A step by step guide to moving to Hawaii

Tony Kawaguchi and his Family

Having personally moved from California to Hawaii in 2005, and also having helped many others make the move across the ocean, I know what it takes. It's not easy, but if you know what to expect, your move to paradise can be a lot less stressful than you think it might be. This is a 7 step guide, so read along and don't be afraid to contact me if you have questions, especially if you plan to buy a house anywhere on Oahu.

Let's talk about your move to Hawaii

Step 1 in moving to Hawaii - figure out if you can afford it. Of course you will want to see how much Honolulu homes are, so use my property search to see if you are even in the ballpark. Hawaii is one of the most expensive places on Earth to live! Remember though, property taxes in Oahu are quite low, so while the prices seem high, your monthly payments could be a lot lower than you would think, especially if you've come from Texas, New York, or California. You will probably pay around $700k-$1.5 mil for a house, but your property taxes will be about $150-$200 per month. Our property tax rates are 5 times less than CA!

Hawaii is particularly expensive if you live in East Oahu, where real estate prices are even higher than the rest of Oahu. I'm talking about Hawaii Kai, Diamond Head, Kahala, Aina Haina, Kailua, and Kaneohe. These are very nice areas, where the average sale price is over $1million as of 2026. While you can still expect to pay $7 for a gallon of milk at Foodland or Safeway, we do have 4 Costcos on Oahu, so prices are similar to the mainland for many things. Surprisingly, gas prices are about the same or lower than California a lot of the time.

Of the thousands of people who move to Hawaii every year, the cost of living is on the mind of most of them ,but we don't usually use our AC, we never have a heating bill, and we wear a lot less clothing. I own 1 jacket, which I wear a few days a year. You'll save money just by not trying to compete with everyone on how they dress and the car they drive. If anything, a lot of people will look down on you if you are too showy here. Some of the richest people in Hawaii wear T-shirts and board shorts every day and drive a pickup truck (like me.)

Backyard pool at Hawaii home.

But what about other expenses? Just assume everything will cost 10-20% more, except for used cars. For some reason we have too many cars here and used car prices are sometimes lower than many areas of the US mainland, especially if someone is moving off island and they need to sell their car quickly.

Bottom line is - if you want to live in Hawaii, you might have to change your lifestyle a little bit, but I think it's worth every penny. I'm about to go surfing with my kids, at a beautiful empty beach, and the water is 75 degrees. You should be here :)

Let's chat about your move to hawaii

Click here for Part 2

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383 Kalaimoku Street Unit 3307, Honolulu image

383 Kalaimoku Street Unit 3307, Honolulu — The Ritz-Carlton Residences - 383 Kalaimoku $3,958,888 ▼

Located within The Ritz-Carlton Residences Waikiki, this rare high-floor corner residence offers a refined sense of ownership. Kept outside of hotel rental use, it retain...

3 Beds
3 Baths
202528471 MLS
The Ritz-Carlton Residences - 383 Kalaimoku Bldg.
FS - Fee Simple Tenure

Courtesy of Corcoran Pacific Properties