Pros and Cons of Living in Oahu, Hawaii

Pros and Cons of Living in Oahu, Hawaii

Do you wonder what it is really like to live in Oahu, Hawaii? Today I’m going to talk about the pros and cons of living in Oahu, Hawaii.

Hi Everyone, I’m Fawn Bertram with Homes by Fawn and Hawaii Life Real Estate in Oahu, Hawaii. I am a local real estate agent here in Oahu. If you’re just tuning, we do weekly videos about Oahu, Hawaii. We like to show you what’s happening in Oahu, the best places on the island, home buying and selling tips, neighborhoods, and so much more.

So let’s talk about my 5 pros to living in Oahu, Hawaii, and 5 cons I really don’t like.

Cons of Living in Oahu, Hawaii

Let’s start off with the 5 cons of why I don’t like living in Oahu.

Con #1: The Humidity

We live on an island; it’s always humid. You do climatize to the weather though. A bonus is when the trades come in. Love the trade winds. When they’re in, you can open up the windows, and the cool breeze just flows in. If not, hopefully, you have air conditioning.

Con #2: The Are No Seasons in Hawaii

We have temperatures in the 80s to 90s throughout the year. I miss seeing the leaves change color in the fall. Or the cool crisp mornings or evenings where you need to snuggle up with a blanket. You won’t need your winter clothes here, leave your jackets at home. Who doesn’t love wearing T-shirts, shorts, and slippers all year long? This is going to be your new norm.

Con #3: The Bugs!

We live on an island, of course, there are bugs. Oh my goodness, the centipedes and cockroaches are huge! Have you heard about the B52’s? They’re massive cockroaches that fly. Don’t scream; they’ll be attracted to the noise and fly right at you. Just thinking about these makes me squeamish. To keep away the bugs, hire a pest control company. We have someone come out quarterly, and that does the trick. The good thing is, we don’t have snakes in Hawaii.

Con #4: The Price of Living

It’s very expensive to live here. Almost all food is imported to Hawaii from the Mainland. Be prepared to pay higher prices for food. We do have Costco, and I highly suggest buying in bulk. If you’re military, shopping at the commissary will save you a lot. There are commissaries located all throughout Oahu.

Con #5: Traffic

Yes, traffic. I know you’ve heard stories about the traffic here. We live on an island. There are over a million people here on Oahu. Traffic can happen at any time of the day or night. The heaviest traffic is during the work commute, mornings, and coming home. The traffic here in Oahu moves though. It’s not like LA traffic where you sit there. Plus, people are friendly when driving. Put on your signal, wave, throw a shaka, and they’ll slow down to let you in.

Pros of Living in Oahu, Hawaii

Now let’s talk about the pros of living in Oahu, Hawaii.

Pro #1: The Beaches

We have amazing beaches on Oahu. We have popular world-renown beaches like Waikiki Beach to the North Shore beaches for surfing to the family-friendly beaches to the local favorites that you’ve never heard of. The water is warm throughout the year, and the colors are amazing. Imagine seeing crystal blue aqua water — it’s truly stunning.

Pro #2: Outdoor Adventures

If you love the outdoors, this is one of the best places to be. You can hike and see breathtaking views of the ocean,
surf perfect waves, bodyboard, snorkel, diving, paddleboard, para-glide, kite-surfing, beach volleyball, kayak, and so much more. Oh, did I mention you’ll probably see a rainbow or two?

Pro #3: Local Hawaiin Food!

It can’t get better than this. With all the different cultures in Hawaii, the food is amazing. The cuisine varies, and you can pick up poke, Korean BBQ, Thai, Huli Chicken, Pizza, (yes we do have Pizza) or you can visit the many Food Trucks on the island, don’t forget to try our Garlic Shrimp and we do have the chain restaurants here as well.

Pro #4: Lifestyle

Hawaii’s Lifestyle is so laid back. Hawaii is consistently rated as one of the best states to live in because of the environmental factors, low crime, happiest people in all of the United States, and life expectancy. Remember the importance of living and enjoying life. Don’t try to rush things here in Hawaii. Embrace the island and its culture.

Pro #5: Perfect Weather!

I know I mentioned before I miss the seasons. I do, but I do not miss the winters or hot, humid summers. I’ll take 80 to 90-degree weather anytime. Plus, you can always head over to the beach or go on a hike. Yes, the island does receive rain, but it’ll be gone before you know it. Hawaii’s weather is truly amazing.

More Information

So those are my pros and cons of living in Oahu. If you’re thinking about moving to Oahu, Hawaii, click on the link below. You can search for homes that are on the market in Oahu. You can select what price points you want, bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. I promise I won’t bug you; this search will be in real-time. Just let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Click Here for the ➡️ Oahu Home Search. 

I’m Fawn Bertram with Homes by Fawn and Hawaii Life Real Estate. I’m here to provide you with a smarter approach to real estate. Make it a great home buying and selling day.