Living in Honolulu for Less than $1000 a Month

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About two months before starting this blog I booked a one way ticket to Honolulu from Wisconsin.  It had been over a year after I graduated college, I hadn’t made much of myself back home, and all I knew is I wanted to see the world, follow my passion for scuba diving, and invest at a young age. So I went to a moving site like www.mayflower.com to see what pricing was like for a move of this caliber and took that into account.

I ran the risks versus rewards in my head and decided there was a huge upside with little downside.  I saved up enough cash to live here frugally for about six months.  On the upside, I could follow my passion for scuba diving, meet a gorgeous Asian woman, and enjoy the beach everyday!  On the downside, I would have lived in Hawaii for six months and start right where I left off back home.

When running the numbers before I left I realized that I could live on significantly less than what everyone was telling me back home.

Some of the Naysayers said:

“Hawaii’s too expensive”

“You won’t be able to make it out there”

“Milk is $8 a gallon”

It turns out, that they were wrong.

So Why’d I Move Here?

1. Wanted to be in a warm climate all year round so that I could exercise outside and ride my bike to work.
2. Wanted to be able to scuba dive – this is one of my passions that I’m following which is more important to me than money.
3. I Heard there were hotter women in Hawaii than in Wisconsin (I kid… kinda)
4. It’s one of the many places I wanted to explore in my lifetime.
5. I thought the experience of putting myself out there would help me grow and challenge me, thus building character and making me a more rounded person.

Now, I did a bit of research before I came here, as a bachelor.  I looked on craigslist for apartments, estimated cost of living, and all that jazz and I noticed it was affordable… If I was frugal.

Here’s a breakdown of my expenses before I left, and my current expenses:

My expenses in Wisconsin
Rent:                            300  (3 guys in a house)
Utilities:                      100  (I had cable there as well cause the roommates wanted it)
Car Insurance:           80
Gas:                               150
Groceries:                  150
Gym:                               35

Total: 815 / month


My expenses in Honolulu

Rent:                         650 (I have a roommate in a two bedroom apt 1 mile from the beach)
Utilities:                     50 (turn off the lights)!
Groceries:              250 (A bit on the high side because I invest in healthy food)
Gym:                           45

Total: 995 / month

Alright, so I’m a bit of a frugal maniac, but I have a ton of time on my hands, the ability to work more if I want, and most of the things I do all year round are free such as: snorkeling, running, reading, hiking, and sight seeing.  I also bike to work and almost everywhere else, otherwise I’ll just take the bus or hitch a ride with a friend.

I do realize there are other expenses that do pop up, but these are the basics, my budget doesn’t fluctuate much from this.

This is proof that if you want you can live in any city you’d like for below minimum wage.  My monthly income is about twice my expenses at the moment so I have plenty to spend if I wanted, but am using it to also pay down my debts.

Try running your numbers in a city you’d like to live in and then ask yourself… why am I not living there?

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Matt Jabs
Guest

Our lives are fleeting… even more so than we realize. Knowing this it is important for us to seize opportunities as they are laid out before us. If you didn’t do it now, you never would have.

Bravo. And bravo for living below your means!

Financial Samurai
Guest

Great stuff man! I just came back from parking my car at the Honolulu Zoon. A quarter buys 15 minutes here, but only 6 minutes in San Francisco! lol.

Very excited to know that you are living your dream here in Honolulu! Will be exciting to see your pics, and other neat things from your adventure.

Best, Sam

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
Guest

That’s the thing — naysayers are naysayers because they haven’t tried it, and they aren’t willing to take that risk.

It’s why I just don’t tell people any more that I want to relocate to Dallas to work there.

I have my own reasons, and it just annoys me when people try to “help” to the point where they frustrate you because they don’t seem to be listening to you.

What happens to each person is subjective to that person.

Kevin
Guest

Ryan,

How long do you plan to live in Honolulu? I love it man. Most people only talk about doing something like this. You’re actually doing it.

Kevin
Guest

I enjoyed reading the 4HWW book. Good stuff in there.

I started my blog as a way to maybe make an extra few bucks talking about the activities I engage in already (investing, money management, etc.).

My ultimate goal would be to generate full time level income from my blog (and maybe a couple blogs at some point) and have complete flexibility as you describe and be able to “work” from anywhere.

Look forward to reading your blog as well.

Mneiae
Guest
Mneiae

I recently decided to check out Hawaii as a new place to live when I graduate from school. Thank you for providing a breakdown of the costs that you’ve incurred.

Jonathan
Guest

Thanks for sharing your budget, $1,400 for a two-bedroom apartment is pretty good for Honolulu near the beach. How good depends on which beach. 🙂 Still, your scuba equipment probably cost more than that! Which reminds me, I still need to do the Manta Ray night dive on Big Island.

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[…] Ryan is a recent college graduate who blogs about personal finance, financial freedom, nomadic living, and following your passions.  One of my favorite articles of his is “How To Live In Honolulu for Less Than $1,000 A Month”! […]

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[…] I would not currently be writing this article a few blocks from the beach in Hawaii, which is where I moved to follow one of my passions. I would not have taken a gamble with my life to follow a dream and have come up better than I had […]

thriftygal
Guest

I admire your guts and initiative to actually follow through on your dreams. Thanks for the inspiration! You’re very smart to made this move before you have responsibilities and a family.

