Is $140,000 enough? Derek’s TRUE cost of living in Hawaii. 

It is all relative...ive lived in Hawaii 40 years. I own my own property,paid for in total. I live off the grid in a cabin I built myself. I live on less than 10,000$ a year. Very comfortably. I bought an acre on big island...not for everyone but it is a reality here. You live extravagantly...by my standards.

Great insights and candid illustration of your family’s cost of living in Hawaii. Keeping it real and sharing your actual living expenses could absolutely help many young locals to assess their current situation and think hard about choices they must make to live the life they wish in Hawaii. Thanks for keeping it real, Derek! I just subscribed and will begin viewing your other videos.

Loved this video...and love the consistency of videos as of late! My new fav channel!

I honestly love your videos dude. I know it's a pain in the ass to edit them but I 100% enjoy them.

Mahalo nui! for keeping it really real. Our connections to family and the islands is the culture. The struggle here affects everyone. Please continue sharing your knowledge!

Depends on your lifestyle. I'm single. Don't drink or smoke. Eat minimal. Have a pension. Social Security. Lay tile as a trade for side money.. All I need is a small 1 bedroom. I'm outside all the time. If you have expensive tastes,like big houses, new cars, be prepared to work non stop. I'd never move there with no extra income. Down side. I like to drive and travel. Also the traffic. Good side is the people and if you like nice weather and like being outside there's no place like Hawaii. And always be kind to locals.

Thanks for the honesty! Really helps to set realistic expectations for those thinking about moving 🤙🏾🤙🏾

I love this! So informative, thanks for sharing and being transparent about the realities of living in Hawaii! I think it goes a long way in helping people make informed decisions about moving.

I absolutely enjoyed this clip. Very informational! I am a returning Kamaaina retiree (Florida) and am adjusting to cost of living here. Your down-to-earth discussion was so helpful in making me comfortable about moving back.

Bro, totally appreciate your openness to share your personal expenses and lifestyle. Hope to connect with you when I move my family there from the Bay Area.

For us non-military, we make it by having 10+ family members move in. Ohana is the perfect solution for high cost of living. Good video! Mahalo.

Another great video that provides a ton of information.

Thank you for sharing! Great video.

Dude! Great video and very helpful! Appreciate the upload

Wow…..this is an excellent presentation of life in “paradise “. I appreciate your candid perspective of island living. I just started watching your videos and you consistently get it. Each area that you assess is on point. Mahalo for your honesty I was born and raised Papakolea on Oahu but moved to Kauai and raised my 4 kids with the simple pleasures that we have here. They were considered “country bumpkins “ by their cousins but come summertime everyone sent their kids to us…haha. I now have 19 mo’opuna today and my husband and I are both retired. Right now it seems that the Big Island is more affordable ? in real estate . Kauai has become a rich man’s playground and I am fortunate to live on Hawaiian homelands in Kekaha. Anyway mahalo for your information and insight of life here. Blessings to you and your family

Thanks for your insightful information regarding Hawaiian living.

Thank you so much for sharing all these information💕💜

Excellent breakdown. Thanks

Good videos, Derek - like them very much. Mahalo!

Thank you for sharing this information! As a 25yo single mama to two school age children making around $70K a year, we're hoping to make the move in the next year or two! Cost of living is high, but also comparable to larger cities, PNW, etc. Absolutely doable if we're cutting out things like botique competitive sports, yearly Disney World trips, etc. A smaller, slower life on the island beats a fast paced, hoarding lifestyle on the mainland!

So many properties on Oahu have a Home Association fee. I’m seeing that in a lot of homes. I run my hot water heater on a timer, knocks off $20-$25 a month.

Hey, I appreciate your hard work ethic and go-getter drive. I grew up in Waianae with a single mom and saw that we could have a blessed life on very little. Im married with two kids now and we are well provided for even though were not "rich." Just wanted to acknowledge I appreciate your content and laughed out loud at your "don't live in this neighborhood if..." video since I grew up in Waianae but now live in kailua! LOL...

