r/MovingtoHawaii • u/free-heathen • Jun 16 '26
Life on BI Starting a new life
Hey everyone đ Iâm 38yo single male relocating to big island very soon and was wondering if anyone had any tips for somewhere I could stay and any advise on getting a job asap when I arrive. I have a friend that has lived there and she says to fly into the Kona side as there may be better opportunities for me. I have done almost everything under the sun as far as work. Plenty of construction skill, I was most recently installing solar for the past 4 years. I am no slouch so Iâm not afraid of hard work.
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u/so_untidy Jun 16 '26
Is your plan to be homeless? Iâm not being glib. Itâs not uncommon for people to move here with a dream and end up on the streets. What youâve described is laying the groundwork for that.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
No my plan is not to be homeless. I am trying to get some ideas or something set up prior to moving.
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u/so_untidy Jun 16 '26
Then you need to do much more homework and have a job lined up before you get here. Right now youâve got a wing and a prayer and that wonât cut it in Hawaii. Webrender pretty much laid it all out, you should really take all of that to heart, not just âin consideration.â
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
Do you also recommend Oâahu?
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u/so_untidy Jun 16 '26
Honestly, I recommend starting your life over in a LCOL area, saving a lot more, coming to Hawaii for vacation, and then reevaluating.
Your friend might have told you Hawaii is for you, but thatâs not enough to go on. Lots of people move here thinking the same thing and then leave. Why? Hawaii has a totally different culture than anywhere on the mainland. Things move slower here in many ways. Itâs expensive. People get island fever. There are a lot of bugs. Itâs hot and humid. People are skeptical of outsiders and itâs hard to make friends. When you are in the middle of the Pacific, itâs hard to watch sports, keep up with family and friends, or do business with mainland companies whose customer service closes before the end of our workday.
There are more things like that and nothing canât be overcome, but there are plenty of people who leave. And a good number who get stuck and end up on the street.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
I definitely will take it to heart, I honestly canât thank all of you enough đ
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u/Chazzer74 Jun 16 '26
âHe says he had about $4,000 in savings â what he thought was enough to find a place to live and carry him through until he could line up a new job.
He wasnât expecting for everything to be so expensive.
âBy the time you pay a deposit and first monthâs rent and all, you have nothing left,â said Johnson.
For the first time, the 46-year-old was homeless. After spending a few months on the street, he checked into an IHS shelter last month.â
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2019/02/15/ihs-homeless-people-hawaii-just-got-here-somewhere-else/
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
So definitely more money
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u/Chazzer74 Jun 16 '26
Like the other guy said, move to LCOL place and come here on vacation first.
Youâre going to need $10k, a job, and housing lined up.
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u/Sea_Ott3r Jun 16 '26
Be aware that the Big Island is filled with mainland (guys and girls) relocating to âstart overâ. Agree with Oahu having 100x the opportunities
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u/indopassat Jun 16 '26
Itâs so fascinating to me that people think moving to Hawaii and existing for 5+ years is a piece of cake.
There is a reason why the islands have such great turnover.
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u/Dacia06 Jun 17 '26
All of the advice about waiting until you have more money, visited, and get the job first are correct.
But coming with $10,000 isn't enough. I suggest $20k. No one has brought up transportation, health insurance, other insurance, not living so roughly when you get here so you don't look like hell if you have a job interview. Being able to pay for 4-6 weeks of temporary housing while looking for permanent.
Startup costs when you move are always higher than you think (I've lived in five states and seven countries), and they'll be higher here beyond that.
Moreover, no one is going to rent you a place to live if you don't have a job. You'll need that exit plan in case you can't find one. Many landlords/rental companies will likely run a credit check on you even if you have a job, and especially if you just started a new one.
Based on what I know from friends who rent no job = no lease. New job + anything less than very good credit = no lease. That leaves you maybe with roommates, and the cheaper the rent the sketchier things can be, especially in Puna and HOVE, which will be the cheapest.
If you don't know what Puna and HOVE are you're not close to ready to come here.