But tell me, how do you afford the tickets back to visit your family and how often do you visit? I’m in a situation where I’m far from family and the travel costs just drain up my finances.

Peter
Guest

Congrats on living life on your own terms! I have a friend who decided that he wanted to live free like the wind – just like you. He moved to Hawaii, and just worked some jobs to get by, lived near the beach and surfed just about every day. He loved the lifestyle so much that he has stayed in Hawaii for a couple of years now. He’s now finishing up his helicopter pilot’s certification and will soon be one of those guys flying tourists around the islands. Quick note: be careful of who you mess with or where you… Read more »

thriftygal
Guest

Thanks for your response Ryan. I do skype and call but it doesn’t come close to the real thing. I can’t complain much though because I’ve made 2 trips to see family this year (which costs quite a bit for 2 adults and a baby). But a second job is out of the question because I have a regular 9 -5 and I won’t sacrifice what little time I have for my baby, which is why I’m thinking about alternative income and working on ways to cut expenses. I will also be blogging about my progress so come visit me… Read more »

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[…] could be done by someone working on minimum wage. To see how I do it, check out my article about how I live in Honolulu for less than $1,000 a month. This is a choice because I find that simple living is actually more relaxing, I can devote more […]

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[…] currently I live in Honolulu for less that $1,000 a month!. Read my story and find out how I’m doing this so you can […]

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Carnival of Money Stories 2 (Super Bowl Edition)

[…] joy.Now let’s turn to some stories of the pecuniary variety.Editor’s PicksRyan presents Living in Honolulu for Less than $1000 a Month posted at Planting Dollars. Ryan is living the dream!Madeleine Begun Kane presents My New Policy […]

Monevator
Guest

Very inspiring stuff, as Matt Jabs puts it our lives are fleeting.

Maybe I’ll move towards this roaming the world goal in 2010. I’ve been kicking around the idea for years, and I think I could make 75% of what I make now from anywhere in the world — at least for a year, anyway.
.-= Monevator´s last blog ..Should you back Bolton in the China shop? =-.

Ali
Guest
Ali

Ryan,

I am really glad you’ve posted your experience with numbers for expenses. I too cannot stand the naysayers. I am coming to Honolulu for a few years. If we could keep in touch, that would be cool.

Jeremy Johnson
Guest

I loved my trip to Hawaii with my wife. The warm weather was my favorite part. Living for less then $1,000 a month is truly amazing. I can see the advantage of being single and living in an apartment with others – that is a smart move and really cuts down the rent expense. Couple questions: Do you have any insurances? (health, dental, life, etc…). Great health insurance really saved my can last month – through my employer, reducing a $17,000 surgery to just a few hundred dollars. I know some people are concerned about their health, but being young,… Read more »

JadeDragon@innovativepassiveincome
Guest

Ya I’d think the women are hotter in HI… I got myself an island girl too. Good luck man.
.-= JadeDragon@innovativepassiveincome´s last blog ..How to Create eHow Articles that Stink =-.

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[…] niche website, working on a book project, and am hunting for a bartending job. It helps that I live on only 1000 a month and ride my bike everywhere. Honestly, it’s kind of fun to live below your means because I […]

Kevin
Guest
Kevin

Great blog. Lived in Hawaii from 95-98 and 01-04. Advanced Scuba Diver qualed! Loved every moment! Plan on returning once I finish my 20 in the military — 4 more years to go!

Keep up the good work!

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Kristine
Guest

I really commend you for going to Hawaii and doing what you love – scuba diving. There are so many who don’t do things because of the cost, even if it’s something they love. Great inspiration for us!
.-= Kristine´s last blog ..Financial Freedom Resources – Tools to Help You Maximize the Assets Around You =-.

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[…] is living on minimum wage possible? Yes, I think living on minimum wage is possible. I even wrote a post about how I do it, a few months ago. However, I think that if you’re even semi-ambitious you’ll move […]

harvestwages
Guest
harvestwages

you still talk about frugal living. At times we are wrongly informed and turn not to pursue our dreams for fear – we won’t cope financially. I think living below minimum wage is quite simple – you just need the right mindset. Most of my monthly income triples my monthly expenses and yet i’m not worried – i have more hope for the future.
I have some close friends here in Cameroon who keep asking how i do it. i simply tell them it’s all in the mind.
.-= harvestwages´s last blog ..5 traps that seducess great minds =-.

Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey
Guest

Ryan, I want to first commend you on going after your passions. Most people say “oh one day I’ll (fill in the blank)” but you take action and that’s commendable.

I think it’s amazing that you’re able to do it with a smart well thought out plan. And not only that, you’ve proved the naysayers wrong. So we can all see there’s a lesson here. This might be slightly off topic but we should never listen to what the naysayers are saying and you’ve made a great point of why.

Great post!
Jarrod
.-= Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey´s last blog ..Got Validation? =-.

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[…] pretty corny, but it’s true. I discussed my expenses when I started this blog which are about $1000 a month, so how many hours a week do I actually need to work to stay […]

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[…] with one blogging buddy living in Hawaii on less than $1,000 a month, I recognise money is an excuse, not a reason. So watch this […]

Anthony
Guest
Anthony

I noticed that there hasn’t been mutch activity on here in the last while, but I was wondering If too much had changed? I’m a 22 year old dude who wants to do the same thing you did… Whats the best place for me to look at for living? Any advice you would give me?