Moving to Hawaii: Complete Moving Guide 2024

Sure, the vacations are fun, the resorts are beautiful, and the locals love you - as long as you’re spending your money. But making the Aloha state your new home is an entirely different matter. Hawaii is paradise. Is living there paradise, too?

Natural beauty, great waves, a relaxed lifestyle… it’s all a major draw for the potential transplant. But there are also high food prices, shoddy home quality, and a job market that mainly revolves around pandering to tourists. Living in Hawaii comes with its own sets of challenges, and you’ve got to know what to expect before you dive right in.

If you’re already set on moving to Hawaii, we’re with you every step of the way. You can use iMoving to shop, compare prices, and book your movers in just a few clicks. But if you’re still weighing your options, read on to learn why you should make the move.

This is a much easier sell than Nebraska or Iowa (sorry to any Nebraskans or Iowans reading this). Here are some of the reasons you might want to move to Hawaii:

• Great weather: Even the storms are pretty mild. Hawaii is well-known for its great weather, which is usually either warm and humid or humid and warm. It’s the tropics; what did you expect?

• Great beaches: The beaches are amazing, and the water’s amazing too. A bathtub is warm, nice, and blue… if you don’t know how to surf yet, here’s the place to learn.

• Great jobs: True, most of the jobs in Hawaii revolve around tourism in some way. But there’s a growing energy sector,  along with mining, fishing, and finance, too.

• Great variety: Every island has its own flavor. Some are more calm and relaxed, and some are more built up and popular with tourists and locals alike. You may be surprised to hear this, but you may even find a traffic jam or two on Oahu.

• Familiar prices: For most of the US, the sticker shock is a real dealbreaker. But if you’re coming from New York or California, the prices will seem downright familiar. Sure the groceries will be steep, but you can handle it.

• Lots to do: Hawaii isn’t just about sitting on the beach and playing in the surf - although that is a pretty major selling point. There’s also tons of hiking, camping, and boozing it up wherever tourists can be found.

• Laid-back lifestyle: Learn to chill out. When you get to Hawaii, you’ll be living on a tropical island. It’s hard to feel stressed in that kind of environment.

Moving to Hawaii will cost you between $1,600 - $13,500. It’s a sizeable, window, but for good reason: Your final price depends on a few important factors, including your final distance, the physical size of all your stuff, and the type of moving service you need:

It’s hard to think of the cons if all you can think about is your recent Hawaiian vacation. But living there comes with a few downsides that can keep you grounded in reality:

• Median home price: $860,000
• Average rent: $3,000 per month
• Utilities: About $320 per month
• Gas: About $4.70 per gallon, depends on the island
• Groceries: About $500 per month

Hawaii isn’t cheap. But if you’re used to paying California or New York prices, it’s somewhat familiar. According to Zillow, the median home price is about $860,000 per month. If you’re planning on renting, expect to pay $3,000 per month. Still, it’s cheaper than San Francisco (and you won’t have to deal with poop on the sidewalk).

Aside from the housing, your monthly expenses can get a little steep, too. Hawaii has the highest grocery prices we’ve seen to date - $500 per month, assuming you’re shopping smart. Your gas will cost you about $4.70 per gallon, and your utilities will be just about the national average at $320 per month. It ain’t cheap, but it’s the price you pay to live in paradise.

At a glance, it may seem like THE ENTIRE HAWAII is a great place to live. This is largely true, but for the best experience, you’ll want the island that fits your lifestyle.

• The Big Island: The largest island by area, the Big Island doesn’t actually have the highest population. Despite the size, the Big Island is pretty rural, and the residents keep things pretty quiet.

• Maui: Maui draws in plenty of tourists thanks to Haleakalā, which is a giant mountain with some excellent views. Maui experienced some serious wildfires back in 2023, and the island is still rebuilding.

• Oahu: Oahu is actually the most populous Hawaiian island. This is where you’ll find Honolulu, and there are so many people here you’ll also find traffic jams, too. If you want something like city life, Oahu is pretty close.

• Kauai: Kauai is known for its natural beauty. Have you ever seen pictures of those steep, green cliffs that go right up to the water? Those are here. You can’t really climb them, but you can kayak around to get up close.

• Molokai: Molokai used to be a leper colony. This may not be a very good way to start the sales pitch, but they have a cure for it now! Currently, it’s known for cattle ranching and pineapple plantations. If you want rural, this is a great option.

• Lanai: Most (98%) of Lanai is owned by Larry Ellison, one of the guys who cofounded Oracle. The other 2% is fair game. Lanai isn’t super developed, and you’ll have to do a bit of 4-wheeling to explore the island. But that ruggedness is part of the appeal!

The Hawaiian economy largely revolves around tourism. Odds are, you’ll be doing something that involves getting them to come visit - and even if you aren’t dealing with them directly, you’ll be doing something that benefits the industry somehow.

Aside from the huge tourism scene, Hawaii also has mining, energy, and fishing. More rural locations like parts of the Big Island or Molokai have ranching and farming. (Somehow, ranching and farming on the mainland seems rough and rednecky, but do it in Hawaii and it all seems much more appealing.)

Like most states, Hawaii also has a burgeoning tech scene. It may not be as startup-heavy as the Bay Area, but there are a lot of new companies out there. Plus, if you’ve got one of those work-from-home gigs, you can work wherever you like.

Hawaii has its own identity and its own way of doing things. And speaking of doing things, there’s lots to do if you need a distraction or two.

• The great outdoors: Hawaii has some excellent hiking, and a fair amount of camping too. Weather permitting (and it usually will be), you can get outside, see some sights, and take it all in before the crowds of tourists show up.

• The great beaches: Yes, technically the beach is part of the great outdoors, but this deserves its own bullet point. If you don’t know how to surf yet, you’ll learn. And if you just want to hang out on the sand, there’s plenty of that, too.

• Excellent (but expensive) food: If you’re planning on eating out a lot, you may have to dial back your foodie streak. Pretty much everything needs to be shipped to Hawaii, which means pretty much everything costs more. But is the food delicious? You bet.

• Lots to explore: We already mentioned all the other islands. You’ll choose one to be your home base but after that? You can easily island hop if you want to enjoy the best of the rest of the state.

• A different pace: Hawaii is also well-known for having its own pace. “Island time” is a very real thing. The locals take things slow, and they don’t get all stressed about the day-to-day. Get used to it, and embrace it.

Hawaii has 257 schools, split up across 7 school districts - and 4 of those school districts are crammed onto Oahu. Whether you’re looking for public or private, chances are you’ll find quality K-12 education.

Each island has its own top schools, but keep in mind you’ll probably have better odds at one of the more populated islands instead: Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.

What about higher ed? The University of Hawaii operates several campuses across the state. There are locations in Hilo (on the Big Island), Manoa (Oahu), and Kapolei (also Oahu).

Interestingly, the University of Hawaii has universities, community colleges, and an employment training center all under one umbrella.

Hawaii has its own pros and cons, but it’s kind of hard to dampen your enthusiasm when you’re thinking of moving to a tropical island that still has wifi and Costco. Once you get out there, it’ll be smooth sailing - but how do you get out there in the first place?

iMoving makes it easier than ever to shop, compare prices, and book your movers entirely online. This includes moving your stuff all the way out to Hawaii. If you’re ready to get packing, we’re ready to handle the heavy lifting. Just tell us more about your move, and say aloha to your new home!