Although I recommend you read our article about Living In Hawaii from start to finish, here are quick links to the sections along with our 2 bonus reasons:
Introduction
Life in Hawaii may seem like a dream come true with its beautiful landscapes and tropical climate, but the reality can be quite different. Here are 12 reasons why it might not be the paradise you imagine. Let’s me begin with telling you that I absolutely love living here. But, there a degree of adjustment that I continually see outsiders going through. Hawaii is not for everyone. It seems like Hawaii brings out a love/hate response in people. For some, it’s heaven on earth and they can’t possibly imagine living anywhere else. For others, it’s hell on earth and they can’t wait to get out of here.
What’s really interesting: Chances are you won’t know what side you will come down on until you actually live here. So to help you out we compiled the most common reasons why for some people, Hawaii is hell on earth. If you think many of the below reasons will turn you off, you can thank us for saving you untold headaches because there’s a really good chance that Hawaii is not right for you.
Shorebreak by Brian Burger is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Image may have been resized or cropped from original.
Reason #1: It May Feel Like Poverty
Joyful by 23786473@N02 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Image may have been resized or cropped from original.
The high cost of living on the islands is a significant challenge. The “middle class” in Hawaii often lives at what would be considered poverty levels on the mainland. Many families work multiple jobs, live paycheck to paycheck, and have substandard housing conditions compared to mainland standards. As of 2023, you need to be earning at least $150,000 a year to have what $75,000 a year provides on the mainland. If you’re considering living here, be prepared for a vastly downgraded lifestyle unless you’re already a multi-millionaire.
Reason #2: Challenges of Starting a Business While Living in Hawaii
Starting a business in Hawaii is notoriously difficult. Hawaii often ranks near the bottom in terms of business friendliness due to heavy regulations and high costs. If you dream of owning a business, be prepared for many hurdles. The high cost of living and doing business, combined with a small, isolated market, makes starting a business in Hawaii a daunting task. While there are successful businesses, it requires significant effort and perseverance. Remember, You need customers to build that trust and respect but you need trust and respect to get customers.
Reason #3: Public Education Issues When Living in Hawaii
Hawaii’s public school system usually ranks near the bottom compared to other states. In 2023, WalletHub ranked Hawaii #41 overall and #41 for quality of education. Many parents opt for private schools, which are in high demand and expensive. As a result, you might find yourself spending around $20,000 per year per student for private education. If you have children and are thinking about living in Hawaii, the education system is a critical factor to consider. Do you see the theme? It is expensive, depending on your situation, it can start to add up. Be ready.
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Reason #4: Pay is Below National Averages Despite Higher Cost of Living
Jobs in Hawaii typically pay less than their mainland counterparts, despite the much higher cost of living. Expect a significant pay cut if you move to Hawaii. Many people from big mainland cities find that while the cost of living in Honolulu is comparable to where they live, the pay scales are much lower. You have the high cost of resort or big city living combined with the low wages of a small town. That said, Hawaii is crowded in many areas. People do it. With a little preparation and awareness, so can you.
Reason #5: First-Time Home Ownership Nearly Impossible
This was the view I was greeted by in the morning as I came out the door to head to work in Paia, Maui from our home in Honokowai (Kahana). Image Copyright CyberCom, Inc.
The real estate market in Hawaii is extremely competitive and expensive. In 2023, the median price of a single-family home on Oahu was $986,000, and a condo was $631,000. Unless you can put down a substantial down payment and afford a high mortgage, buying a home can be nearly impossible. Many residents end up renting, and rental prices are also high and continue to rise. I recommend you get in touch with an experienced local real estate professional to help you pick the right island and area to meet you budget. Fill out our form and we’ll put you in touch with the right pro: https://www.livinginhawaii.com/help-me-find-a-home/
Reason #6: Traffic is Really Bad
Yes, even our Sunday morning drives are packed in!
Sunday morning traffic by kimubert is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image may have been resized or cropped from original
Various national reports show Hawaii’s traffic as some of the nation’s worst. We know of friends that moved to LA from Honolulu and they think Honolulu is worse. The freeways look like parking lots during rush hours, turning a normally 30-minute commute into a two-hour crawl. Every workday. On some parts of Oahu, people have to get up at 5am to get to work by 8am. No lie.
