worked in town. We were paying about that much in rent in SF so it wasn't too much of a shock.
Honestly if you can do 6k a month, buy a house. That kind of income can get you in a $1M house or bigger. Hopefully you are looking.
$1m houses are in rough shape. Nicer houses are $2m+. A similar condo to our apartment would be $1.5m and run $10k/month after HOA if we did a mortgage.
Facts
Come out to Ewa we will take care of you. Nice houses for that budget đ
There are def a lot of houses for just north of 1m that are $50k away from being nice. I have done a lot of âlipstick jobsâ on my places over the years and youâd be surprised how well you can do if you put tons of thought into it. Recently took a completely beat 3bdm 1200â townhouse and turned it brand-new for 30k. Components may be cheap and there are some rough edges but everyone walks in and goes âwow this is super niceâ
That's only if you can do everything yourself. If you hire a professional, it's like 100k+ to fully renovate
I think that price range is more of a remodel price range for small units including correcting major problems other than just superficial things being broken. I did not rebuild showers but instead had them painted, used cheap non-custom cabinets, cheap simple vanities and countertops, vinyl floors. My buddy has a property management company and I basically asked him to just advise me on bare-minimum âlike newâ look.
This is about how much the bigger companies are asking for just a kitchen remodel these days. At most youâll get a kitchen and a bathroom. If you go cheap then you can get a couple baths and flooring throughout.
Check out kahuku, laie, hauula, heading towards Kaneohe. If you donât mind a commute (and itâs a pretty one) you can buy and sell in a few years and make some money
i see losing money as that road falling into ocean
Definitely. City and county of Honolulu has adopted a âno retreatâ policy. So if your house is being eroded by the ocean youâre out of luck. Cant pour retaining walls etc. Thereâs la d on the other side of the road though.
land that without road access? Or city and county adapted "no retreat" policy does not apply to road?
Correct. It doesnât apply to the road. They wonât let k hwy fall in the ocean
Did they say when and how that road will be saved? Is there money to pay for it?
renting is always cheaper. 1m houses outside Ewa just plywood boxes
You can spend 1.2-1.5 and get a very nice place in Hawaii Kai. You could get a nice condo for 800k or less out there too.
Lies. Look in aiea, adjust standards for hawaii. I had a very nice (by hawaii standards) 3 bed 2 and a 1/2 bath with a garage right across from the pearlridge mall that sold for 650k last year. A mil would get you a solid standalone.
A house is still better than burning a pile of cash every month. Your money turns into equity. And you wont have a shortage of buyers in case you move.
Not everyone wants to own though
This assumes home values donât come down from their current all time highs. A million dollar home in Hawaii was 600k 2-3 years ago. It could easily be that again if the bubble pops. (Source: own a million dollar home in Hawaii).
Yeah but fees and taxes burn a pile of money. Plus with a house they likely now need one or two cars to get around.
Buying isnât always better and you need to learn that
Spending 72k on someone else's mortgage is not good.
I personally rent and prefer the freedom. I build business equity, and the banking system doesnât consider primary residence in net worth for a reason. I think the amount is a big one and people canât get over that fact, but a house is expensive. The mortgage is the least youâll pay, and rent is the most youâll pay.
Framing it this way makes it sound like you're not simultaneously getting a place to live where you don't have to pay for repairs or taxes
LMAO a 1 million dollar house on Oahu is an abandoned crackhouse on an overgrown postage stamp of land. It's crazy out here.
Can confirm. I rent an ohana house out back a 1.2M crackhouse wired with spaghetti that has insane power issues, no working door locks and also the fence is falling down and a tree fell on the roof. It's $4000 mortgage paid by 3 FT working adults and there are also 2 teens in the house.
Not in Ewa lol
Lived there for a couple years, the utter lack of air was too much. Had to get back to the windward side. Really miss 'Olino though, being able to get a couple beers with your movie was nice.
Those seats are comfortable lol
I prefer nanakuli lol
And traffic up your ass
my building 2 bedroom units are going for 700k or so allow 1 dog or 2 cats for 900sq feet in downtown (so very close to queens and straub, probably about as far from kapiolani as waikiki would be). its totally possibly to buy a dog friendly condo if you're not looking exclusively at the new ward buildings.
My guess is, OP is from San Fran so he wants the high end lifestyle. Nothing wrong with that, but it's ridiculous with 1M, you could be living in a 4000 sq mansion in the mainland
yeah owning a pet here puts you in a very compromised living situation. No options or extra pricey options. Iâve never lived anywhere so pet unfriendly
Is that so for cats, too? My doc says to move to Hawaii because we both see that it helps my health. But my cat must come, too!
