Moving to Hawaii from Colorado
What to Expect
Considering a move from Colorado to Hawaii? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Colorado to Hawaii, you would find that Hawaii is 31.0% more expensive than Colorado. A $75,000 salary in Colorado would need to be roughly $98,300 in Hawaii to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Honolulu averages 84°F vs 65°F in Denver, making it significantly warmer. Denver and Honolulu are about 3,350 mi apart.
Is Hawaii cheaper than Colorado?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 34.9% more
Groceries
pay 88.2% more
Transportation
pay 16.0% more
Housing
pay 23.7% more
Childcare
pay 6.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 12.9% 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 → $98,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Hawaii
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Hawaii compared to Colorado.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Hawaii performs significantly better than Colorado 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
Hawaii generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Colorado leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Colorado performs better than Hawaii across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Colorado performs better than Hawaii across all infrastructure metrics.
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
Colorado generally does better on employment & economy, though Hawaii leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Colorado generally does better on family life, though Hawaii leads in life expectancy.
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 Colorado
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Denver | Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/21°F (9°/-6°C) | 80°/67°F (27°/19°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/43°F (22°/6°C) | 85°/71°F (29°/22°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/55°F (29°/13°C) | 89°/74°F (31°/24°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 53°/26°F (12°/-3°C) | 84°/71°F (29°/22°C) |
View all months
| Month | Denver | Honolulu |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44°/17°F (6.7°/-8.1°C) | 80°/66°F (26.7°/19.1°C) |
| Feb | 46°/19°F (7.9°/-7.3°C) | 80°/66°F (26.8°/18.9°C) |
| Mar | 54°/26°F (12.4°/-3.1°C) | 81°/68°F (27.3°/19.8°C) |
| Apr | 62°/33°F (16.4°/0.7°C) | 83°/69°F (28.2°/20.8°C) |
| May | 71°/43°F (21.9°/5.9°C) | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.6°C) |
| Jun | 82°/52°F (28.0°/11.3°C) | 87°/73°F (30.6°/23.0°C) |
| Jul | 89°/59°F (31.9°/14.9°C) | 88°/74°F (31.1°/23.6°C) |
| Aug | 87°/58°F (30.7°/14.4°C) | 89°/75°F (31.5°/23.9°C) |
| Sep | 78°/48°F (25.8°/9.1°C) | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.6°C) |
| Oct | 65°/37°F (18.5°/2.6°C) | 87°/73°F (30.4°/23.0°C) |
| Nov | 52°/24°F (11.2°/-4.2°C) | 84°/71°F (28.8°/21.9°C) |
| Dec | 43°/17°F (6.0°/-8.3°C) | 81°/68°F (27.3°/20.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Hawaii than Colorado?
On average Hawaii is around 31% pricier than Colorado, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to Hawaii?
Budget about $24,575 for 3 months in Hawaii (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Hawaii safe?
Hawaii performs significantly better than Colorado across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Hawaii compared to Colorado?
Hawaii generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Colorado leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Hawaii compared to Colorado?
The average high temperature in Honolulu is 84°F, compared to 65°F in Denver. Honolulu receives around 17.1 in of rainfall per year, while Denver gets 14.3 in.
