Cost of Living

...Live at the Legislature with Rep. Gene Ward....

... Auto Repair Shops per Capita – 49th ....

...Residents of Hawaii spend, on average, 36.2% of their monthly paychecks on credit card, student loan, and housing payments—the highest percentage in the nation....

...adds e-liquid to the definition of “tobacco products”, which would make all provisions of the cigarette tax and tobacco tax law that relate to tobacco products applicable to e-liquid....

...award-winning cartoonist and illustrator David Swann....

...highest cost of living in USA....

...Smoking doesn’t just ruin your health. It can also burn a nasty hole through your wallet....

...and the most unaffordable housing....

...Hawai'i has the longest average wait time for a building or construction permit - 17 months....

...The current average annual cost of driving a typical new gasoline vehicle in the United States is $1,117, with a maximum of $1,509 in Hawaii and a minimum of $993 in Alabama....

...Hawaii Insurance Division Releases Annual Premium Comparison Guides to Help Consumers Compare Insurance Premiums....

...State and federal taxes are included in the base electric rate and with a lower federal tax, the tax rate imbedded in the bill will be reduced....

...not high enough to afford a basic household budget that includes housing, child care, food, transportation and health care....

...would expansion of Medicare be good for America?....

...and the least affordable housing....

...this study defines economic self-sufficiency as the amount of money that individuals and families require to meet their basic needs without government and/or other subsidies....

...Currently, median rents in Honolulu stand at $1,550 for a one-bedroom apartment and $2,060 for a two-bedroom....

...comparind more than 180 U.S. cities across 26 key indicators of job-market strength....

...Caldwell is calling upon the Honolulu City Council to pass legislation that places a moratorium on their construction....

...More than half of renters in Honolulu are spending more than a third of their income on rent each month, and 29 percent are spending more than 50 percent of their monthly income....

...Cost of Care Report Shows No State Has Affordable Care Massachusetts, Utah, Oregon, Minnesota, New York, Washington, and Hawaii Top Nation's Unaffordability List for Infants and Toddlers....

...government’s real job is to out of the way, not create more costly programs that don’t work....

...global warming is just an excuse for tax hikes and rate hikes....

...Hawaii still leads nation in homeless count per capita....

...regulations have also tended to reduce the supply of housing, including multifamily and low-income housing....

...care for only one child in Hawai‘i consumes approximately 13 percent of the typical Hawai‘i family’s income....

...Honolulu cost of living is 86 percent above national average .... 

...the annual median cost of long term care services in Hawaii increased an average of 5.51 percent from 2016 to 2017....

...Last year biodiesel represented 2 percent of HECO’s oil and diesel consumption. (Translation: Its an expensive fig leaf for diesel plants.)....

...The last rate hike was two years ago--the next increase could happen in 2019....

...veterans in many cities continue to suffer from long delays in mental-health treatment despite a $10 billion effort to expand veterans’ access to such care....

...Because of the high real estate prices, Hawaii also had the second-lowest percentage of homeowners....

...repeals the state and local tax deduction for income and sales taxes and caps the SALT deduction for property taxes at $10,000. The home mortgage interest is grandfathered in and preserved for new homes up to $500,000....

...Castle & Cooke Hawaii ready to break ground at Koa Ridge....

...These rates are expected to affect approximately 34,000 individuals currently purchasing ACA individual plans....

...one of the best perks of living in a city with a relatively smaller population? Affordability (but not in Hawaii)....

...Hawaii is the most unaffordable housing market in USA....

...Honolulu’s adjusted salaries are the lowest in the country, more than $7,000 below the next lowest, Tucson, AZ....

... Only five states had statistically significant increases in single coverage premiums 2015 to 2016 -- Hawaii is 5th ....

...HECO has acknowledged rates could rise by more than 44 percent when PSIP is fully implemented....

...Elon Musk made lots of campaign contributions.  He expects to be repaid....

...If you retire with $1 million in Hawaii, you have just shy of a dozen years to ride out your savings....

... Honolulu is the most expensive city in the USA, but in rural Hawaii $100 is worth $99.90 ....

...Honolulu, HI, hit #3 in July with an increase of 8%, and returns to the list at #4 in August for another 6.7% increase. For August, that means median one-bedroom rent is $1,766 — the tenth highest in the country....

...Hawaii has no soda tax. But that's not for lack of trying.....

...the same amount of cash can buy you more in a low-price state than in a high-price state....

...Since the 21st Century Flood Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 2874) passed out of committee in June, it has been subject to intense industry lobbying....

...“Flip or Flop”....

...Hawaiian Electric Company will host a public meeting on Monday, Aug. 7, at McKinley High School....

...U.S. Pacific Command announced changes to the 2017 Hawaii Cost of Living Allowance effective Sept. 1, 2017....