32 replies to this topic

[Lt. Mango]

I found a thread on this from back in 2006, but I figure some things may have changed since then.

Can anyone give me any tips about living near UH Manoa? Prices, rental situations, etc? I'm moving with my SO and 2 cats, so we are looking for an affordable one bedroom. I've heard that the cost of living is quite high in this area, so if anyone has any tips on how to live on a budget that would be great.

[xdarthveganx]

Alright, someone I can really help! My first suggestion for neighborhood would be Makiki. It is pretty close to UH, takes me less than 15 mins by bus or about a 25 min walk. Will you have a car here? I need some more information! If you have any specific questions please ask!

As far prices go, you can get a 1 bedroom in Makiki for $900-1800 depending on how nice it is. Be prepared, apartments in Honolulu take getting used to. You will, I repeat you will have cockroaches to deal with. Also landlords tend turn apartments around fast. When I lived in SoCal and Oregon it was generally accepted that you'd move in at the first or maybe the fifteenth of the month. Here apartments will literally turn around in days, and don't expect landlords to do a whole lot of maintenance in between.

[xdarthveganx]

http://honolulu.crai...2874498393.html

http://honolulu.crai...2853660017.html

http://honolulu.crai...2853163158.html

Specifically states cats are ok!

http://honolulu.crai...2845643454.html



Also, the cost of the bus pass for the entire semester is included in your fees and really cheap!

Who is your POI at UH? My thesis advisers husband is a professor in the linguistics department!

Edited by xdarthveganx, 15 March 2012 - 03:10 AM.

[Lt. Mango]

Wow, thanks for the info! I will be shipping my car there but I plan on using it sparingly, so I'll be taking the bus to campus most days I guess. My cats are great pest control, so hopefully the roaches won't be too much of an issue (I hope!).

I'm wondering how far in advance of classes starting I should be moving out there. (classes start on the 20th, and there are exemption exams the previous week). I plan to fly out in advance of my SO and find an apartment while he packs up the shipping container (we plan on taking the essentials only). Is there anything I should prioritize taking, such as items that are hard to come by in HI?

I'm not sure who my adviser will be, I've been admitted to the MA program, and I hope to continue on to the PhD program. My focus is mainly on bilingualism and second language acquisition (which is what makes UH Manoa such a great fit!)

Thanks so much for the advice, it's good to feel like I'm not going in totally blind!

[xdarthveganx]

There really isn't anything you can't get here. We have all the big box stores (except Ikea).

Come as early as possible so you can enjoy your new surroundings! One can certainly slack on their academics and enjoy themselves plenty. But if you're anything like me, your memory of wonderful beach days and cliff diving will become hazy quickly as you spend countless hours in Sinclair studying!

The roaches are unavoidable here unless your wealthy enough to pay a company to come spray on a regular basis. Roach motels help, but I can guarantee that you will have them at least in your kitchen. It is a way of life. Glad to hear you're bringing your car, the best parts of the island IMO are east side (Kailua) and the North Shore.

I did the exact same thing as you. I flew out a month ahead of time of my partner and she met me out here. I was lucky enough to have friends who let me sleep on their couch while I looked for an apartment.

Any other questions feel free to ask, oh and PM if you wanna be friends on facebook (and can handle my radical politics) haha.

[nari27]

FYI, check on shipping cats to Hawaii. We are a rabies free state and your cats will have to go through quarantine. There is a cheaper way to do it by getting your animals vaccinated and checked out by a vet before you come over, plus making reservations with the quarantine facility (see link). I live on the Big Island, not Oahu so I'm not much help on finding housing. It is very expensive to live in Honolulu, but it is a modern city and you will find just about everything you need there!

http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info

[Lt. Mango]

Yeah, getting animals into HI is crazy! I already have them in to start their rabies vaccine series...I think moving them will be more complicated than moving me! I grew up near the beach in CA, so I think I'll enjoy the atmosphere in HI. The roaches on the other hand...

[xdarthveganx]

Eventually you become ambivalent about the roaches.

[nari27]

except for those big ones that fly and aim for your head.....I'm born & raised & still not used to those! I trained my chihuahua to attack them!

[Lt. Mango]

roaches that aim for your head? what am I getting myself into! Just out of curiosity, is O'ahu mainlander friendly? I've heard some parts of the islands are less than welcoming (not that I blame them at all, just curious)

[xdarthveganx]

roaches that aim for your head? what am I getting myself into! Just out of curiosity, is O'ahu mainlander friendly? I've heard some parts of the islands are less than welcoming (not that I blame them at all, just curious)

You will be just fine. It's all a matter of how you carry yourself, show respect and you'll get respect back. No worries, and I am sure you'll love the time you spend in the islands.

You might need to pick up some pidgin though. Where you stay? (where do you live)

[Lt. Mango]

oh my gosh, I cannot wait to learn some pidgin! Hawaiian as well! I'm very excited about the linguistic environment

[washdc]

FYI, check on shipping cats to Hawaii. We are a rabies free state and your cats will have to go through quarantine. There is a cheaper way to do it by getting your animals vaccinated and checked out by a vet before you come over, plus making reservations with the quarantine facility (see link). I live on the Big Island, not Oahu so I'm not much help on finding housing. It is very expensive to live in Honolulu, but it is a modern city and you will find just about everything you need there!

http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/info

Ditto what Nari said.. our cat was able to do a one month quarantine (years ago) however apparently a typical stay is 3 months, if you don't get your ducks in order ahead of time. They will take your cats from the plane straight to quarantine.. it's so sad. And the quarantine is outside, no A/C, etc.

