Some things to think about before moving to Hawaii.
1. It's expensive. Housing prices are through the roof. In a desirable spot in Honolulu, you could be paying as much as in San Francisco and New York. And it doesn't stop there. Hawaii is very oil dependent. So you'll be paying a lot more for heating and gasoline than you are used to. Food is expensive too. Most of what Hawaii eats, it imports. You'd think fish would be cheap right? Locally caught? Nope. Expensive. And much of it is frozen and shipped in. Yes Hawaii has a big cattle industry. But these are breeding ranches. Once the cattle are weaned, they are shipped to the mainland to be raised on corn.
2. Good, meaningful jobs are in short supply. Hawaii is very dependent on Government, Military and tourism. For cutting edge jobs, people send their kids to the mainland.
3. Hawaiians can be indifferent or hostile to mainlanders, especially if they think you don't respect the place. It is important to know that living on Hawaii does not make you Hawaiian. But once people get to know you, you can make friends and they will come to see you as a local in time.
4. Drugs are a problem.
5. The islands are small and isolated. As a tourist, you can cover even the big Island in about 3 days. You could probably see everything there is to see on the island in a week or two if you were there that long. That means living in Hawaii doesn't provide road trips and the like. There are the other islands to go to for weekenders and the like. But it's a long flight to get pretty much anywhere. It can feel isolated and after about a month to a year there, it can hit hard. You will probably see more friends come and go there as people move in and move out frequently.
8. Traffic is terrible in Honolulu. Not quite as bad on some of the less populated Islands. But at least there aren't any billboards.
9. The resorts are beautiful, but where people actually live is often not quite so beautiful.
10. Away from Oahu, entertainment options can be very limited. Big concerts are few and far between. The club scene isn't much. No
Disneyland or major theme parks.
11. If you like Mexican food, uh you're going to have to go without. It's just lousy there.
12. Switch your license over as quickly as you can. You'll get cheaper prices on some hotels and restaurants by having a Hawaii license.
13. Bugs and critters. Uh flying Ka Ka Roaches, centipedes, jellyfish etc. Sea Urchins. Be careful.
14. The south has its meat and three. Hawaii has the plate lunch. Some sort of meat with rice on the side and usually macaroni salad. It usually has a polynesian flavor. Quite good. try a place that has em.
15. They have a dish called Poke. It is Po kay. It's a raw seafood salad. Yummy stuff. Most small markets have a handful of varieties and bigger ones may have a dozen or more. But it's best fresh.
16. As stated above resistance is futile. You too shall become one with the Spam.
17. Life in Hawaii is slower. Much slower. Dental appointment? I'll see ya in three weeks type slow. Oh you need an estimate for roof repair. How bout week after next? type slow.
18. Rust. Everything rusts. And fairly quickly too. You'll find yourself repainting a car 1-2 times during its lifetime. It's worse if you're on the windward side of an Island.
19. The big island gets this thing called Vog. At first glance it may look like smog. But it's Vog.
20. Want to bring your pet over? Fido has to have a microchip. He has to have two rabies shots at least 30 days apart and your vet has to do a blood test at least 120 days before arrival but not more than three years. Oh and if he doesn't scan Fido's microchip.... Too bad. Not valid. Failure to do this means a 120 day quarantine for Fido. Hawaii is a rabies free state and they're serious about keeping it that way. Obviously puppies can't meet the requirements. So it's 120 days in jail for these juvenile offenders. And if your pet happens to be an exotic pet, he may not be allowed in at all.