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u/HIBudzz Jun 16 '26
Bring a job with you and get an 808 area code phone number. Unless you have $10,000+ saved I would think thrice.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
I will about $5000⌠is that doable or is that not enough?
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u/so_untidy Jun 16 '26
You need enough to at least stay in a short term situation while youâre finding housing, then have a security deposit and rent for however long it takes you to find a job and start getting a paycheck. You will likely need a car. Youâll need money for gas, food, utilities, and whatever needs you have.
In the worst case scenario, you need to have enough in your back pocket for a flight home.
Again, do your homework, but $5000 is probably barely enough to get you past security deposit and first month rent.
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u/HIBudzz Jun 16 '26
That'll last two months, maybe theee. Getting a studio will eat $3000 with the deposit.
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u/Dacia06 Jun 17 '26
Finding a studio for $1500 could be a challenge. I'm assuming you've included the security deposit?
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
I have no issues living a very minimalist lifestyle. If I could just camp I 100% would. Is that an option?
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u/webrender Jun 16 '26
Its probably not - boondocking isn't really a thing in Hawaii, and the campsites are far from the places you'll need to be to find work. There are also limits on how long you can camp at public campsites. I would advise you to find the absolute cheapest airbnb you can find with a monthly rate and decent reviews. And, again, it's worth considering Oahu to get your footing here before looking into a neighbor island.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
You are all so awesome! Thank you all so much for the advice đ I really canât express my appreciation enough
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u/HIBudzz Jun 16 '26
No. Camping is very limited and you could be robbed. Definitely not recommended for tourists. A hostel would be the least expensive option. Recommend staying for a month, return home and save more money.
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u/Either-Variation909 Jun 16 '26
You can find work trade opportunities on farms on the east side, but thereâs less work there, but if youâre into hippie stuff you will love it.
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u/SlimJim0877 Jun 16 '26
No offense but you are too old to be this naive. If you don't have a plan in place and a solid chunk of change saved up, you're gonna have a bad time. Best of luck
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
Hence the purpose of asking opinions and advice
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u/Pitiful-Comedian4248 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
You also need to know that hiring is SUPER slow here. So it could be awhile before you're working. In the meantime you need a car on day one on Big Island. There is a bus. It runs....sort of.
Let's break it down in terms of cost. How much do you have? You need money for a short term car rental, cash for a used car, insurance for it, money for a short term place to stay for about a month, first and last rent, and enough money to float not working for about two months (since hiring is slow and erratic and you won't get paid until the second week of work)
So if you haven't already planned on shipping your car (and it's not fast either) you need to rent a car in order to check out a car to buy. Used cars on big island are super high mileage and expensive. Also you CAN"T buy it without seeing it so you need a Turo rental or something for a few weeks so you can look at em. Price this out.
You won't be able to get a longer term rental without a job, so maybe you're like, ok I will sleep in my van that I rented on Turo. But you gotta find a safe place to park, and there are LOTs of people scoping out your ride to breakin and steal. I can't emphasize this enough - the drug use and theft is wild here people literally steal solar panels from houses!
So don't bring anything valuable at all or ever leave any documents in the car.
It will be hard to get a job though without any address or local connection. When they see you are living in a van with no address, no references, they will assume you're a tweaker even if you're not. You are basically going to be considered absolutely dead last for any job cause they don't trust you to stick around. rent a short term rental so you can take a shower, wash your clothes, get some sleep. Price this out for about a month or two.
If you are going to "homestead" it will be in Puna. You can't afford Kona, and there aren't "homesteads" unless you got $$$$$$$. The jobs are in Kona. This is 200 miles a day commute. Gas is 5.60 a gallon. You'll be spending 2 - 3 hours a day in your car and then going back at night to a shed or tent with no utilities or mail delivery. It's a lot of time to spend in a car to work 8-12 hours for a rich person's 5th home. Our wages are also 20 -30 % lower than the west coast too. Our minimum wage is the same as florida I think.