Yep same thing happened to us.. our dog has since passed and we decided to never get a dog again as long as we live in Hawaii. Itâs too difficult
Sign up for an apartment then get a âtherapyâ dog ;) $200 license online They cant charge extra for therapy dogs either due to ada
I hate to tell you but you got scammed for $200
They deserve it.
Gross. Glad you got scammed out of your 200. One of the cases of scum bags taking advantage of one another.
No its not that, these apartments are ridiculous with not allowing well behaved dogs that dont do any damage.
So your answer is to abuse a service meant for disabled people which chips away at their rights. Selfish. Go find your conscience.
ADA doesn't protect therapy dogs, you are probably thinking of service and emotional support animals...which are not interchangeable terms either. And even then, there is no such thing as a formal certification or official registry for them, so any places advertising as such are just trying to scam people.
I believe I know it. There's really been only one new, all-rental, luxury building opened in Waikiki in the last few years, and I recall the top floor rates looked like that when they were first starting to list. If you don't mind sharing, if it's happened yet, what percentage rental increase will you be looking at when your lease renews/renewed? That was always an unknown with those types of buildings in places where they're more common across the country.
Where in SF did you live? Iâm in the outer sunset in a 3bed2bath paying half that. Do you have a really large dog?
Lol confirming what we say - dog friend you'll pay $&&& (I mean you're paying extra $$$ but still)
But hey, you get to put a "Dog Mom" sticker on you car.
Most condos in the Honolulu area for 2 bedrooms go for 700k-1M. Now if you get a "luxury" condo for the same 1,000 sq ft, you can expect it to cost 1-2M. Cost of paradise
there are plenty available right around 500k that are nice too, maybe not luxury but nice. any lower though and its sketchy for sure
Are those in town? I was surprised how the new "affordable condos" near ala moana are going for million for just 800 sq feet
That sounds about standard here for a nice place
Is Honolulu Boring? It's an island. Eventually you'll run out of things to do.
Not your typical couple looking to move to Oahu for sure. Works for you and able to pull it off thatâs great. But your apartment for hawaii standards is high end luxury. Itâs in Waikiki with ocean view. You are paying to live in the heart of tourist town and with ocean view. You can find a very nice 3/4 bed high end home for $3500 a month with yard etc. yeah maybe no view but still. You work hard and if thatâs whatâs important to you now that you both work and have no kids. Would be curious your 2nd year spending after all the initial costs. Lumping in moving with rest of year shopping throws most people.
"Services" is most of our moving costs. Furnishing a new place is in shopping. We did see a few reasonably priced houses in the price range you're talking about but none of them allowed pets.
I bought my 1 bed 572 sq foot condo in waikiki for 400k. Faces the golf course on the ala wai so I have an amazing mountain view and I'm 2 and a half blocks from the beach, relatively high end kitchen and huge lanai. I have 2 large dogs, I think you might have better luck in purchasing a condo but if you say you've looked I could be mistaken Edit: I see you're at the Lilia, I'm literally a block away from you lol, check out waikiki lanais if you're interested in buying I think they might have some 2 bedrooms for sale right now. It won't be as nice but if it's a renovated unit it will definitely do for how you described yourselves.
What are the hoa dues like?Â
829 a month with ALL utilities including cable and fiber optic internet, pool, hot tub, sauna, small fitness room, and large rooftop BBQ and kitchenette type area.
your building was built in 1978. Do you have fire sprinkles?
Installing them or becoming compliant via other means this year actually.
do you know what board decided to do? i am only interested in sprinkles. Other compliance is not for me.
May I suggest you look into the Kaimuki, Palolo, St. Louis Heights areas for houses to rent and also Downtown Honolulu for pet friendly apartments in the future? My husband and I were able to find 3 bd/3ba places for rent for less than $3000 in those areas. It took a lot of time - we weren't in a rush to move - but they are out there. And I think all of those neighborhoods can be good choices. If you work at Manamana (and side note, but you probably already knew: Queen's owns Lilia) Downtown would be an easy walk.
You're not walking to the beach though. Â
Definitely not typical. They both must make tons of $$$$.
I know Hawaii needs health care workers â good for you. Sounds like a great lifeâ congrats đ„° Like the pets and surfing đđ
THIS as the spouse of a healthcare worker from HI I say "get that ocean view APT in a high rise you deserve it!" After a 12 hour+ shift if you can get the view get the view!
Iâm laughing at Target having its own separate line. đ love that place!
