Moving to New York from Hawaii
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Hawaii to New York — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Hawaii to New York, you would find that New York is 8.3% cheaper than Hawaii. A $75,000 salary in Hawaii would need to be roughly $61,718 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Albany averages 58°F vs 84°F in Honolulu, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Hawaii to New York.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $61,718
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 23.5% less
Groceries
pay 37.5% less
Transportation
pay 0.3% more
Housing
pay 16.2% less
Childcare
pay 26.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.4% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Hawaii and New York stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Hawaii performs better than New York 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 New York leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New York generally does better on what about housing?, though Hawaii leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Hawaii performs better than New York 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
Hawaii generally does better on employment & economy, though New York 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 generally does better on family life, though New York leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Honolulu | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 80°/67°F (27°/19°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 85°/71°F (29°/22°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 89°/74°F (31°/24°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 84°/71°F (29°/22°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Honolulu | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80°/66°F (26.7°/19.1°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 80°/66°F (26.8°/18.9°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 81°/68°F (27.3°/19.8°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 83°/69°F (28.2°/20.8°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.6°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 87°/73°F (30.6°/23.0°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 88°/74°F (31.1°/23.6°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 89°/75°F (31.5°/23.9°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.6°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 87°/73°F (30.4°/23.0°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 84°/71°F (28.8°/21.9°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 81°/68°F (27.3°/20.2°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York than Hawaii?
Generally yes: New York runs about 18% cheaper than Hawaii on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $15,430 in New York for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New York safe?
Hawaii performs better than New York across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New York compared to Hawaii?
Hawaii generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New York leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in New York compared to Hawaii?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 84°F in Honolulu. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Honolulu gets 17.1 in.