What’s really bad about the traffic is that it’s extremely peaky. If your travel time can flex from 30 minutes to 2 hours, what time do you leave the house to get into town by 10am? Who knows? This forces you to leave early, and then you might arrive really early, on time, or late. This wastes a lot of time and makes one want to avoid driving whenever possible.
But wait, there’s more. Here’s the real kicker: because our mostly mountainous islands have few highways, most locations on the island are only accessible from a single highway. When we get the occasional big highway accident, the entire island chokes on traffic. There have been some horror stories of people taking 8 hours to get home. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
If you don’t like sitting in traffic, you’ll either need to live really close to where you work, which typically means much higher housing costs, or work near where you live, which typically means much lower-paying jobs. The combination of limited roadways, high commuter volume, and geographical constraints makes driving in Hawaii particularly challenging.
Reason #7: Fewer Choices, Less Competition, Poorer Service, Higher Prices
Because of Hawaii’s disincentives, there is less competition for anything in our small, closed market. Less competition is almost always bad for consumers, and here it applies to much more than just high prices. Companies just don’t have to try as hard to win your business, creating for many a “take it or leave it” approach. This lack of competition also permeates our politics: Hawaii is a single-party state, featuring the lowest voter turnout in the nation.
This all contributes to an attitude of apathy for many. For a while, there was a popular bumper sticker “Ainokea!” (pronounced eye-no-kay-ah) which is local slang for “I no care.”
You would think our conditions would be ripe for change and consumer revolt, but in Hawaii, our Aloha Spirit culture creates a shrug-and-bear-it type of attitude.
Hawaii’s small, isolated market means fewer choices for goods and services. This lack of competition often results in poorer service and higher prices compared to the mainland. Many businesses operate with a “take it or leave it” attitude, and consumers have limited alternatives. This can affect everything from grocery shopping to dining out and accessing essential services. For those considering moving to Hawaii, the limited options and higher costs are significant factors to weigh.
Reason #8: You May Not Recover from the Culture Shock
If you’re Caucasian (locally called “Haole” [How-lay]) and raised with traditional American/Western values, you are almost guaranteed to be in for a huge culture shock when living in Hawaii. While Hawaii is one of the United States of America, it’s about as far away from the USA culturally as it is geographically. Consider this: Hawaii’s Statehood holiday (i.e., “celebrating” the day Hawaii became a state) is never celebrated (or even recognized!) by elected officials at any level and is almost always met with protests by those who believe Hawaii was illegally overthrown and annexed by the United States.
Once you get over the passive/aggressive anti-American attitude, you’ll then have to acclimate to a social culture founded on a beautiful Hawaiian value system of Aloha, acceptance, and ‘ohana (family) that combines with a strong Asian influence, bringing an interesting mix of duty, honor, and extremely cliquey social circles.
There can be a significant cultural adjustment, especially for those from the mainland. Hawaii’s unique mix of cultures, local customs, and the strong sense of community can be challenging to navigate. Caucasians, known locally as “Haoles,” may find it difficult to integrate fully into the local culture and might always feel like outsiders. The anti-mainland sentiment and the distinct local etiquette can be overwhelming for newcomers.
Once you get past that, you’ll have to be forever comfortable that you’re the “low man on the totem pole” in terms of racial minorities. All in Hawaii are minorities, but there is a pecking order. Hawaiians are on the top of the heap, followed by other Polynesians, then Asians, and finally the Haoles.
In summary, if you can handle an anti-American closed society embracing pan-Pacific cultural values where Haoles are at the bottom of the social pecking order, you’ll do fine. Most mainland Haoles never get past this. Those that do have learned to embrace its benefits (the Aloha Spirit, the non-materialistic values, the beauty of racial diversity, and the Japanese “Samurai” code of honor) while not letting the downside bother them.