Been there on the $15.00 Thursday/beans and rice until payday. Makes me appreciate where I am now🤙🏼

Derek, you really are good! Very informative video, indeed

Staycation at Barbers Point, we are staying next week for $150 a night. Nice cabins, and right on the beach. The kids love it.

Excellent summary. Appreciate you taking the time with these videos. It’s very helpful, particularly for someone like me pondering a move to the islands. Thanks again…

Yo, Bro you described the Cost of living in Hawaii accurately. Lol! Even describing nurse pay in Hawaii accurately. Maybe your wife is in the medical field. Lots in common with you so I can relate. I'm a nurse used to body board, purple belt in BJJ that's haven't trained in a decade that also resides in Mililani that eats out too much. My burn rate is similar too. Keep up the good work!

As an early retiree in an affluent part of SoCal, I’m certain that my total COL will lower once I settle in Oahu. Let’s face it, housing costs are likely most people’s biggest financial burden - and despite owning my home clear - I still pay almost 20k/yr in property taxes. I am looking forward to the much lower rate in Hawaii. As for the two other main expenses - Food and Entertainment - I cook most of my meals at home and shop only for sale items at Club prices at local markets like Ralph’s and Vons. I’m naturally frugal and enjoy “bargain” hunting - just yesterday I bought 6lbs of tri-tip at $2.99/lb vs the reg price at $7.99/lb…the markets always try to move something nice every week. As for entertainment, there is so much to life that is fun and free such as running, hiking and generally exploring the city. Hawaii is full of opportunities for similar free entertainment.

Very open and detailed information. Costs on Lāna‘i are similar, but electricity is much more expensive and water is much less.

Whoa... super rich and luxurious lifestyle! I cut and very prudently use my utilities - have to to live here... use one towel for 3 days cuz I air it out in the sun. Gotta do thinks akamai for sure. This video is really good so that main land people know.

I lived in Honolulu between 1980-1991. In Colorado I own my home. Bought it new for 150,000 in 2008. 1750 square feet. It will be paid for in a couple years. Mortgage is @560, taxes @260, HOA 230. I have two cars, both paid for. Car insurance about 130, cable 60, phone 30. No kids. (Although I did create a college fund for my great niece and have contributed 200 monthly for the past five years). I've been a Software Developer for 20 years and I make a six- figure salary. I've been smart with investing and plan to pay cash for my home on Maui when I retire. I'm not concerned with the cost of living in Hawaii. I left in 1991 to complete college and have a career. Now, I just want to be home again.

Thanks for sharing Derek... I am also a service member. Before I moved to Hawaii, I lived in New York City for over 30 years. I lived in the Bronx with my son in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment. My monthly cost of living was around $5950. My annual salary was 116k. My mortgage was $2250, HOA $1200, tax exempt, Electric $200, Condo 2yr assessment $850, food $450, other expenses $1000. Before moving to Hawaii, my son graduated from High School and also joined the US Army. Now living in Hawaii solo, I reduced my footprint to a smaller apartment, and bought a new condo in Ward Village. My annual salary is now $107k. My new monthly expenses is around $3200. My mortgage is $1625, HOA $380, taxes $120, electric $75, free wifi, food $300, other expenses $700. Moving to Hawaii was the best decision I ever made for economic and lifestyle reasons. With the money I'm now saving, I intend to buy more real estate in the near future. I'm thinking about buying land and build a pre-fabricated home. I'll keep in touch. Mahalo brah 🤙

Derek thank you for the info. I live in Cleveland Tennessee and have a son in Wahiawa. I hope he comes home once a year. Lol

Mahalo nui for sharing your info. Iʻm about to see how our costs will change by moving from Hawaiʻi to Oʻahu.

Loved this video man. In your opinion could a couple with no kids afford Oahu if both are nurses?