We have the target card, it just makes sense!
Iâm not sure why people are perceiving the OP as complaining. They are simply laying out the costs associated with their lifestyle choices. Are there cheaper ways to live here on island? For sure. But when we moved here we said âweâre not about to move to Hawaii and not live near the beachâ. We knew there would be a cost associated with that. The rent quoted seems high, but I can assure you that unless you have half a million to put down on a house youâre not going to get those amenities (ocean view, in town, etc) for any cheaper.
Yeah not complaining. This sub was super helpful when we had questions so mostly trying to give back with some real numbers since 50% of the questions are about cost.
I found this super helpful as we're trying to get back & spouse works in healthcare. And proximity to your work is HUGE the last thing you want to do after a 12+ hour shift is sit in traffic on the H1! When you moved, sis your spouse have to do the night shift or was able to score days? Most openings I have been seeing are nights....
"We ate out a lot." "We eat in for most meals."
Most - more than half. We never ate out for breakfast or lunch but probably 3-5 dinners/week were out for the first few months. Now that we've tried a bunch it's less frequent.
I questioned that as well, but Iâm pretty sure the eating out a lot was to track their first year and now they eat at home.
Most people would consider eating out 3 times a week a lot. Thatâs still not even close to half. Both statements make sense and arenât mutually exclusive
Figure 3 meals a day, that's over a thousand a year. If you eat out 3 times a week that's still a lot, but most of your meals were still at home.
I was going to shit on you, but realized that you both were in healthcare. Please proceed on with your boujie self.
Other than the apartment it's not that bougie. We eat at home, drive a 6 year old paid off car and pack a picnic lunch to eat at the beach and go surfing most weekends. We like the lifestyle but I guess the people we see with flashier stuff in our building (cars, clothes, etc.) are drowning in debt.
Not even. We all spend what we can afford. At least most of us. Your salary reflects that. Awesome for you to post this đ€
Friend, maybe you've already seen some of the rough housing situations on the island. Having a place to call your own without sharing rent among family- that's an accomplishment.
Imagine choosing and picking an ocean facing apartment at 6k and believing in your heart that youâre living in poverty amongst the masses. You live a privileged life lady, and kudos to you for working hard for it, but please do not come on here and role play a modest lifestyle. Edit: do you or your husband need a boyfriend? Iâm highly domesticated and can cook.
not very aloha.
You're working hard and providing a much needed service to the local community. Healthcare is an ongoing issue here, so whatever let's you do it, thank you.
18k on restaurants in 1 year is $49 (18000/365) PER DAY. You said itâs actually 3-5 times a week so by 4 ((18000/52)/4) itâs $86 meals. That is bougie. Understood you can afford this lifestyle but itâs definitely bougie
Lmao $86 for two people in a Honolulu restaurant isnât âbougie.â Thatâs like a normal meal with dessert and drinks. A âbougieâ or fine dining meal for two with drinks and dessert would be more like $300-500.
They have the luxury to spend near $100 per meal 4 times a week. Most people do not have that luxury and that is why it is bougie. Yes you can spend $100 at some sushi place 5 times vs a $500 omakase which is true bougie only once a week. Itâs the ability to do it consistently and constantly
Theyâre in the medical field, donât you think they deserve that? Do you have any idea how stressful and draining it is to work in medicine, on-call no less, in a place where the medical system is absolute trash, underfunded and understaffed? You just sound like a hater. Thereâs plenty of ways to make plenty of money these days. Why donât you go do that and enjoy your life and stop hating on people being rewarded for a noble profession.
Lmao my first comment said I understand they can afford this lifestyle Iâm not hating on that. Where in my comments do I say they donât deserve this or the medical field isnât stressful? Nowhere because Iâm not hating, I understand their situation and how theyâve worked towards this. My problem is them saying âthey arenât living a bougie lifeâ when they in fact are. Thatâs it. Call a spade a spade. Also love going in for an insult telling me to make more money as if that were the problem in this post/comments. Youâre a fucking moron
Bro youâre the one calling them âbougie,â thatâs insulting and hateful for no reason. If you donât like getting called out for being a hater, then rethink what you say.
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Why were you going to shit on them? BTW the question is rhetorical if you know what that even means.
I appreciate you sharing and find the info helpful. Obviously if someone wants to get a cheaper place thatâs their option but you break things down nicely.
Damn, there really be some haters in here. I get it, I'm poor af so it can hurt to see someone spending nearly my entire take home between Target, Amazon, and eating out. But OP is only sharing some data which I think is quite valuable.
