Cost of Living

... Value-to-income ratios below 4 are affordable ....

• 50th – Avg. Starting Salary for Teachers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)
• 51st – Avg. Salary for Teachers (Adjusted for Cost of Living)

... This year, the state Legislature actually did something ....

"...going after scapegoats such as empty homes and short-term rentals is not a viable way to increase the housing supply...."

... the dream of owning a home began with quiet sacrifices – late nights balancing budgets and teaching their children the value of patience ....

... Desal is an energy hog and Hawaii has the most expensive electricity in the USA ....

“...For the second time in this case, a federal court has held that the President’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs are unlawful....”

“If you haven’t already, please take a moment to review this important plan and share your feedback,” said Representative Darius K. Kila, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation.

... Mainland Lawyers, Local Leaders, and the People Left Behind ....

... Hawaii has the highest cost of living in the USA ....

... WalletHub compared the pet-friendliness of the 100 largest U.S. cities across 23 key metrics ....

... Hawaii: Recent college grad earnings gap -$11,840 ....

... 'equality' imposed by a tourism-driven economy and high cost of living ....

... tariffs drive up prices for aluminum, steel, and copper items ....

... and 34.6% of Hawaii homeowners sitting on $500K capital gain ....

... at Mauna Lani and Waimea the typical single-family customer will see a rate increase of approximately $18 to $25 per month ....

... Green altered course when he signed a handful of bills that had been on his intent-to-veto list ....

... Schatz Introduces YIMBY Act To Encourage Localities To Cut Regulations, Adopt Pro-Housing Policies ....

... Long ambulance response times, costly and unreliable non-emergency transportation, and insufficient insurance coverage for travel-related health care expenses ....

... single-wall construction is considered structurally inferior in hurricane-prone areas ....

... As Speaker, Saiki Co-chaired the Governor’s Executive and Legislative Condo and Property Insurance Task Force ....

... the USDA whacked our state with an $11 million fine for its huge error rate two years in a row ....

... sewer user fees have increased by an overall average of 9% for Fiscal Year 2026, which started on July 1, 2025 ....

... Zephyr Insurance Company, has partnered with the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to accept and process applications from Condominium and Townhouse Associations ....

... This “stay-put penalty” is locking up inventory and making it even harder for new buyers to break into the market ....

... The biggest and costliest piece of the plan is establishing clean fuel requirements for all types of transportation vehicles, including cars, passenger jets and cargo ships ....

... FULL TEXT whistlelower complaint exposes PUC - HECO Corruption ....

... The contract amendment negotiated with Par Hawaii and approved by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) includes significant changes aimed at stabilizing fuel costs ...

... with just $489 left over each month after covering essential living expenses, residents are left with little room to save ....

... in Hawaii investor buyers outnumber investor sellers more than any other state .... 

... in Hawaii, rent for a one-bedroom unit costs 46% of beginning, bachelor-degree-holding teacher salary ....

... This is up 9.48% from just a year ago ....

"...they have grandparents who just passed away recently or moved into assisted living, so now they can move back home and live in that house....”

... residents in the most expensive states like California, Hawaii, and New Jersey paying up to 39% more than the national median, while those in the most affordable states like West Virginia, Mississippi, and Oklahoma pay up to 44% less ....

...Hawaii serves just 5% of its four-year-olds and 2% of three-year-olds in state-funded preschool programs, dead last among Pacific states....

... Hawaii taxes beer at $0.93 per gallon .....

... Increasing 11% per year over a 5-year period -- The Honolulu Council apparently used this as a model. ....

... Hawaiʻi ranks 24th in overall children’s well-being in the Data Book, as well as 33rd in the economic well-being ....

... 64,490 additional units are needed through 2027 but only 13,471 units are currently in development pipelines and anticipated to be available by 2027 .... 

... 11.6% of Honolulu rentals are under 348 square feet ....

... Most participants work in low-wage, non-unionized jobs—often seasonal or gig-based—in sectors like hospitality, domestic work, and landscaping ....

... a case challenging Governor Josh Green's use of emergency powers to address the state's affordable housing crisis ....

... The pace of new housing construction remains historically low. Housing permitting times continue to be long, especially in Honolulu and Maui ....

... Customers in states such as Hawaii and Connecticut, where retail electricity prices are relatively high, paid more than $200 per month for electricity ....

... WalletHub compared the relative attractiveness of the 50 states across 20 key metrics ....

... Even the bill’s supporters don’t pretend rents will come down ....

... Hawaii Residents Spend the Highest Percentage of Income on Housing ....

... The price of locally produced organic eggs increased sharply by 18.8%, to $12.07 per dozen ....

... Hawaii ranks as the least affordable state, with a median home price of $840,256 and a relatively high cost of living ....

... you need a gross salary of roughly $145,000 in order to actually take home $100,000 in Hawaii.  This is the third-worst in USA ....