Reason #9: You’ll Always Be an Outsider
It doesn’t matter how well you’ve integrated with Hawaii’s culture; if you’re from the mainland, you’ll always be the “mainlander” and if you’re Haole, even more so. It won’t matter if you married “local,” have been Hanai’d (“ha-nigh”) by a local family (to Hanai is to adopt one into a family), had mixed-race children, have done countless good works for Hawaii, and have lived here for most of your life. Too bad, so sad, you’re still a mainland Haole.
Unlike the US mainland where you’re either a New Yorker, Chicagoan, Californian, Georgian, or whatever, in Hawaii, you will never be more than a Hawaii resident. The only people that will call you “Hawaiian” are those that are absolutely clueless, or maybe your mainland friends.
What does this mean, really? It means you will have to completely let go of your Western self and fully embrace your new Hawaiian islander self. You must adapt deeply to the local ways and customs, much like how someone immerses themselves into a new culture entirely. If you can fully immerse yourself and accept the cultural differences, you’ll do fine. If you insist on maintaining your mainland identity and ways, it’s only a matter of time before you’ll feel the need to leave.
Living here requires a significant shift in identity and self-perception. Despite how much you may want to integrate and feel like a local, the strong cultural and historical identity of Hawaii means you will always be seen as an outsider. This aspect of Hawaii can be particularly challenging for those who value being fully accepted by their community.
Reason #10: Everything is Really Expensive
If it costs money, it will cost a lot more when you move to Hawaii. Nothing here is cheap. Even locally produced goods cost significantly more. One interview with a local cattle rancher revealed that it’s cheaper to ship calves from Hawaii to the mainland, raise them there, then ship them back for the slaughterhouse than it is to raise them on Hawaiian lands.
If you can’t buy it in the stores, you’ll have to ship it. Amazon’s free shipping has been a godsend for locals in Hawaii (and you’ll love that Amazon Prime membership!), but not everything is on Amazon (at least yet). For any special order items, you’ll have to wait a long time and pay a whole lot of shipping costs. And even on Amazon, there are many items that only ship to the “Continental United States,” which means Hawaii is out of luck. One thing to note, anything that contains a lithium battery, won’t get shipped by Amazon. You have to buy it locally. That said, the options are limited. I usually pick up electronics when I’m on the mainland, or have my friends deliver my gear when they fly over.
Why are things so expensive here? It’s not just because everything has to be shipped in, which it does, but rather a cocktail of factors including:
- High real estate prices (which affect warehouse and retail costs)
- High government overhead (taxes, regulations, etc.)
- Low competition
- Higher than normal shipping costs due to the Jones Act, which requires that all shipping from the US mainland arrives on US-flagged ships
Hawaiian islanders get used to it until they go to the mainland for a trip and only then realize the “Paradise Tax” that we have to pay. Visitors to Hawaii need only take one trip to the grocery store or any restaurant to experience the extreme sticker shock that those living here have just come to accept.
Life in Hawaii means continually adjusting to these high expenses, and this can be a significant burden on your finances over time.
Reason #11: Everything is really crowded
Ugh! Honolulu traffic. by 44728494@N06 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Image may have been resized or cropped from original.
Anything in Hawaii that becomes even somewhat popular immediately becomes overcrowded. This may be more acute on Oahu than the other islands, but the underlying fundamentals are similar. Find a good restaurant? You’ll have to wait for an hour. New product announcement? Lines around the block. Big concert in town? Sold out in an hour. Big shopping sale at the mall? You’ll never find parking. Big event anywhere? Traffic backed up for miles. Big surf event? You can’t get near the place.
This phenomenon is probably the result of a combination of these factors:
- High population density
- Little variety results in high demand for new things
- Boredom with the status quo of things to do
- Cultural acceptance of waiting in very long lines
Moving to Hawaii means accepting that popular places and events will be crowded. If you don’t like long lines or crowds, this is obviously not going to work for you. The way we islanders deal with this is either to embrace it by making the long camped out lines part of the fun of the event itself (if you can believe that), or if possible, wait until the craze subsides and then participate, though this latter approach doesn’t work well for short-term events like concerts. One visitor summed up their experience: “It’s hot, crowded, and expensive.”
