My friends and I are looking to move to Hawaii, any advice?

My 3 friends and I are college students in NY and are looking to move to Hawaii once we graduate in May. Does anyone have any advice on what might be the best island to move to for guys like us. Anyone that can help with anything from where, to what it's like living in Hawaii, to apartments/realtors it would be a huge help. ThanksMy friends and I are looking to move to Hawaii, any advice?
My advice is live the dream. You're only young once so come out and take your shot.





Place to live - Unless you want to sift through the scams, avoid craigslist. Try www.rentalhomefinder.com instead.





Jobs - www.monster.com, company websites, Honolulu Advertiser.





Transportation - The Bus.





Furniture - This is where I'd say craigslist can help. Look for free and cheap. People are moving back to the mainland all the tme and will take almost nothing for their practically new furniture, bedding, dishes, etc.





The rest will work itself out. My friends and I are looking to move to Hawaii, any advice?
First of all, a roof over your head is going to be very pricey. Better have jobs lined up before showing up. Food can be expensive. Sell everything and go with the minimum. You will need the cash but not the baggage. My sister got all her stuff for her apartment off Craig's list when she moved out there last year. My brother has lived out there for over 25 yrs on Oahu. My sister moved to Maui last summer.





The Islands live by a whole different set of rules. They have their own very unique culture. When you go to Hawaii, you have to learn a new language, a new life pace, an new philosophy of living.





You can pretty much write off the high dollar partying and stick with the basics for entertainment, Surfing and fishing.





Remember, you will be living on an island in the MIDDLE of the Pacific Ocean. Flying back and forth to the states, especially to NY is VERY expensive. You can get island fever easily and feel very isolated. You can drive around any of the islands in a day or less.
My advice is to reconsider. You want to go from NY to a place like Hawaii? After two weeks of living you will get island fever. Yes the place is beautiful but there isn't much to do not unless you enjoy surfing. The homes are pricey and the food is pricey because everything is shipped to the islands. I talked to people at Wal-Mart who worked full time jobs and were living on the streets. In Oahu, you can get from one end of the island to the other in 45 min. What is there to do?
Same cost of living as Hawaii, and the jobs pay about 25% less. Check Craigslist for housing closer to your time. There are few jobs here right now, so come with at least a few thousand dollars each. We are in a recession! Unless you are nurses, engineers or special education or math teachers, you will have a hard time.
best island is Honolulu especially for u dudes, its actually not dat bad living there its the complete oposite of NY and they got some very hot chicks
K dude


i live in hawaii


so take it from me


I LOVE IT!!!


HAWAII is a great place to move to


its just ur location i hawaii
start saving! It's mega expensive!
Yes there are heaps of nice girls there!!!!
Take money
My advice: don't.





Even nurses and teachers struggle to make a living in Hawaii. As a matter of fact, I bought the desk I'm typing on a few months ago from a nurse who was moving back to California. She ended up making a third of what she'd made back home, due to several factors including the structure of the economy and the way the nurse's union operates here. ';We've been coming here for thirty years, but I never knew how hard it was to live here until we moved.';





We could all get such a better standard of living, if we would just move to North America. There are about 12,000 former Hawaii residents living in Las Vegas right now for that very reason. I tried that once, and I did get a better standard of living. I just had to move back to Hawaii from DC. I took a pay cut of several thousand dollars a year, and all my expenses went up. It wasn't a decision to be made lightly, and I still pay the price every day ($4.229 for gas, for example).





About half the people who move to Hawaii end up moving back within a few years, either because they hate it, or because they just can't afford it. And if you are -very- New York, you will have a difficult time getting along here because of the cultural differences. The ways of dealing with people in New York (loud and fast) will work against you here.





I took a tour of Independence Hall in Philaelphia with a group of local people (of Native Hawaiian, Japanese and Californian descent), and our tour guide was from New York. The locals all felt like they'd been scolded by a very stern teacher, and they hadn't done anything wrong. That's just the way she talked. I had to work pretty hard to convince them not to take it personally. ';She's not mad at us. She's just from New York.';





You'll have to remember that everybody here knows the rules for getting along with other people--except for you!
Have you done any research yet about costs in Hawaii? I know NYC is expensive, but I don't know how it compares to the cost of living in Hawaii. If you are moving with friends, you have built-in roommates and that should help. There is a Craigslist for Hawaii (I've included the link below, as well as the one for the Honolulu Star Bulletin)...all of the major islands have one. I think as young guys you might like Oahu the best -- there are lots of people there and a lot of things to do. It's also a very pretty island, so you're not missing anything in the way of scenery. I live on Kauai and though I love it, I'm 40 and raising a child, so I prefer the small size and rural feeling of ';my'; island. It's very country here and the streets roll up around 9 pm. I'm guessing that's not what a bunch of 22 year olds are looking for! :)





The unemployment rate is quite low in Hawaii. Many people here work 2 or sometimes 3 jobs in order to make ends meet. I'm assuming you won't be buying a house -- at least not right away -- so a mortgage won't be a problem for you. Rent is high though. I have a very small 3 bedroom, 1 bath house with a yard that costs $1700/month in rent. I make over $50,000 a year and I can't afford to buy a house here. That being said, I'd rather rent in Hawaii for the rest of my life than own a house anywhere else in the country! I love it here. Most social activities revolve around the outdoors. Parties (birthday parties, baby showers, even weddings) are held at the beach or in a park. Most people are very friendly and you may be welcomed into an 'ohana (family) if you live near or work with some locals who take a liking to you. People share fruit from their gardens and like to ';talk story'; in the grocery store, parking lots, at the beach...wherever. Things take a little longer to get done here because people sit and chat just about everywhere. It's a slower-paced life for the most part, but I love that about it.





As for finding a job, you are more likely to find one AFTER you move here. Many local employers are reluctant to hire people who don't have local addresses. Why? Because so many people come here on vacation thinking it would be a great place to live. Then they apply for jobs, get one, and reality sets in. They realize how isolating the islands can be (expensive to fly back and forth to the mainland to see family and friends) or how expensive it is or whatever and just never make the move. Then the employer has wasted a bunch of time and possibly even money hiring someone who isn't going to show up for work. Your best bet is to have a few months' living expenses (rent, transportation, food, utilities, etc.) saved up before you come over. Then you can take a little time to find a job...or two. Salaries here tend to be lower than most places on the mainland as well. I don't know what your major is or what you want to do when you graduate, but you may have to take a couple of waiter or retail jobs, at least at first, to make ends meet while you look for something in your field. Jobs that are in high demand here are nurses and special education teachers. I am a speech therapist in the schools (I work for the Dept. of Education) and I make the same amount here for full time work as I made for part time (60%) in California. Same job responsibilities, longer hours, less pay, higher cost of living. But to me, it's worth it. I love living in Hawaii and I embrace the culture and traditions of the people here. I love being able to be outside 365 days a year. I love the scenery, the beaches, the people, and the culture.





Good luck and enjoy! Let me know via email if I can help you with anything specific. I have lived on Kauai and the Big Island (Hawaii) and I visit Oahu often.





Aloha :)