I lived in Waikiki on three separate occasions, so I know a little bit about what it’s like to live there – the good and bad, and there are both. The first time I lived on Amana Street, it is behind the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Waikiki. In 1986 I paid $675 for a studio. It was furnished and decent enough. The building had a pool. Quite OK for then. I was 20 years old and stayed there a year or so.
The second time I moved to Kapiolani Blvd by Kaheka Street intersection – near the Ilikai Hotel. Great spot, easy to walk everywhere – we had a pool and a much bigger 1 bedroom for $750 in 2002. I liked that a lot.
Third time I lived on Hobron Lane. 400 Hobron I think it was. Great building, small studio for $800 but with an amazing rooftop pool and barbeque area. Fantastic views, etc. Here, I’ll put a photo of me swimming in the rooftop pool – Google maps must have caught me just after I came up for air: (click on the photo to zoom in and see me!)
OK, that is not me – but, anyway, there is the good and bad about living in Waikiki on Oahu, Hawaii…
Living in Waikiki – the Good
- Walking distance to: beach, restaurants, parks, night life, shopping, colleges, Diamond Head, Walls, Ala Moana Park
- Good places to run or walk – Ala Moana Park, Kapiolani Park, Diamond Head, along Ala Wai Canal, etc.
- Save Gas
- Good public transportation if you have no car
- Ideal for motorcycle, scooter, or even bicycle
- Easy to reach northeast – Makapu’u, Sandys, Waimanolo, Bellows AFS, etc.
- View of Diamond Head and/or the ocean – I always had ocean view, it’s hard to beat that
- Weather is pretty ideal – not too much rain or dryness, not hot for too many months
- Jobs are more common in and around Waikiki and town, it’s the metropolis center of Oahu
Living in Waikiki – the Bad
- Food is more expensive – restaurants, grocery stores, anywhere in Waikiki
- Rent is more expensive and places are smaller
- Parking fees, parking hard to find, parking tickets
- Police standing in side streets to catch you without seatbelt
- Police speed checks
- Traffic is insane during rush hours
- Tensions run a bit higher in Waikiki – people are stressed from the “Bad” things about living in or visiting
- Waikiki
- Rats and cockroaches are found more in Waikiki – (not a fact, just my opinion)
- Air quality can be bad
- Noise can be extreme sometimes – cars, trucks, concerts, idiots screaming at 3am.
- Dealing with crowds of tourists and residents doing the same things you want to do
As a moderate independent, I worry about the extreme far-left politics of Hawaii’s Governor.
Is this warranted?
Also, we went back on 2019, fortunately before the Wuhan Covid was deployed, and I was shocked to see even pineapples (grown there!) were about 4x as expensive as here in Texas!
Though Hawaii is deep deep blue, it’s not like the mainland extremely far left. For a true moderate, it’s fine.
We are thinking of selling our San Francisco Bay Area condo and buying a small 1BR/1BA condo in Honolulu in 5-6 years when we retire. We like Waikiki for the beautiful beach, the hustle and bustle of activity and the fun vacation-y vibe, but are concerned about the flooding issues our research has turned up.
From what we’ve been able to glean, it appears that the areas above Waikiki (including Manoa, Palolo, Kaimuki) drain makai (which makes sense) into Waikiki. Certainly thousands of homeowners in Waikiki live with this and have been living with this, and, of course, we know this only will intensify in the coming years with global climate change.
Our question is this: how bad is it, really? How often does flooding in Waikiki happen?
For example, we’ve looked for news footage about flooding, and there was a report from Dec. 2021 of flooding that went into a Waikiki condo, flooded the parking garage, and took out the elevator to the whole building. We’re just having trouble understanding how to put that into perspective. Was it newsworthy that that one building had its elevator taken out that way? Or is that a common thing that happens all the time, so if you’re on the 30th floor, be prepared to be stuck there for a few days during a big flood a couple times a year?
Do you have any thoughts or information about how to factor flooding hazards into buying a condo in the Waikiki area? Are there any resources you can point us toward for us to do further research?
Mahalo for your help and for your great site and online videos and content. We so appreciate your sharing your wisdom and experience.
Terrific timing! We just covered this question at our live show: Is sea level rise affecting condos on Oahu? watch this and LMK what you think!
Thanks for your point of view. Probly moving there this year (Waikiki or Kaimuki€”helpful observations…. jim
I’m thinking of retiring in Waikiki where we pay mortgage on a small condo. Where would be the best places to buy groceries? For medical? What are daily issues that come up for people living in Waikiki?
My advice to answer questions like that is that you take a long vacation in Waikiki as the correct answer will wildly vary based on one’s perspective and particular needs.
I lived in Makiki which is a great location but the condos are small and there is very little parking in that area. We packed up and moved our home and Wedding Business BRIDAL DREAM HAWAII out to West Oahu (Kapolei) where the houses are bigger and there is plenty to do with a Water Park, Bowling, Go Carts, Hockey Rink and a quiet beach at Barber’s Point.