For those considering moving to Hawaii, the constant crowds and long waits are significant aspects of daily life that can impact your overall experience.
Reason #12: No Road Trips
No road tripping here on the island! credits Kaique Rocha https://www.pexels.com/photo/asphalt-countryside-empty-grass-105234/ used under Pixels license with permission.
One of many things mainland Americans take for granted is the amazingly awesome fun of a road trip. We’re not going to go into great detail here about how much fun that is because you either know or you don’t.
The best thing you can do in Hawaii is an “around the island” trip, and we put that in quotes because you really can’t go around any of the islands due to terrain. So in reality, what you end up doing is driving across the island and then back.
It’s fun, gorgeous, varied, and scenic. But it’s the same road and the same scenery each time. It’s still beautiful, but you can only do it so many times.
For those that enjoy road trips, you are really going to miss this aspect of mainland life. The confined geography limits the ability to explore new and diverse landscapes by car. If you love the freedom of long drives and discovering new places, Hawaii might feel restrictive.
Still reading? You get a bonus 2 more reasons why you should not move to Hawaii
Bonus Reason #13: Visiting family on the mainland is really expensive
You’ll probably be going to the airport to pickup family than to travel yourself. You’ll probably be going to the airport to pickup family than to travel yourself.
Hawaiian Airlines A330-200 by Haklion is licensed under CC BY 3.0. Image may have been resized or cropped from original.
In 2023, it’s about $600 round trip to San Francisco and $900 to Chicago or New York. So for a family of four, you’re looking at $2,000 to $3,200 just to get off the island. Add in $200 per night for a hotel, $75 per day for a car rental, and a two-week vacation starts adding up to around $10,000. And we’re not even talking about any trips abroad.
Visiting family will probably cost you a lot less as you’ll end up staying at someone’s house, but you’ll still have to pop for airfare, probably a car rental, and definitely eating out.
Either way, mainland trips are something you really have to think about long and hard because it’s going to cost you. What ends up happening over time is you go there less and less, growing ever more distant from mainland family. For some, that’s a great benefit. For others, it’s heartbreaking. Over time, for many, it’s a deal breaker.
Living here means accepting that visiting family on the mainland will be a significant financial and logistical challenge. This distance can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection from loved ones, making it a crucial consideration for anyone thinking about moving to Hawaii.
Bonus Reason #14: Less food variety
Before Costco came to Hawaii, this was a lot worse, but we still don’t get anywhere near the food variety that you see in similarly-sized mainland cities. Surprisingly, our fresh fruit selection is not very good. While we have a good local supply of pineapples, bananas, and papayas, fruit that has to be shipped in is rarely ripe and either overripe or under ripe. Peaches are the best example: we only get really sweet and juicy peaches for perhaps 2-3 weeks out of the year with a substandard selection after that.
Restaurants are a problem too. Hawaii has a large selection of Asian-centric restaurants, but after that, it falls off a cliff. Italian, Greek, Mexican, Pizza, and the like are sorely lacking. And don’t even try asking for locally popular foods like Philly Cheesesteaks and Chicago Italian Beef sandwiches.
If you love Asian cuisine and seafood (especially sashimi), you’ll be in heaven. But great [anything else] restaurants? You’ll be lucky if you find a tiny handful of the rest, and how many times can you go to the same Italian restaurant?
Living in Hawaii means accepting a limited variety of food options compared to the mainland. For food enthusiasts who enjoy a wide range of cuisines, this can be a significant drawback. The limited availability of certain fresh produce and diverse dining options can make it feel restrictive for those used to mainland variety.
Conclusion
Life in Hawaii is often seen as a dream, but it comes with several challenges. In this article, we explore why Hawaii might not be the paradise you imagine.
Should you move not move to Hawaii? Despite all that, we’re still here!
Share this page with anyone you know that lives in Hawaii and they will have little to disagree with. But, guess what? They are still here and so are we! Why?
Easy! We love the positives and the negatives don’t matter that much to us. This of course is an individual choice and only you can weigh out your own internal equation.
So now that you’ve read the bad, it’s time to read about the good.
