Make sure you do your homework, a lot of these grifter companies try to screw the crap out of you with these cash offers

My brother lives in Maui, and he loves it. But it’s a small place; he’s big on going to the beach and scuba-diving. Can’t wait to come and visit him some time.

I’d drop SC from the list, and I’d add Boise, Charlotte and Raleigh to the list. Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, Boise, Charlotte and Raleigh all have similar weather. Warm seven months of the year, and five months of mild winters. I suggest google searching major cities weather by month.

Love visiting Maui, think I'd go nuts living there tho.

Why ? That's exactly what I want to know

A common ailment for people from the mainland is "rock fever". Some people get a form of anxiety after 3 to 6 months of being on a small mass of land in the middle of the ocean. Might be easier for those of us who have lived on the west coast to adjust.

Cost of living is about 40% higher in Hawaii versus the States.

Fun to visit for sure.

Gallon of gas average was 5.29 in Maui yesterday. I paid 5.79 yesterday here in San Clemente. Many people I've known who move there end up working a couple jobs to make ends meet. I can see someone from the bay area who works remote making it easily. Local rates for food when eating out help. Happy hours were and probably are still great there. Maui seems to be an area where people who aren't necessarily spiritual, feel something special about the place and find some peace with themselves. Or so I've been told many times. And kinda felt it myself.

I had one brother who lived there for about 25 years and loved it. Loved going to work in flip flops every day.

Had another brother that lived there for 5 years and eventually moved back. This brother is kind of an outdoorsy kind of guy. He got tired of seeing all there is to see on the island and eventually the never changing seasons got to him too.

Keep in mind he was born and raised in MN.

I recommend you spend a week or two visiting the various islands. Each island is different and has a different vibe. Spending a few days on each island should give you a good idea of the lifestyle and people. There is a labor shortage on the islands like many parts of the country and opportunities are bountiful. The prices are not that crazy and compared to San Fran-may be a bargain. I have family that lives on Maui and on Big Island Kona coast.

A website that I check out every so often will give you a look at the Maui real estate market. Browse under Listings By Area. While you are there-click on Beach Cam and check out the live Charley Young beach cam...

https://www.mauirealestate.net/

One of my co workers lived on Maui for about 6 years but moved back to Michigan as soon as she was able. Been there, done that kinda thing. Missed the seasons, and after 6 years had seen every bit of it.

Been to Maui and Oahu, to me it sounds like a dream to live someplace where it's 79 degrees every day of the year, but I wonder if I'd tire of it too eventually.

Seems to be a pretty common. A mailman friend of mine managed to pull off the Newman and got transferred to Hawaii. Enjoyed it for about 5 years then decided he had enough and moved back to RI. Military relatives also enjoyed their time there but would never want to stay for good.

Well, #1, no pinball anywhere , but it's such a small island, hard to go out and do much. We go for 10 days usually, put on 6 or 700 miles in rental car, have seen everything, done most everything. And, the tolls and costs it puts on family and friends to visit , or for you to go visit. Do love the weather, it's usually a 80 to 100 degree temp swing in January when we go, -20 to 80 degrees, so we do love that. I'm not an idle person, cant sit on the beach and drink, I'd go crazy.

Very true. Much of Oahu seems like LA to me. North shore is amazing though. There seems to be a different level of pace on the different islands. Oahu busy. Maui kinda busy. Big Island, more laid back. Kauai completely laid back. And also one of the wettest places on earth with a part of Muai also on the list. (Near Hana I believe) Maui seems to me the easiest to live as you have a little bit of everything. Maui No Kai Oi. Maui is the best.

I used to hear a phrase there that sounds like "geeve em bra". (Go for it) I would check out the different islands and see if one gives you a buzz about living on it for awhile. Not everyone is capable of living for extended periods of time on a rock, but most everyone will tell you they enjoyed it alot. Until they didn't. I've known alot of people who have lived there and nobody has told me they regretted it. Just got bored like others and wanted to come back to the beach here.

I agree the weather is nice, but a lot of folks I know who move there full-time often regret it. Some of the reasons:

1. Traffic is horrible in certain areas coupled with most cars driving a minimum of 30 mph under the speed limit (in the left lane).
2. Everything is expensive. Everything.
3. The "Haole" factor. (pronounced how-lee). Means that you are not a local islander (and at some point will be treated as such).
4. Many people taking the ethos of "moving at island time/pace)" to a whole new level. Do not expect services to be provided with any remote sense of punctuality. Everything is slowed way, way down. Can be cool for a bit (especially when escaping the rat race), but after awhile it simply becomes annoying.

With that said, I recommend visiting for a nice holiday. But as for full-time living.....?

Oahu I call the concrete island. Maui is magical but it also revolves heavily around the tourism industry. The Big Island is huge and has several different climates and topographies to choose from. If I were to look I would check out Pukalani, Kula, Makawao, and Kihei on Maui. Then I would check out Kona on Big Island. You only live once and life is short-if you want a change of attitude and latitude Hawaii is a great place to start.

Absolutely with you. My friends live in Pukalani, Makawao, Kula, and Haiku. Upcountry is really nice. And Kona. All good spots.

Some folks also prefer Molokai because nobody goes there. Perhaps it is the " Welcome to Molokai, now please leave" sign which greets you as you leave the airport...er airfield.

