Who's moved from mainland to Hawaii (Kauai)

rts265

Phil Edwards status
Oct 19, 2007
6,190
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I already made another thread on it, but want to hear stories if you made the move. Was there wife/kids involved? How did they adjust? How is cost of living compared to Los Angeles?

Schools? I keep hearing private school.

West side Kauai - consistent surf?

I don't know what else to ask.
 
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000

Duke status
Feb 20, 2003
26,018
7,171
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know guys who moved there early 90s
they raved about it, but moved back
they loved cannons
 
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john4surf

Kelly Slater status
May 28, 2005
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CBS, CA
My daughter and her husband to be moved to Oahu after she got her degree. They rented a condo in “haole-wood” for the duration. She got a pretty good job with the DutyFree company downtown, he got a job managing one of the ‘named’ surf shops. It was a financial struggle for them, they lasted a year before moving back. The cost of groceries, fuel and rent were barely covered with very little left over for recreation.
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
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California/Hawaii
I moved from San Diego to Oahu in 2017. Two young toddlers, wife, and dog in tow. I'm originally from Oahu so it was moving home for me. YMMV.

Moving costs - Paid for by my job. Hopefully you get a relocation package. If not, a PODs or container rental and doing it yourself is the cheapest option. Oh, and my dog costs $1500 to get here after all his testing and plane ticket.

Schools - Elementary schools are ok depending on the area. Don't know much about Kauai. A lot of people choose private school here in Hawaii. The quality of the elementary school will depend on the economic class of the place you live.

Cost of living - Here's the big one. Cost of living is probably the highest in the nation. Everything cost more. I was at the store the other day and avocados cost 3$ a piece. Gallon of milk is $6. The cost for my grocery bill every month was the biggest shocker.

Housing - Housing costs are about the same as coastal CA with one exception. The houses in Hawaii will be in much worse shape. Houses in Hawaii along coastal areas are built with single wall construction and lack modern amenities. Kauai may be different though. Generally speaking, you're looking at 3000 - 4000 in rent per month for a house in a nice area. If you want to buy then I hope you have a significant down payment available. My buddy just bought and he needed 185K to close on his 850K house. His pmt is $3350 per month to give you an idea of what total monthly PITI costs look like.

Salary - This is personal so I don't want to go too far into it. Everyone has different needs and wants. I will tell you that I know multiple couples who had no kids and were making a six figure house hold income decide Hawaii was too expensive and move back to the mainland.

The surf and natural beauty is unlike anywhere in the world. Seriously. The surf doesn't compare to California. Once you get your first real long period north swell you'll realize why Hawaii is so special.

The people are amazing and the nicest around. The only people who have trouble in Hawaii are the types that have trouble everywhere they go. Play nice with others and be respectful and you'll be fine.

Good luck. I hope that helps.
 

rts265

Phil Edwards status
Oct 19, 2007
6,190
1,307
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Thank you for the replies. Yeah hear costs are high. Think it will be an easy decision money wise. The company is gonna be realistic and offer the right number or their not. If it was just me I’d just go for it. Wife and two young daughters, so we all need to go check it out. Oldest is just in preschool so think it won’t be too traumatic.

Keep your experiences coming if you’re out there.

:cheers:
 
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Bud

Nep status
Apr 20, 2001
908
779
93
Oahu
www.808surfer.com
I moved from San Diego to Oahu in 2017. Two young toddlers, wife, and dog in tow. I'm originally from Oahu so it was moving home for me. YMMV.

Moving costs - Paid for by my job. Hopefully you get a relocation package. If not, a PODs or container rental and doing it yourself is the cheapest option. Oh, and my dog costs $1500 to get here after all his testing and plane ticket.

Schools - Elementary schools are ok depending on the area. Don't know much about Kauai. A lot of people choose private school here in Hawaii. The quality of the elementary school will depend on the economic class of the place you live.

Cost of living - Here's the big one. Cost of living is probably the highest in the nation. Everything cost more. I was at the store the other day and avocados cost 3$ a piece. Gallon of milk is $6. The cost for my grocery bill every month was the biggest shocker.

Housing - Housing costs are about the same as coastal CA with one exception. The houses in Hawaii will be in much worse shape. Houses in Hawaii along coastal areas are built with single wall construction and lack modern amenities. Kauai may be different though. Generally speaking, you're looking at 3000 - 4000 in rent per month for a house in a nice area. If you want to buy then I hope you have a significant down payment available. My buddy just bought and he needed 185K to close on his 850K house. His pmt is $3350 per month to give you an idea of what total monthly PITI costs look like.

Salary - This is personal so I don't want to go too far into it. Everyone has different needs and wants. I will tell you that I know multiple couples who had no kids and were making a six figure house hold income decide Hawaii was too expensive and move back to the mainland.

The surf and natural beauty is unlike anywhere in the world. Seriously. The surf doesn't compare to California. Once you get your first real long period north swell you'll realize why Hawaii is so special.

The people are amazing and the nicest around. The only people who have trouble in Hawaii are the types that have trouble everywhere they go. Play nice with others and be respectful and you'll be fine.