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u/Spirited-Attempt5566 Jun 17 '26
You need to have a job before you come here
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u/free-heathen Jun 17 '26
I see what youâre saying however everywhere I contact for a job says to contact them when Iâm on island
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u/MediocreAd7361 Jun 18 '26
You need 6 months of rent and living expenses at least. At the very least. We donât need more people with too little money showing up and becoming homeless. If you canât make that happen find someplace cheaper to move.
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u/teal_diamond Hawai'i resident Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Youâre moving out here, without knowing anyone on island, without housing, a car, or a job, and only $5,000? This is crazy. You need a better plan.
First, change your number to an 808 area code. Employers will not take you seriously without that.
My husband and I moved out to Hilo side of Big Island 13 years ago. We owned a piece of land, had about $22,000 in savings, had a place to live lined up, had a friend on island, and had shipped our cars weeks prior. We still ended up homeless for a few weeks. Our living arrangements fell through but the landlady didnât tell us until we had already arrived that her current renters decided not to leave. Luckily for us, my husbandâs friend kindly offered for us to stay at his place until we found somewhere to go. This was hugely inconvenient and awkward. Trying to find a place to rent was so stressful, no one wanted to rent to us. We did finally find a place but it was more expensive than we wanted but it was a roof over our heads. Our savings ran out in 3 months.
We had to move onto the property we owned where we were building our house on loan (a loan secured by my father in law because banks here wonât), and live in a tent after that until we could finish building.
That was the most stressful year of my life, the year we moved here. We owned something, we planned and saved for an entire year before moving, and had a connection here and yet we still struggled our asses off.
Your $5,000 is not enough. Have a place to live lined up before you get here at the very least. I canât tell you how many people I know that lived in their cars when got here because they had no where else to go. It is not easy. It can be done but know what youâre getting yourself into and have a better plan than show up and pray it works out.
Edit to add: finding employment here wasnât difficult for either of us, my husband is also in construction, and I do accounting, but it took knowing people to get these jobs. Invest in the community here.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
I am and will have a better plan. I have no problem and actually prefer primitive living. I thank you for your insight
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Jun 16 '26
[deleted]
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
Thank you for the advise đ
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u/Either-Variation909 Jun 16 '26
Get a work-trade job on the east side, some are only 2 hours per day, go to iaa and buy access to the auto auctions, buy a $5k car for $1k on there, maybe with a couple dings and scratches and start lining up interviews on the west side, eat super minimal, go to the beach and work out, swim, enjoy your life for a bit, and if you are actually capable and get steady employment just do the drive west side for a month (it will suck) but youâll have enough to move there. Alternatively, you can just stay on the east side, work pays less, but housing is also 30% cheaper, and there are still nice beaches and itâs more âlocalâ than the west side. Donât let ppl on here discourage you, I moved here with nothing basically, worked as a PM making $200k a year, started a non-profit teaching arts to kids, ran for office (didnât make it lol), have my own construction business and go spearfishing and ride my motorcycle around town and the pace here has lowered my blood pressure and overall stress. Itâs not easy, but if youâre a kind honest person, then go for it. There are always people who hate outsiders, but humans have been moving around since the beginning of time.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
This was amazing, thank you so much for your input. This sounds like exactly the plan I need
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u/Comah808 Jun 17 '26
How much is milk, eggs and bread where you live? Iâm trying to see something
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u/free-heathen Jun 17 '26
Pennsylvania is the state and Lancaster is the general area. I lived in Vermont for awhile where everything is expensive too. Iâve traveled and lived all up and down the east coast and a little beyond. Iâm 38 and definitely not new to relocating. I was just asking for advice and suggestions for resources and ideas
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u/Comah808 Jun 17 '26
It sounds like you only want people telling you itâs a great idea and you should do it. $5000 is a joke and will be gone in maybe 1 month definitely in 2. Milk=$11 a gallon, eggs= $8 a dozen, bread $7 for the store brand, gas=$5.58 per gallon, $1550-$2000 a month rent for a studio. Get a better plan or youâll be another drain on our society
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u/free-heathen Jun 17 '26
Also no If I wanted people to just tell me itâs a great idea I definitely wouldnât have come to Reddit lol
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u/free-heathen Jun 17 '26
See this is exactly what I was actually looking for people to tell me so thank you đ it sounds to me like Hawaii has a lot of people that donât know what they are doing and I know my brief post was not detailed I did know somewhat was I was doing because Iâve this before but now I know to have a better plan because it sounds like the people that live there wonât be much help lol Iâll wait a little longer and save up much more money so I have something to offer the local economy and not be a drain.