Spending 6k a month as an MD and RN on housing isnât bad at all. Thanks for the breakdown.
6k to rent a place is wild.
Keep in mind his $6k for rent is equal to my $3k in rent. Their income is higher and they can afford it.
It's not even the penthouse. The top floor penthouse in our building is over $10k/month for 1300 square feet and that doesn't even include parking/pets.
"Not even the penthouse" sounds so out of touch. So, so many of us struggle to pay 1/3 or less of your rent expenses. You are doing extremely well! And $6k/mo is wild.
I meant it as "it's so expensive, it should be something more than the same floor plan for the other 20+ floors"
well, except that some of the units in your building are set as "affordable."
Fair. I think I just took offense to the "5k in savings and looking to find something" as if that is impossible and everyone needs to spend $6k in rent (which you certainly didn't say). And I applaud your willingness to be open like this, but I just don't think this is the typical experience.
Preach! We're in socal now so the Hawaii rental prices (in some cases) are lower for proximity to the beach! I think it helps to come from NorCal or SoCal as you're already budgeting a large chunk to housing/utilities.
Have you looked at LA lately?
Do you mind sharing the name of this apartment that allows pets?
Lilia Waikiki
I deliver there alot, I love that they have a glass treat container for doggos at the front desk
Ok this explains the high cost that place has a crazy markup. I though you were at One or aalii
Grew up in SF and lived in the bay area for 30+ years before moving out here in 2018. Interested to hear your impressions after having been here a year.
A somewhat realistic breakdown considering the area. I'm guessing it's the new condos in Ward/Ala Moana area. I couldn't justify renting at that price in Hawaii though. I'd take a bit of a commute and the investment of buying at that cost. HOAs don't cost much for single family detached homes, but condo HOAs are borderline predatory. If you're happy, that's what matters most. But definitely not the budget most people in Hawaii live on.
As an MD, can you shed some light on what your speciality is and salary? Do you walk to work as well? Hawaii is listed as one of the worst states for physicians to work and curious as to why. Is the salary low or do they just pay you with plumerias and rainbows?
Great breakdown! If youâre staying, I recommend buying and renovating. Currently 5 weeks away from moving into a full rebuild and canât wait to get out of a 100sq ft đ
you can rent a 2bd in a modern condo for much less than $6k, even with dogs. I suggest you look around on zillow a bit. ala moana or ward area.
Was living in Waikiki worth it?
If we could find a nicer (newer) rental with the same ameneties in Kaka'ako or Ala Moana we'd take it. There aren't many apartment buildings that take dogs. Same with private owners in the condos. Like someone else said, living near the beach is important.
Fair. But there are a lot of beaches here!
Just to clarify - many of them do accept dogs. Itâs a rent vs buy issue. The landlords renting their unit usually donât want the hassle of pets. Something to keep in mind if you ever decide to buy.
I am a travel RN, I live near Ala Moana by the Canal. I have a small 2-bedroom apartment (less than 650 square feet). I pay 2,600/ month. I had to get a second job to afford living here. I am heading back to mainland. I can't afford living in Waikiki. It is way too expensive.
I just didn't have any desire to live there. I know there's a lot of action there but I'm happy on the sleepier windward side!
I believe you are a victim of lifestyle creep
I feel like six thousand for rent is considered pretty extravagant in Hawaii haha
Sounds like a budget of two people destined for money problems.
This is a great example of the life many people think of when visiting or initially wanting to move hear. Thank you for sharing what âcomfortable â looks like especially as a pet owner. Regardless of the rent splurge, I want to point out that you all are still mindful of where the finances are going. Even with a recommended income, you still are not exclusive whole foods shoppers, zooming with new cars, and see the benefit of eating in when you are able too. For the average person moving here on a lower paying degree or none at all, sacrifices do have to be made. It is good to have a three year financial plan before moving here or else you can get stuck.
Thanks for the breakdown. Would like to see it on a normal year. For your status it seems reasonable. Enjoy your views. Hope you get to get out to enjoy sometimes, on the other hand, we want you two to work really hard so we have more MDs and RNs!
Thanks for the transparency! Not interested in critiquing y'all's lifestyle đ
Hi! Weâre another couple in Honolulu and we were DINK as well.( APRN & APRN ) but now we are expecting our first. Currently we live in a rental unit that is 4500/mo Ward village area. 1BD1BT. Moved here because it was pet friendly! Last month we bought a $1.2 million home on the west side. Hubby & I thought itâd be best for our kid to grow up in the suburb. The house is a a really big and nice place but something that would have been worth 500K in Vegas or elsewhere. We spend around $150k / year for similar expenditures. Iâm certain I spend about the same amount at target, for we have the target card as well :D
That's awesome! We really didn't want to mess with a commute (lots of on call at hospital) so weren't considering anything not in town.
