BEFORE Moving To Oahu: Here are 24 Things to Consider

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Before moving to Oahu, read this first. Here is a list of things that you can expect when you make the move to the island.

Consideration #1: Living in Hawaii is Expensive

Yes, Hawaii is gorgeous but it comes with a hefty price tag.

Everything is expensive.

From where you decided to live, food, normal living necessities, entertainment, heath care, state taxes, etc…

Before moving to Oahu, Consideration #2: Terrible Traffic

Traffic gets really bad especially during rush hour.

There is a rail that has been under construction since 2011 and is far from completion so the constant construction also adds to the congestion.

If you live on the West side of the island but work in the Honolulu area, which most people do, plan on an hour drive to work and a hour and a half or so going back home….that’s without any accidents.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #3: New Homes are Built Close to Neighbors

The major home developments are on the West side of the island.

Although the homes are nice, I wonder sometimes if the residences are able to hear their neighbors conversations.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #4: Getting Crowded

As mentioned above, home developments are happening fast on the West side.

The State has a vision to transform the West side and make it a second big city like Honolulu.

Ambitious dreams for limited space if you ask me.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #5: Median Price of Home is 1M

On the cover of our local newspaper there was an article titled: “Median price of a single-family home on Oahu hits a new high: $920,000”. This article was published in March 2021 so it wasn’t that long ago.

Real estate is expensive. You’ll pay lots of money for little square footage.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #6: Lots of Bugs and Critters

Our tropical climate makes it also comfortable living for critters too.

If you’ve never seen large flying cockroaches, I can guarantee you will when you live here.

When you are outdoors, you’ll want to keep an eye out for centipedes because they know how to sneak up on you.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #7: Surfing is Hard

Unless you’ve started surfing from a young age your chances of competing in the Billabong’s Pipe Masters are needle thin.

Surfing the big waves are scary, difficult, and physically taxing.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #8: Natural Disasters Freak People Out

Any natural disasters heading to the islands gets the locals into a hoarding frenzy of toilet paper and bottled water.

It also creates a madness where everyone rushes to the gas stations to fill up their gas tanks.

You may or may not be the type to freak out but in either case, you’ll still want to stock up on toilet paper and canned goods because the locals will buy it out and who knows when the next shipment will be.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #9: Plate Lunches

Eating plate lunches are the norm here.

Plate lunches generally consist of 2 scoops of white rice, 1 scoop of macaroni salad, and protein.

It is yummy but soooo bad if you’re trying to watch your weight.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #10: Locals Don’t Drive Well

I’ve been told by many of my mainland friends that Hawaii drivers drive slow.

To our defense, the highest speed limit is 65mph so we’re just not used to driving super fast.

When it rains, its like all driving skill are completely lost.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #11: Roads Flood when There’s Heavy Downpour

Not sure how educated the engineers who designed the old roads were but the road flooding are a little ridiculous.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #12: NO Really Good Mexican Places to Eat

Another common complaint from my mainland friends. I mean, what can you really expect from a place that has a population of mostly Asians.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #13: Gas Price is High

Hawaii has got to have the highest gas prices.

Be forewarned that you may feel like you need to take out a loan when you are filling your full sized truck or SUV.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #14: Tons of Homeless

Our weather makes it much more comfortable for the homeless to live life.

Many States are buying a one-way ticket for their homeless and sending them here.

The homeless are everywhere and the tent sites are a total eye sore.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #15: Crime is Rising

Crime is rising across the entire world and Hawaii is no exception.

Hawaii today is definitely not the Hawaii I remember growing up in.

Kidnapping, domestic violence, homicide, assault, burglaries, etc.. occurs far too often nowadays. So sad.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #16: Drugs

Drug use is also a huge problem here with Crystal Meth being the most used.

You won’t have to look very far to see someone high on drugs on the streets.

Drug addicts are pushing their limits and stealing anything they can get their hands on in order to maintain their drug addiction.

I have seen so many surveillance camera posts on Facebook of thieves going straight up to the front doors of homes in attempt to break in.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #17: Hawaii Public Schools are Behind Mainland Public Schools

I’ve been given a lot of feedback from friends from the mainland who enroll their kids into the Hawaii public school system.

From the feedback I’ve gathered it appears that Hawaii has about 1 or 2 years delay in the curriculum that is taught to mainland students in public schools.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #18: Classrooms are Crowded

We have a shortage of public school teachers in Hawaii.

Sadly it means that the Hawaii public schools have been packing the classrooms to maximum capacity.

In some cases, kids aren’t getting the attention they need.

The situation will only get worse, especially in the COVID social distancing environment.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #19: Private Schools are Expensive

The most expensive private school tuition for 2021 is Hawaii Preparatory Academy with a whopping $55,000 per year price tag.

Sure there are private schools that are not as expensive but damn.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #20: Drive Around the Oahu Under 5 hours

If you and your family enjoy road trips, you might get bored of Oahu.

You can see almost all of Oahu in under 5 hours.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #21: Free shipping is Not Included

You know when you’re purchasing something online and it offers ‘Free shipping’?

It usually excludes Hawaii and Alaska.

It feels like winning the jackpot when “Free Shipping” is really “Free Shipping”.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #22: Advertised restaurants that are not in Hawaii

There are advertisements that show up on the local television shows for restaurants that aren’t in Hawaii.

It’s such a tease.

Before moving to Oahu, consideration #23: Sex-Trafficking

There has been so many more missing children in the last few years in the islands.

What scares me the most is that if a kid goes missing and somehow gets taken off island, the chances of ever finding that kid again is near impossible.

Final consideration #24: Airfare is Expensive and the flights are long

The Hawaiian Islands are pretty much smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The closest airport to the US Mainland is LAX which is a minimum 5 hour flight.

Traveling anywhere out of the islands will require extra air time and layovers.