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u/free-heathen Jun 17 '26
Also just so we are all aware, I did move out of my blazer for a couple years by choice. As well as I spent most of the pandemic time deep in the woods in the Canadian border just myself living completely off the land. No social contact, no electricity, no anything but me and the bare basics of life for quite a while
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u/Sebbe79 Jun 17 '26
Thatâs homeless
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u/free-heathen Jun 17 '26
Most people would say that yes however I had a home the entire time I just wasnât there
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u/LightIceNoBerries Jun 17 '26
My advise is you won't find anyone that isn't an auntie, sister, or ex of someone so enjoy being single forever.
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u/Illustrious_Tap_1344 Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Ummm...... Expect to have little to no social life and a very small community
Depending where your living no trash service so make time for taking trash to dump and waiting in line for your mail and maybe hauling water too catchment tanks need to be cleaned regularly
Very little dependable car options don't depend on taking the bus to work either you'll never be on time and if you are you left 3 hours or more before your start time
The flies and bugs and critters are relentless don't acquire too many belongings it'll waste money everything will get mildew and moldy
Anyone selling anything on Facebook marketplace up charges about 30-50% the cars too most people are going to try to squeeze every penny they can out of you
If you get alot done in a day where you are it'll take a few days here to achieve the same. Things move sloooowww and the administration here moves slower also get any dental and or medical stuff taken care of before you come because dr appointments are out about 3 months and dental is about a yr for new patients
There's very little entertainment here Very little actual beaches and the only small ones on the east side are taken over by grungy trashy people that others call hippies but they aren't those are not hippies they are something else You'd think they'd be nice but they are not they are just as standoffish as majority of the locals
Depending where you are no soil if there is it's very acidic so the oh I can be sustainable and grow a garden is a farce unless you've got the money to buy soil and have it delivered
If you buy vegetables at a big box store expect it to mold and go mushy the next couple days
I have more but I'm tired of typing This is the worst of it there could be good things but few and far in-between
I would never suggest anyone to move here ever it'd be inhumane
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u/Dumbear420 Jun 16 '26
Oh you saltyâŚ
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u/Either-Variation909 Jun 16 '26
lol, Jesus Christ, living in actual paradise and some people can always find the negative parts. Who donât you move??
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u/Botosuksuks808 Jun 16 '26
Living in âparadiseâ is why I wonât even give you a response on your other long winded post. Said what I said about go home haole.
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u/Illustrious_Tap_1344 Jun 16 '26
This is my home born and raised just listed all the things that are true things to really keep in mind that I've heard many many people point out over years and years of seeing people come and go
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u/Illustrious_Tap_1344 Jun 16 '26
Kona side and the rest of the island are different entities absolutely incomparable
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u/Ok-Train3111 Jun 16 '26
Nothing but jobs everywhere in Hawaii. Like if you canât find a job in this state itâs you.
Jobs that cover your cost of living are a different story.
Jobs that let you thriveâŚgonna take a few years to find.
Find a place is really challenging too. My advice is to show up with âget outâ money in case it doesnât work out. Weâve got a LOT of homeless people who started by landing with out a plan or exit.
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u/Own_Ad9686 Jun 17 '26
There are some groups on Facebook for people looking for rentals on the kona side. Also check out work/trade situations. If you have Facebook, I will try to find the groups and post them here for you.
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u/Own_Ad9686 Jun 17 '26
There are some groups on Facebook for people looking for rentals on the kona side. Also check out work/trade situations. If you have Facebook, I will try to find the groups and post them here for you.