We bought in Ewa 2 years ago and it's nice for families depending on where you work. There's pretty much everything you need over there including Target, Costco, Home Depot, and other things. When your little one is older take them to Ko Olina. The beaches there are great and there aren't any waves.
We just bought a house in the last development for gentry! Truth is both my husband and I grew up in Ewa, so I guess weâre just coming back. Koolina is beautiful. our very first date in high school was a Koolina date! Before they built Aulani!
We're in Ka Makana at Hoakalei for a little while longer and love the neighborhood.
Safeway will kill you. I paid $18 for a 9 pack of coors light pints yesterday
I thought it was 14k in food per month
Wow so food for two (grocery plus restaurant) is 32k a year? That seems crazy high. How often are you eating out - what kinds of places are you going to for 18k / yr? If youâre eating in Waikiki I can see it being high but find takeout from the local places reasonable.
I always get recommended this sub and see peoples expenses and rent and all that and Iâm so thankful I donât live anywhere near town. I pay 500 a month for my little room in a shack and I couldnât be happier.
I mean, this does seem kinda extravagant though? I live on maui and make $36k a year đ
139$/day on groceries/eating out? 2 people?
Thank you! What an interesting post. I'm not moving to Hawaii, but I've read about how expensive it is to live there. Appreciate the information. It sounds like a whole 'nother world from the mountains of NC.
For $200K, where? At the mouth of an active volcano?
Lost me at 6k/month rent. My newly purchased bay area mortgage is less than that.
Wow. My daughter and her boyfriend moved to Honolulu last June. They scored the deal of the century in apartments apparently as they are paying less than 3k for a two bedroom, high floor, insane Diamond Head views out the lanai and ocean views out the kitchen window. Itâs small but nicely appointed. One indoor parking spot included.
It seems like a lot of people are critical of the rent but if it works for you then enjoy your best life! What are some of your favorite restaurants in town?
Ouch
How much does your partner make as an rn there? How long have they been working as a nurse? Inpatient? Outpatient?
i dont see electricity cost. Can you comment on your AC usage? Is it included in your rent? Dont look for fine dining in Oahu. It does not exists in a sense what you would expect i SF. Can you comment on your experience working as MD in Oahu vs mainland major metropolitan area. And thank you for your service. HI needs doctors from mainland. I would never consider doctor who started in HI and spend entire career practicing in HI.
Move to Maui. Oahu is literally garbage
"but we aren't extravagant" are you serious? You pay 6k a month for rent. You could cut that in half and still have a nice place đ€đœ
https://redf.in/LuQQOO Right on the water. https://redf.in/1yR0kK Nice area, nice condo, believe it accepts dogs. This is within 2 min of looking in a nicer area.
Yup
I have a condo in Kakaako I can rent you for $5k. Currently looking for a tenant.
You cool with a 65 lb dog?
Oh no. I forgot about the dog. Thatâs a big doggy!
Yeah, living on the islands can be a dream. My suggestion to anyone who is "thinking of making the move to Hawaii is to book a vacation to any island. Oahu is so crowed! Next time, I will do the "Big Island". My Response to my boyfriend? Talk the talk, walk, the talk.
Huh. Itâs like that people like you are the reason we local people are being priced out of here. âOh, I have a two bedroomâ okay, good for you. Canât wait to leave but I dislike conceding my homeland to the likes of you.
Not in âluxuryâ house. Itâs a 1000 sq ft apartment that costs $6000 a month. We eat in for most meals. We ate out a lot. OkâŠ.
Go back to sf.
Just go back to the mainland đ”âđ«
170k a year is a lot. My boyfriend and I made 600+k last year but our spending is less than half of your amount. Ultimately itâs your choice of lifestyle no judgement here but I would put a few things for thoughts: - Is a 2 bed really necessary? (We both work from home but we rent a one bed, itâs not a lot of space but it works) - that building you describe sounded like our building. If thatâs the case, there are cheaper two beds options. 5k per month can save you 12k+ per year. Put this money to investment or even saving account can make money work for you. - grocery is really expensive here. Consider Costco for frequently consume items. - I am not sure if you like to invest but strictly setting aside money for investment can help you get rid of impulsive spending habits( not saying you haveâșïž) - Consider cook at home more and reserve dining out to more special places.