Moving to Hawaii from Tennessee

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Tennessee to Hawaii — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Tennessee to Hawaii, you would find that Hawaii is 34.9% more expensive than Tennessee. A $75,000 salary in Tennessee would need to be roughly $104,060 in Hawaii to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Honolulu averages 84°F vs 70°F in Nashville, making it significantly warmer.

How Far Will Your Money Go?

How your spending power changes when you relocate from Tennessee to Hawaii.

What does your salary buy?

$75,000 $104,060

To maintain the same standard of living in Hawaii

Calculate with your salary →

The biggest cost differences at a glance

Restaurants

pay 32.7% more

Groceries

pay 88.9% more

Transportation

pay 41.2% more

Housing

pay 31.7% more

Childcare

pay 15.9% more

Entertainment and Sports

pay 32.8% more

See full cost of living breakdown

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 Tennessee and Hawaii stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Violent crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
612
HI
187
Property crime rate FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, 2023

incidents per 100,000 people per year

TN
2301
HI
1672

Hawaii performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Uninsured rate US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of people without health insurance

TN
9.5%
HI
3.6%
Adult obesity rate Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), 2022

share of adults with obesity

TN
37.9%
HI
25.6%

Hawaii performs significantly better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What about housing?

Median home value US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical price of a home

TN
$256,800
HI
$808,200
Median rent US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

typical monthly gross rent

TN
$1,122
HI
$1,938

Tennessee performs better than Hawaii across all what about housing? metrics.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Internet access US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of households with internet

TN
87.6%
HI
91.2%
Average commute US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

minutes each way to work

TN
26 min
HI
26 min

Tennessee generally does better on infrastructure, though Hawaii leads in internet access.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

TN
3.4%
HI
2.2%
GDP per capita Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024

a broad measure of economic output per person

TN
$60,177
HI
$64,124

Hawaii performs significantly better than Tennessee across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy OECD Regional Demography, 2020

average years of life at birth

TN
73.8 yrs
HI
80.7 yrs
Bachelor's degree or higher US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), 2023

share of adults with a 4-year college degree

TN
20%
HI
25%

Hawaii performs significantly better than Tennessee across all family life metrics.

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.

Nashville Rain: 47.2 in/yr (1200 mm)
70° / 49°F

Avg. annual high / low

Honolulu Rain: 17.1 in/yr (434 mm)
84° / 71°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Nashville Honolulu
Jan–Mar 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) 80°/67°F (27°/19°C)
Apr–Jun 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) 85°/71°F (29°/22°C)
Jul–Sep 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) 89°/74°F (31°/24°C)
Oct–Dec 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) 84°/71°F (29°/22°C)
View all months
Month Nashville Honolulu
Jan 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) 80°/66°F (26.7°/19.1°C)
Feb 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) 80°/66°F (26.8°/18.9°C)
Mar 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) 81°/68°F (27.3°/19.8°C)
Apr 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) 83°/69°F (28.2°/20.8°C)
May 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) 85°/71°F (29.2°/21.6°C)
Jun 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) 87°/73°F (30.6°/23.0°C)
Jul 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) 88°/74°F (31.1°/23.6°C)
Aug 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) 89°/75°F (31.5°/23.9°C)
Sep 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.6°C)
Oct 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) 87°/73°F (30.4°/23.0°C)
Nov 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) 84°/71°F (28.8°/21.9°C)
Dec 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) 81°/68°F (27.3°/20.2°C)

Data: National Weather Service National Weather Service

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to live in Hawaii than Tennessee?

Day-to-day costs in Hawaii run about 39% higher than Tennessee on average; specific cities can swing further.

How much money do I need to move to Hawaii?

A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $26,015 in Hawaii for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.

Is Hawaii safe?

Hawaii performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.

How is healthcare in Hawaii compared to Tennessee?

Hawaii performs significantly better than Tennessee across all health & wellbeing metrics.

What's the weather like in Hawaii compared to Tennessee?

The average high temperature in Honolulu is 84°F, compared to 70°F in Nashville. Honolulu receives around 17.1 in of rainfall per year, while Nashville gets 47.2 in.

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