What is Hawaii’s Cost of Living vs. San Diego?

If you are coming from San Diego, according to our data supplied by Numbeo below, it will cheaper to live in Hawaii.

Cost of Renting in Hawaii vs. San Diego- 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
Apartment (1 bedroom) in Urban Core$2,689.59$2,116.60-$573.00-21.30%
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Urban Core$2,186.18$1,789.23-$396.95-18.16%
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in Urban Core$4,641.52$3,888.54-$752.98-16.22%
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Urban Core$3,849.10$3,232.39-$616.71-16.02%

Should you move to Hawaii? Find out and take the quiz.

Housing Prices in Hawaii vs. San Diego – 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
Price per sq. ft. to Buy Apartment in Urban Core$1,002.99$797.76-$205.24-20.46%
Price per sq. ft. to Buy Apartment Outside of Urban Core$874.86$589.77-$285.08-32.59%

Cost of Groceries in Hawaii vs. San Diego – 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
Milk (regular), (1 gal)$4.54$7.67$3.1469.18%
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)$3.76$6.34$2.5868.70%
Eggs (regular) (12)$5.38$6.87$1.4927.68%
Local Cheese (1 lb)$7.03$7.65$0.628.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)$2.00$2.57$0.5728.48%
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)$12.06$17.43$5.3744.54%
Domestic Beer (16 oz bottle)$3.31$3.27-$0.04-1.26%
Imported Beer (12 oz bottle)$3.17$3.33$0.154.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)$10.07$11.98$1.9118.99%
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)$8.04$8.38$0.354.33%
Apples (1 lb)$2.32$3.53$1.2152.18%
Oranges (1 lb)$1.70$3.07$1.3680.05%
Potato (1 lb)$1.70$2.76$1.0561.98%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.01$3.93$1.9295.51%
Rice (white), (1 lb)$2.36$3.22$0.8736.85%
Tomato (1 lb)$1.90$3.72$1.8295.55%
Banana (1 lb)$1.04$2.32$1.29124.10%
Onion (1 lb)$1.22$2.37$1.1493.39%
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)$8.96$10.60$1.6418.31%
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)$9.01$10.73$1.7319.18%

Cost of Eating Out at Restaurants in Hawaii vs. San Diego – 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant$19.95$18.90-$1.06-5.29%
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course$80.43$83.11$2.683.33%
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)$9.95$12.02$2.0720.82%
Domestic Beer (16 oz draught)$7.78$6.97-$0.81-10.41%
Imported Beer (12 oz bottle)$7.96$9.00$1.0413.10%
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz bottle)$2.67$2.38-$0.28-10.66%
Water (12 oz bottle) $2.31$2.04-$0.27-11.51%
Cappuccino (regular)$5.23$5.47$0.254.75%

Cost of Monthly Utilities in Hawaii vs. San Diego – 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 900 sq. ft.Apartment$251.10$289.50$38.4015.29%
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)$0.27$0.35$0.0726.20%
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)$79.13$63.83-$15.30-19.33%

Cost of Transportation & Gas Prices in Hawaii vs. San Diego – 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)$2.51$3.02$0.5120.34%
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)$75.04$80.28$5.246.98%
Gasoline (1 gal)$5.82$5.35-$0.46-7.98%
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 120 HP Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)$26,017.06$27,931.23$1,914.187.36%
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)$23,151.63$21,765.49-$1,386.14-5.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)$2.82$3.48$0.6723.70%
Taxi 0.62 miles (Normal Tariff)$1.85$2.21$0.3519.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)$29.08$47.62$18.5563.79%

Cost of Childcare & Private School in Hawaii vs. San Diego – 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child$1,385.14$1,242.64-$142.50-10.29%
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child$16,436.62$23,771.63$7,335.0144.63%

Cost of Clothing in Hawaii vs. San Diego – 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)$58.28$52.41-$5.86-10.06%
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)$50.90$47.57-$3.33-6.54%
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)$95.66$104.23$8.578.96%
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes$109.66$146.08$36.4233.21%

Cost of Sports And Leisure in Hawaii vs. San Diego – 2023

ItemAverage CostHonolulu CostDifference% Difference
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult$51.06$52.49$1.432.81%
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)$32.50$38.37$5.8718.05%
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat$15.30$15.11-$0.19-1.25%

Is Hawaii’s high cost of living worth it for you? How can you tell?

High recommend you watch this video. I have it set to start in the middle where I will help you figure out if Hawaii will be right for you, dollar-wise.

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