And yea, cockroaches fly, bite, are huge, and fly TO you.

[nari27]

roaches that aim for your head? what am I getting myself into! Just out of curiosity, is O'ahu mainlander friendly? I've heard some parts of the islands are less than welcoming (not that I blame them at all, just curious)

Oahu is a bit more mainlander friendly because there are so many tourists there. Most locals don't have a problem with people from the mainland, it's the attitude. Eaxmple: People come to Hawaii from the mainland and love the atmosphere because it's laid back and relaxed. They move here because they loved their visit, and then they move here and try to change things to make their lives more convenient. The other thing is they move here and keep the same attitude that they had in the mainland rather than appreciating the laid back style in Hawaii. Sorry in advance but you'll probably be called "haole" at least a few times while you're here. Its modern meaning is "foreigner, particularly white" but it depends on its context and use. I'm a born & raised 1/3 Native Hawaiian, yet I've been called haole becuase I speak with good English and go to college, not because I look white. I think it is more of a way that you carry yourself and attitude that is perceived as foreign. Since you're moving to Oahu.....be prepared to see a plethora of Japanese tourists. Also white people are the minority here, so be prepared for that. Honestly though most people really don't care about race. Hawaii is such a melting pot that most people I know are multiple ethnicities. If you're studying language or culture this is kind of the gold mine, because you also see the interaction between cutures. The food.....amazing!! You're gonna find lots of different kinds, plus hybrids of several cultures. As for areas to avoid....I would stay out of Waianae for a while till you gain a bit of local cred. The more country areas are like that and not so much in town....beautiful, but rugged!

[Lt. Mango]

I'm actually really looking forward to being a minority where I come from is very mixed, but here I am still in the majority, ethnicity wise. I'm definitely looking forward to the mix of languages, cultures, and the food!
Does anyone know if the housing prices are noticeably higher right around the UH campus? After commuting 45minutes every day for undergrad, I'm hoping to live a lot closer to campus this time

Great info in here, really appreciate it.

[xdarthveganx]

Honestly, the prices don't really get better until you get out towards Aiea and Pearl City. I personally would not recommend living out that far. I think Makiki is your best bet 100%

Have you checked out padmapper.com?

[Lt. Mango]

ooh yeah, I'm on padmapper every day haha. I'm just not sure how far of a commute it is from anywhere to the school. Where I'm from, 15 miles could end up taking an hour, depending on the time of day I've heard the traffic in Honolulu can be pretty bad sometimes, so I've tried to look in neighborhoods that are within a few miles of UH.

[xdarthveganx]

Oh yeah no kidding. I would say 1-2 miles max would be best.

[phemgal]

Alright, someone I can really help! My first suggestion for neighborhood would be Makiki. It is pretty close to UH, takes me less than 15 mins by bus or about a 25 min walk. Will you have a car here? I need some more information! If you have any specific questions please ask!

As far prices go, you can get a 1 bedroom in Makiki for $900-1800 depending on how nice it is. Be prepared, apartments in Honolulu take getting used to. You will, I repeat you will have cockroaches to deal with. Also landlords tend turn apartments around fast. When I lived in SoCal and Oregon it was generally accepted that you'd move in at the first or maybe the fifteenth of the month. Here apartments will literally turn around in days, and don't expect landlords to do a whole lot of maintenance in between.

Wow, thanks for the info! I will be shipping my car there but I plan on using it sparingly, so I'll be taking the bus to campus most days I guess. My cats are great pest control, so hopefully the roaches won't be too much of an issue (I hope!).

I'm wondering how far in advance of classes starting I should be moving out there. (classes start on the 20th, and there are exemption exams the previous week). I plan to fly out in advance of my SO and find an apartment while he packs up the shipping container (we plan on taking the essentials only). Is there anything I should prioritize taking, such as items that are hard to come by in HI?

I'm not sure who my adviser will be, I've been admitted to the MA program, and I hope to continue on to the PhD program. My focus is mainly on bilingualism and second language acquisition (which is what makes UH Manoa such a great fit!)

Thanks so much for the advice, it's good to feel like I'm not going in totally blind!

Thanks for all the tips in this forum. I just got into UH/Social Work and will be moving in July.
We are just starting the pet forms/rabies shots and tracking---what information did you find on shipping your car? Was it reasonable? I haven't yet looked into that.

Me and my husband are both moving and he is about to secure a job there (thank goodness). We were really worried about finances especially with me paying out of state for that first year. But I think we will be okay with that job and my F/A. It's such a big leap!

[Lt. Mango]

Thanks for all the tips in this forum. I just got into UH/Social Work and will be moving in July.
We are just starting the pet forms/rabies shots and tracking---what information did you find on shipping your car? Was it reasonable? I haven't yet looked into that.

Me and my husband are both moving and he is about to secure a job there (thank goodness). We were really worried about finances especially with me paying out of state for that first year. But I think we will be okay with that job and my F/A. It's such a big leap!

Congrats on getting in!
As far as shipping the car goes, I've received estimates ranging from $950-$1070. Some companies will ship your car and a container full of your stuff, so I'm looking into a few of those to try to simplify the process. I can pass along the names if you need (but having never used any of them before, I can't really say which one is best!).

I also feel like moving to HI is a big leap! You can't just load up a U-Haul and drive there I hope everything goes well for you and your husband during this crazy moving process