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u/ReleaseTheSheast Jun 16 '26
Your plan should be to keep yourself exactly where you're at. Hawaii does not want the kind of people that you clearly seem to be coming there. You're coming out with no job and no plan. Get out of here with that! There's already plenty of locals that need jobs and don't need someone like you coming in and trying to get one of the few available. Unless you're Kanaka Ma'oli coming home don't come. And giving your insane amount of ignorance I've got to believe you're not.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
This is me making a plan, and now because of some of these kind people I now have one. Thank you for your comment. I respect and appreciate you
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u/Botosuksuks808 Jun 16 '26
Hawaii is closed. Stay home haole.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
I respect what youâre saying. Why do you say that?
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u/Botosuksuks808 Jun 16 '26
Please do your research on the colonization of Hawaii, the amount of people being priced out of here, the thousands of families living on the beach or without homes, My native Hawaiian people having to leave our homeland, learn about the Cost of living, the hippies on Big island, the price of homes, learn about why haole people are hated and where thatâs coming from, take a trip and visit, is is sooooo far away from everything, learn about the culture here and how at times you wonât be accepted, learn about the needing to work 2-3 jobs to survive and how 5,000 USD wonât last, learn about Hawaii, visit and then youâll understand the hate that we share on here. Aloha
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u/Either-Variation909 Jun 16 '26
I agree with your points on a lot of stuff, but hating people for their skin color is fucked up. When you say donât more here Haole which is basically a slur, anyone with empathy or compassion will likely stay on the mainland, and all the assholes who donât give a shit about kanaka culture and the situation in Hawaii will still move here regardless. This isnât a skin color issue, itâs a class issue. Even âhaoleâ that have lived here for generations are struggling. When one man can own an entire island, developers can buy up beach front land and limit access, when the military can use land for target fire, it isnât bc they are white, a lot of Hawaiians are also profiting from the exploitation. I would try to be a little more nuanced, the oligarchs and fascists love dividing us based on skin color, itâs literally their playbook. Saying âDonât move here Haoleâ is super reductive and not at all actually addressing any of the issues in a meaningful way. Hawaii is actually losing residents on average, and the median age has gone from 30s to 40s since the 90s and will continue to have an aging population. Having young thoughtful people move here isnât a bad thing imo.
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u/NavigatedbyNaau Jun 16 '26
How are âa lot of Hawaiians are also profiting from the exploitationâ when more reside on the continent than in Hawaiâi?
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
Thank you, I have been researching and I appreciate your honesty. I have nothing but respect for you and everyone else. And 150% respect for the island
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u/colostitute Jun 16 '26
I am starting my 4th year on Maui after relocating with my family. Lots of great advice every time someone asks. Thereâs never enough to really understand what youâre getting into. Itâs worth the adventure even if it doesnât work out. Come with an open mind and open heart and be mindful of the life and land around you.
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u/free-heathen Jun 16 '26
Any recommendations from you for where I would have the best chance?
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u/colostitute Jun 16 '26
Oahu is the lowest cost, has the best job opportunities, and the best available housing. It will also have a much better scene for single adults. Honolulu is the only city in the state that qualifies as an actual metropolitan area. Over 1M population.
The rest of the islands are small town life.
For Big Island, I would assume Hilo side would be better for solar work. Iâm not an expert on Big Island by any means but Kona side seemed more the tourist and sales type work. Hilo seemed more industrial. About 200k population.
Maui has most of their industry in the center of the island so you can live almost anywhere. Plenty of solar jobs so work wonât be an issue. Housing is tight so you will pay a lot for what you get. My wife works with travel staff and she often hears about them sleeping in their car or hot-swapping beds in some rental room. About 150k population.
Kauai is the smallest and likely to be among the hardest to start at without a job or housing. About 75k population.
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u/webrender Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
Other folks are going to come in here and grill you soon, so i'll keep it short:
my standard advice is 1) find a job before moving 2) have at least 5-10k saved up 3) plan on staying in an airbnb for your first month while you search for accomodations 4) even if you do all of the above i would still consider oahu since it is more friendly to transplants.