Appreciate the breakdown, hope you have good credit cards to maximize rewards for your trips.

great video , I am single guy looking to move to to oahu in the future. although your numbers are mostly for family . they helped me great deal. 09:45 if you think 1.3% is bad , you should try Jersey suburbs where the norm is above 2.5%. My friend pays 8200 in taxes for his house which worth around 280k

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I appreciate the videos, Brah. Keep them coming! If I understood correctly, based on your expenditures and living situation, will 140K cover most if not all costs associated with providing for a family of 4? Not including traveling expenses. I'm not sure if 140K is the floor, i.e., the starting point or the ceiling, based on your explanation. Thanks in advance for answering my question!

Hey Derek - are you eventually planning to get solar panels for the house to help offset the electricity costs? Thanks for another great video

You should only shop at Whole Foods Bro. You are a superstar and are able to afford living in Hawaii. You are the man! I’m proud of you Bro.

I think the cost of living in Hawaii is a little over blown. If you are coming from a large metropolitan area like Los Angeles, Honolulu is only 1.8% higher. Coming from hicksville usa then yes, the cost is great. Look up the cost of living index and youll see its not that bad. Im from Socal and travel to Oahu yearly for months and see no difference at all. Costco prices are the same. Gas here in LA is $5 a gallon for 87. No difference. In fact, rent in West LA is higher than a comparable place in Oahu.

Aloha, gr8 info to know. I cut off able in 2020 when cvid started. Barely was using it and less news now, which is good,. Q: can u grow food in ur area...backyard. U are awesome 4sure.

This is really informative. Since this was a year ago and considering inflation, how is your family's lifestyle now?

You are DEFINATELY living on the high end. I rent a room in Hawaii Kai for 600/month. Living with a 4th gen Hawaiian. I have cricket for cell. I make 3000/month. I have state health insurance. My food is like 100-150 month. I have truck insurance and payment. And what really helps cut cost is that I am a Vegan. So noodles, veggies, fruit, bread, beans (cheapest food on the planet). You can live SUPER cheap on Oahu if you are single. All the outdoor activities are basically free esp if you are Kama'Aina. People think HI is expensive... nah, CA and NY are expensive ;)

Derek, this is a really informative video. Thanks for sharing. Ideally I would love to own a second home in Oahu that I could rent out. What is the latest with AirBnB and VRBO? Is it still possible to rent/lease on a weekly basis and have it as a place to stay when I visit?

This is a great lesson in the economics of daily living on Oahu. 1,000 square feet of Aloha!

It was 28 degrees F today in Massachusetts. I wish i was there.

How much is the car insurance on your two cars ? And how much was the property tax on an average home??

Great breakdown. I, too, heard that $140K should be enough to live comfortably. Assuming you have savings and a solid budget, I think that is plenty. 🤙

What’s up D. I saw two of your videos. They seem to be more high priced million dollar homes. Have you done any videos on rentals. I’m a few years from retirement and am single so I did not think it made sense to buy a house. I really want to live out my last days near a beach and not 8 months indoors in winter in Brooklyn. Oahu seems to be overbuilt and I am not looking for city locations since I have spent most of my life in a concrete environment. I have spent over 30 years traveling the South Pacific islands so I know what to expect from living among locals. Most of my time was spent in Tahiti sometimes on islands with just 400 people. Also spent time in the Marquesas, Rarotonga, Fiji islands, Tonga, RAPA Nui, so I have a good experience with the people of the islands. Please drop me a line sometime when you have an opportunity. Would be great to hear from you. Mahalo Nui Loa Derek

i live here comfortably and only make $80k but i live on the Big Island. Good video for Oahu. Prices over have gotten CRAZY i bought my house from friends and paid $225K 6 years ago now i could sell it for $700K tomorrow. Kaiser insurance i pay $650 a month my work probably pays that also

Hey Brah, what about Disabled unemployed persons? What do THEY do for Health Insurance?