Guy on my Team lives in Hawaii and complains about the AWFUL traffic. Not uncommon for a trip to a job site to take 2 hours on the island due to the congestion. Does not sound fun to me.

Things you may take for granted just aren't there...

Zero roller coasters in the state of Hawaii.

Im looking to buy a second home on Maui but due to the pandemic the prices have skyrocketed. Im from NY so no matter where I purchase a second home I wont ever be treated like a native due to my accent nor do I care to be treated like a native. People always say cost, "Maui is Expensive". Well they have never been to NY. $5 fresh catch MAHI MAHI (2)tacos downtown Lahaina is DIRT CHEAP in my book. We ate at some Burrito place in Lahaina that was super reasonable and my wife and I could have shared 1 meal. Maui has a Costco and WalMart and pricing is almost Identical to NY. If you eat at Lahaina Grill which is a bit pricy its no different than any other decent restaurant that's over priced for mediocre food. Traffic, again im from NY so this is normal for me. I would also be avoiding the time of day that this occurs anyways. Maui has Pipiwai Trail amongst many others. One thing people dont mention about Maui is that it has the highest life expectancy of all the states so be prepared to get a few more years added to your life

Personally, I would continue past Hawaii a few more hours and visit the real South Pacific: French Polynesia, Tahiti, Fiji, Marqueseas, Vanuatu, etc.
The nature in Hawaii is beautiful, but you have to remember that it is in the US and with that comes the not so quaint restaurants in a strip mall atmosphere which has destroyed the islands. Honestly, I would rather not see a Costco, Kmart and TGI Fridays in some tan stucco shopping center. But to each their own.

This post briefly sent me down a rabbit hole. Sadly Tahiti never was “the land of bare-breasted women” that Gauguin painted.

https://www.npr.org/2011/03/15/134537646/gauguins-nude-tahitians-give-the-wrong-impression

Thanks for the article. Very interesting.

Fun fact. Big island in Hawaii has the best surf, but the least amount of people. Strange. Must be a big volcano

I've heard most people who can afford to do so send their kids to private schools because the public schools are kinda bad. But you didn't mention kids so that may not be a factor. You might have to wake up earlier than you'd like for teleconferences, because of the time zone.

These states you mention are free states…Hawaii not so much…if that matters to you

I feel like watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall again. Good flick. That’s all i’ve got, i’ve never been to Hawaii (yet).

just sold our home on Maui last week. prices have gone ballistic "good for us" but not so much if your moving there. Island has grown up a lot in last 10 years. Airport expanded, highway bypass built to handle more traffic but if your on west side the traffic can still be a nightmare. Prices have skyrocketed at restaurants and that's if you can get in. Many are suffering severe worker shortages. Lahaina staple just closed after 36 years because owner just couldn't get chefs. Mama's fish house is now booked out months in advance. On the bright side though it's 83 degrees every day and you probably won't ever wear pants again.

LOLWAT

On my way soon, I have an open invite from my brother. I hate pants and shitty weather.

My wife and I were just there a few months ago. Mama's Fish House was one of the best meals I have ever eaten! Great place! While it was very difficult to get reservations, when we arrived we saw several people walk in and get seated fairly quickly. Maybe they reserve some tables for walk-ins?
I included a pic from our table. Absolutely stunning view!

Mama's (resized).jpg

We vacationed in Oahu and Maui 7 or 8 years ago. It was great. I actually preferred Oahu. I like cities, and while the congestion was pretty bad, we were on vacation so it didn't really bother me. We drove around the entire island, and I found it to be really accessible and pretty diverse in terms of environment. We spent a couple of nights on the North shore.

Maui was great too. I threw out my back just because of the stress of driving on the road to Hana. It was a beautiful drive, but taking those single lane corners wasn't fun for me. The locals take those things with a crazy amount of speed and carelessness. The island also seemed to shut down pretty darn early.

I like pretty much every place I visit, and I like to research what it's like to live in those places. I found HI was going to be too expensive to maintain close to our lifestyle, have crazy traffic (2nd only to LA in my research) and with kids probably not the best environment for them to grow up in. What also blew my mind was the lack of people on their decks/patios in any of the apartment buildings.

I am pretty interested in other similar locales to split time when I retire. I'd love to spend a month or two a year enjoying island life to escape the snow.

My dad's uncle, whom I had heard of, but never met until my brother's wedding, had moved out to Hawaii about 50 years prior. I got to get a few drinks with him and learn his story. He was an architect on his way to Japan to start a job. His flight got delayed or canceled, so he left the airport, went on a bender, and settled in with a prostitute. After he cleaned himself off he decided to stick around. He married a local girl and stayed the rest of his days on the Big Island. He loved it.

BJ Penn says it sucks now and he is a native. I think it is mainly for political reasons he thinks that way, but if you are used to California you might like it.

I hear it is very hard to bring pets to Hawaii so if you have a dog or something you should check into what is required.

My dad was on vacation on Maui, chartered a little sailboat for the day from a young guy, around 27. Asked him how he ended up there. He said he was there on vacation from New Jersey, in February. The day he was supposed to go home, he asked his dad to sell his car and send him the money. Bought the little sailboat and had been there ever since.