Moving to Hawaii from California
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from California to Hawaii — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from California to Hawaii, you would find that Hawaii is 14.6% more expensive than California. A $75,000 salary in California would need to be roughly $86,000 in Hawaii to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Honolulu averages 84°F vs 75°F in Los Angeles, making it significantly warmer. Los Angeles and Honolulu are about 2,550 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Hawaii? Get a shortlist of towns in Hawaii that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Hawaii cheaper than California?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 23.8% more
Groceries
pay 64.0% more
Transportation
pay 0.9% more
Housing
pay 4.4% more
Childcare
pay 12.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.6% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Hawaii?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $86,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Hawaii
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from California to Hawaii.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Hawaii performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hawaii leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Hawaii generally does better on what about housing?, though California leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
California generally does better on infrastructure, though Hawaii leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Hawaii generally does better on employment & economy, though California leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Hawaii performs significantly better than California across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Hawaii vs California
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Los Angeles | Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 69°/49°F (21°/10°C) | 80°/67°F (27°/19°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 75°/57°F (24°/14°C) | 85°/71°F (29°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/64°F (29°/18°C) | 89°/74°F (31°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 84°/71°F (29°/22°C) |
View all months
| Month | Los Angeles | Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 68°/48°F (20.1°/8.8°C) | 80°/66°F (26.7°/19.1°C) |
| Feb | 69°/49°F (20.3°/9.6°C) | 80°/66°F (26.8°/18.9°C) |
| Mar | 70°/51°F (21.2°/10.6°C) | 81°/68°F (27.3°/19.8°C) |
| Apr | 73°/53°F (22.6°/11.9°C) | 83°/69°F (28.2°/20.8°C) |
| May | 74°/57°F (23.6°/13.9°C) | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.6°C) |
| Jun | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 87°/73°F (30.6°/23.0°C) |
| Jul | 83°/64°F (28.4°/17.6°C) | 88°/74°F (31.1°/23.6°C) |
| Aug | 84°/64°F (29.1°/17.8°C) | 89°/75°F (31.5°/23.9°C) |
| Sep | 83°/63°F (28.4°/17.3°C) | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.6°C) |
| Oct | 78°/59°F (25.8°/14.8°C) | 87°/73°F (30.4°/23.0°C) |
| Nov | 73°/52°F (22.7°/11.1°C) | 84°/71°F (28.8°/21.9°C) |
| Dec | 68°/47°F (19.8°/8.6°C) | 81°/68°F (27.3°/20.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Hawaii than California?
No — Hawaii is on average about 15% more expensive than California. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Hawaii?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,500 in Hawaii on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Hawaii safe?
Hawaii performs significantly better than California across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Hawaii compared to California?
California generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Hawaii leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Hawaii compared to California?
The average high temperature in Honolulu is 84°F, compared to 75°F in Los Angeles. Honolulu receives around 17.1 in of rainfall per year, while Los Angeles gets 14.9 in.