Good luck. I hope that helps.
wow! well put and spot on
 
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JSC

Nep status
Mar 11, 2008
661
540
93
"The people are amazing and the nicest around. The only people who have trouble in Hawaii are the types that have trouble everywhere they go"

Ummmmm - no. There are many local people in Hawaii, all islands included who simply hate caucasians, each and every one of them. They have their reasons, but what it means for newly arrived haole is - you could trigger a violent assault without even knowing what you are doing wrong.

Combine this violence in social situations with the widespread availability and consumption of crystal methamphetamine on all islands and the constitutional right to own a gun - well, you don't have to dig very deep to uncover many, many incidents of racially motivated violence against caucasians everywhere in Hawaii.

Don't even think of sending your haole children to public school. Just don't.
 

Sniper

OTF status
Jul 25, 2017
261
51
28
Kauai
I moved here for a chick 10 years ago. I am from the southern Oregon coast, and find this mode of living much easier. There is plenty of day labor and easy access to surf. Kind of like the motherland, but many less Mexican and Russian scabs in the Works. Pretty much easy access to plenty of waves ,,but not much more if you have a family or any aspirations of upward mobility. Nice sunsets, and nobody will acknowledge you. That said, if you are cashed up and no worries, send it to the far west and ride out the end of the world! See you with your hundred closest friends you have never met, at all the marquee breaks. I am sure you have a quiverfull amount of little rats on brand new merricks. You will fit right in for sure. Yuppie power!!! Sprinter van number one!!
 

rts265

Phil Edwards status
Oct 19, 2007
6,190
1,307
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I have two girls. Is that better or worse?

Is Mexican haole? I kept getting asked if I was portagee last time I was there. My wife is Puerto Rican but she’s haole white..
 
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rts265

Phil Edwards status
Oct 19, 2007
6,190
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guy I spoke to said his kids both graduated from Kauai high school, he sounded proud, didn't detect anything negative when he spoke about it.
 
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Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
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California/Hawaii
"The people are amazing and the nicest around. The only people who have trouble in Hawaii are the types that have trouble everywhere they go"

Ummmmm - no. There are many local people in Hawaii, all islands included who simply hate caucasians, each and every one of them. They have their reasons, but what it means for newly arrived haole is - you could trigger a violent assault without even knowing what you are doing wrong.

Combine this violence in social situations with the widespread availability and consumption of crystal methamphetamine on all islands and the constitutional right to own a gun - well, you don't have to dig very deep to uncover many, many incidents of racially motivated violence against caucasians everywhere in Hawaii.

Don't even think of sending your haole children to public school. Just don't.
Don't be ridiculous. There's no haole hating boogie man around every corner just waiting to beat you up for existing. There are some bad people in Hawaii just like there is bad people in L.A., San Diego, and every other place people live.

Sending your kid to school is just like anywhere else in the United States. It is entirely dependent on the school district and its social economic class. My kids school district is 95% transplants who care about education. We've never had a problem with it. Your comparison is similar to moving to L.A. and sending your kid to schools in Inglewood. Of course there will be problems. But painting a broad stroke for a place where over a million people live is crazy.

And FWIW, my dad is as haole as it gets. He's a white guy from the mid-west. He moved here with the military when he was 21 and met my mom and stayed. He's never had any issues and no one has ever made fun of his race. He even started his own successful small business and ran it for 35 years before retiring. He's been here for 40+ years and still loves it.
 

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
3,597
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California/Hawaii
Unfortunately, I was thinking of typing the same response.
I think that's a bit of a stretch.

Kauai seems like ground zero for rich transplants. The last time I visited it felt like I was driving around Kailua in almost every direction.

Schools on Oahu in areas like Hawaii Kai, Kailua, and North Shore are predominantly kids of wealthy transplants. There's not much problems there. Obviously sending your child to school in some areas would be problematic but that is like everywhere else in the world too.
 
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jamesgang

Miki Dora status
Aug 9, 2006
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Location Location
Muscles is spot on in all his answers.

As far as public schools, I graduated from Kahuku High School and sent three kids there. As younger kids they attended Hauula and Kaaawa Elementary. It is definitely not the kids of wealthy transplants at Kahuku (those families home school), it is mostly Hawaiian, Samoan, Tongan, Filipino, Japanese, Chinese mixes. Is there some anti-haole sentiment? Yes, but it is subtle. And it is fine for haole kids to learn what it is like to be judged by the color of your skin before people know you. It is a valuable lesson they will take with them their whole lives. It makes them humble and tough and resilient all at once. And it's pretty minor anyway. My kids are right in the middle of it and have great friends from every ethnicity who hang at our house and eat all my food.

Hawaii has community, at least in the country. Smile. Be cool. Everybody smiles back. Get to know your neighbors.

If you can afford it and appreciate a quiet life where every winter swell brings with it the possibility of a dream session, do it.
 

afoaf

Duke status
Jun 25, 2008
49,204
22,752
113
"....who hang at our house and eat all my food."

probably the funniest thing I've read all month

only a dad knows the feeling

ps. CLOSE THE FRIDGE
 

Ranga

Billy Hamilton status
Dec 31, 2008
1,682
1,422
113
If you have an opportunity to live on a beautiful island with great weather, nice people, great food, quiet living, and, what is widely regarded as the world's best, most powerful, and most consistent surf, why wouldn't you? If you don't like it, come home.

Although I've never lived there, my experiences in Hawaii have always been terrific, humbling, and intense. The quality of life is worth the expense IMO. I mean, if you can buy it with money, it's cheap!