I spend 2000 a month on food and eating out between me and my wife in San Diego California. We moving back this year. Was there in Feb and the food is the same as if we were in san San Diego.

Derek, thanks for your informative videos. Just a quick correction, and that is 100% service connect veterans pay property tax, but it's capped at $300 a year. Thanks again, and I enjoy your videos!

Thanks for sharing! I am from Nashville and grew up there, then went to college on North Shore in Laie! Hoping to move back in about a year and this info is super helpful!!

I really think to be comfortable in Hawaii you need to make $200k a year. A family of 4 can make it here with two professionals. But many people don’t. The reality is 1 in 4 people in Hawaii receive some kind of aid from the government. Food stamps, reduced lunch, healthcare. It’s not an easy place to make it and Hawaii each year has a declining population because of the cost of living and more precisely housing costs. Travel costs is also something people forget about. An average plane fare from Hawaii to mainland is about $500 and yes you can get cheaper fares but that’s the average. For a family of four, that’s a huge expense. Also jobs pay about 20% less here. People willing to take less money to live in Paradise. For Tech jobs it can be even worse. The average here is $80k for a job in the IT industry. We don’t have large companies here. A large company here employees 2000 people. We are 90% small business. So the higher paying jobs are fewer. A lot of mainlanders come to Hawaii and only last a few years. They fall in love with the sun and beaches and then reality hits. They are broke, not saving for the future and owning a house is just a dream. But if you work hard and know how to hustle you can make it. The average household in Hawaii has 3 full time jobs, people tend to do multigenerational living and choose to travel less.

Is it roughly the same price to rent as your mortgage, in the $3,000 range? Particularly in the Kahuku or Waianae area? For a decent 2-3 Bedrooms.

Thank you. I am debating to accept a state of Hawaii job. Only pays 50k.

I just received a job offer to re-locate to Honolulu from Wisconsin for 140k. Weird coincidence it is the same amount in the title. This was a really helpful video though! I spent some time living in the Virgin Islands so I'm well aware of the extra costs of island life, but Honolulu seems like a different animal.

Feel so bless to live here

Well, I'm glad I left when I was 18. Now I run my own business definitely not going back. I'll definitely buy property to rent out which I have 2. But wow...

Ocean View Big Island you can buy a 1600 SQ ft house, average cost $275,000.00 on an acre, 45 miles from Kona and about 120 miles from Hilo, Island size, 4000 squar miles, population, 190,000 tops. Great beaches lot's of room to get out and ride dirt bikes, snorkel, hiking, great motor sports going on average mortgage payment about $800.00 for vets and about $1000.00 for FHA. great people, no big cities to fight traffic in, so a great place to live if you want to kick back. My home is 1120 sq ft and on an acre, water system taxes and insurance lowest in the state about $200.00 a month.

Living near the lakes in the Ozarks in a 825 sqft in top floor 2bed/2bath condo with view of golf course and a few miles from multiple hiking trails for $1000-$1200 per month! I cash bought my condo for 80K and paid off 20K for the Sonata. No bills. I love Hawaii, had a place on the North Shore but how can you beat this in a recession?

You have a great mentality for money. Just a tip. Take that extra cash you are spending at restaurants and invest.

My silly ass 850 sq ft condo here cost almost the same as my 10,000 sq ft lot with a 2500 sq ft home in Washington. The mortgage for my condo gets paid off in December finally. When I retire, I'm gone! Too crowded and too expensive.

This topic if Honolulu affordability is all relative. I live in West Los Angeles and Honolulu about 5-6 months out of the year. I never found the costs to be different. Now, a US News & World report today that the most expensive cities to live are as follows: 1. San Diego 2. Los Angeles 3. Honolulu. So unless you’re from the boondocks it’s all the same coming from Southern California. Even parts of Northern California as SF was just behind Honolulu.

I am glad you and my son likes Hawaii but I would get Island fever. I require more room .

