Relocating to a tropical paradise with palm trees, white sandy beaches, and transparent blue water may sound appealing as a tourist visiting for a few days, but there’s more to living in Hawaii than a permanent vacation. If you are thinking about moving to Hawaii to get away from the chaos of a big city, you may want to do some research about daily life and what to expect living here before relocating over the Pacific. Here are five important things to know before moving to Hawaii. Imported sources One thing you need to consider is that Hawaii’s agricultural needs are mostly dependent on food imports from the continent and international sources. Hawaii’s major imports are fruit, beef, vegetables, and milk. This situation aims to change in the future, by introducing legislation that encourages food grown locally, rather than relying on imported sources. This will help provide for the locals as well as decrease costs incurred from shipping and transporting food to the islands which will reduce the cost of living substantially. Traffic If you’ve lived in big cities with daily jams, you might be prepared to deal with traffic in Honolulu. According TomTom Traffic Index 2017, Honolulu ranks 8th on the list of the country’s most traffic-congested cities. Remarkably, Honolulu was the only city on the list that didn’t experience a rise from prior year. Although there are many ways to move around the city, if you don’t live too far from your destination, contemplate public transportation, walking or riding a bike which is a win for the environment and also for your health! Tourists Hawaii thrives off the tourism industry and has an influx of visitors from all over the world throughout the year. Hawaii is a great place to meet other people, but like many of the visitors that come to the islands, they are there only for short duration of time. Getting used to that and overcoming this may be a challenge for some. According to Hawaii.gov, the average stay of the largest market in terms of visitors stayed an average of 9.28 days. If you like change, then this might not be a bad thing. Job opportunities The job market in Hawaii tends to revolve around specific industries. These industries include tourism, healthcare, agricultural and the services industries. For example, if you specialize in accounting, those jobs are limited and competition for them is high. Making sure that you have employment prior to moving is highly recommended if you’re in a specialty field. Researching the job outlook in your field will also help. High Cost of Living There are several factors that contribute to the high cost of living for the residents. The combination of fuel prices, transportation, and real estate are the foundation of the higher cost of living in Hawaii. You can expect to pay as much as 30% more for items you find in Hawaii than you would if you purchased them on the mainland. According to the website Zillow, the 2017 median price for a single-family home is $595,000 and the median rent price in Hawaii is $2300. Hawaii also has strict zoning restrictions that do not allow homes to be built in certain parts of the islands, in hopes to limit our footprint on the environment. Consider living outside of the busiest parts of the island since housing will be cheaper like other metropolitan cities. These are a few areas that should be considered when relocating to Hawaii. Consider factors that are most important to you and researching them will help you decide if a move to Hawaii is actually something you could manage and enjoy doing. For more information contact our local Crown office to learn more.