Hawaii

I'm on a vacation in Hawaii. On a whim, wife and I decide to check into some realtor sites to see what property really costs here. She's a teacher, and we came to the conclusion that it would be, in every way, impossible for us to live here. The property is too expensive and condos too expensive.

This brings to mind two questions: How do the folks at the various Hawaii papers live here? There's no way those papers pay enough to allow that. Are they all married to doctors? Second, how do the people who do the menial work around here live - the cab drivers, hotel maids, etc?

My wife and I could have, at best according to the sites we saw, bought an 800-square foot condo for $50,000 more than our current 1,800-square foot house in the midwest.

 

My former company owns one of the papers down there. Can't remember which one, though. Would probably be under the Black Press umbrella. Last I heard they had almost run it into the ground.

 

If I moved to Hawaii, I wouldn't be spending too much time indoors. So a studio apartment would probably do me just fine. ;D

 

Magnum always seemed to do pretty well.

 

The fact that you're married probably makes it nearly impossible.
I was in Maui for Christmas/New Year's 2003. At every place we ate, we would get to talking with the waiter/waitress. Usually, they were from the Mainland and were working there for a year. They said, in Maui for example, they lived near the airport (other side of the island from Kapalua, Kannapali, etc) and basically lived 5-6 to an condo.

 

A good map always helps

 

Ask 'em...

http://www.journalismjobs.com/Job_Listing.cfm?JobID=453546

 

My bro-in-law has been on Oahu for more than 10 years. He lives in a 2-bdrm condo, we stayed with him for a week a few years back, no gripes.
The most beautiful place on earth.
But they don't call it the paradise tax for nothing.
If you ever go to Molokai, check out this guy for snorkeling.

 

Got offered a job in Hawaii a few months back. Between salary, mileage (yes, mileage for a copy editor/designer) and something else, it worked out to about $56,000 a year. And I would have been taking home less after expenses than when I worked in SoCal for a lot less per year.

 

Just thought I'd go for an extra ounce of accuracy.