Dang that's crazy. Feel like trying to save for retirement is tough out there

i moved from Hawaii to mexico for retirement. mortgage went from $3300 to 0. utilities are maybe $150. Electricity is .05 per kw if consumption is low. food is $200 a month per person. cable is under $20. cell is $20. crime? In my neighborhood is great, low. i live in a gringolandia, like china town but haole town. there are a few in mexico. would love to do a video comparing retirement in mexico and Hawaii. Mexico can have the climate and beaches of Hawaii but the good climates are in the mountains.

Hook your dishwasher to cold water your dishwasher will heat the water itself

If you're military, they pretty much pay you to live off base (e-5+). If you want to know what the "struggle" is for the ACTUAL local people, check out "tent city." This dude's in the military so he's actually got it easy, making payments wise. Only reason why I know is cause I was in the navy and I lived that life.

I don't know how people who make under Union wages save anything at the end of the month in Hawaii.

Live on the mainland and spend half that, just go back to Hawaii for vaca. You would love your time in Hawaii alot more, i talk to my friends and ask them, when the last tome u went beach and they say, last time u were here. Live like a king on the mainland and visit the islands once a year, u can retire early plus your not living in a 1200 sq ft prop

You look alot like the lead from The Green Band, Caleb Keolanui.

140k is not alot but still more than what most people can get here but buying a house is still a biznatch

Hi Derek, I need you to answer a question for me cuz I can't get a straight answer! I hear that Box Jellyfish are a real problem at all Oahu beaches, is this TRUE??!! I hear it on Hawaii news channels and read articles saying that it IS a Problem and then I watch videos of people on RU-vid about thier trips and NO ONE mentions Jellyfish at ALL!! So, What is UP with Jellyfish??!! Thanks!!

Prices are only going up. Raising the minimum wage is not the answer. Lower the cost of living, less taxes, and affordable housing for the locals, stop the investment buying that are driving prices up.

I wish I pay $250 a month for health care. We are paying $2500 for family of 3 for kaiser. Uhhh

Carpenters union 745 Honolulu Hawaii has an all inclusive insurance package. If you are married with 20 kids everybody gets the killa insurance. If you atr care taking your parents they are covered as well! Hawaii has da best union carpenters package in the nation!

bj penns brother? haha just messin brotha. Your hustle and Videos are top notch!

Derek, please teach me how to hustle a house in lanikai for under a mil. Lol 😂 that’s my dream 😛

If your single u can easily live on half that when I was renting in mccully area I only got by less than 30k a year and no I wasn’t eating beans and rice or ramen.

You mentioned it’s not your home but your mortgage is $3150 a month, did you mean because it’s not outright and still bank owned?

I'm thinking of moving there. I guess I can forget about retirement though.

I'm 44 no kids no wife, can afford to just pay off a house or condo in Hawaii.. Wonder what my cost of living will be.. Just me.

to Me this guy lives kind of lavish. there’s no way my bills will be that high. i’m mexican and we know how to spend money

Well that’s good the prop tax is low … prices are crazy tho . I’m paying exactly what you said on prop tax in cali . It’s BS

I think you are living high end life style, and could cut down on many items. Electricity, food, child care, vacations, etc. I personally knew many people making over $200K a year living in mainland, and they cut whatever they could.

3 showers a day? I climb palm trees all day and don’t have air con at home and take one. Like u said malama…no need.

3 showers is a lot!

You forgot the budget for tatts, beer, and 4 wheel drive parts.

Wish I could double thumb this presentation

Whaaaaa 😳🙃

What about retirement? 401k?

That’s a lot of money going out every month!

On the mainland corrosive politics has increased the cost of living substantially at least $500 to $600 more a month mainly due to harmful Democrat legislation. And it is expected to increase more. Hawaii has to cost more as most products are imported. Adding thousands of dollars in costs annually to live is a hardship for most people, including Hawaii.

You living good Good

$200 per month on cellphones⁉️. Visible is $25 per month per line. Unlimited everything. The company is owned by Verizon.

Costs to live on Oahu