Honolulu is 2.5% cheaper than New York City, but the average retail price of electricity is 33% higher than in Alaska, the nation's most expensive state. After adjusting for the cost of living, salaries in Hawaii are the lowest in the US. If you live in Kapolei or on the Ewa side of Oahu, you may have access to the Honolulu train to get to work. The age of death for homeless people in Hawaii is significantly lower than the national average, and many are living and working in or near poverty.
Despite this, only about 10 percent of the population lives in poverty according to federal standards. Wild chickens are a common sight in Hawaii, but there is some good news when it comes to homelessness. The number of homeless people has decreased on neighboring islands, and there are some promising initiatives that have made a small impact on the homeless population. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii News Now have joined forces to report on homelessness and raise awareness among the public and public officials about the severity of the situation and the need for action. Unfortunately, people often double their spending on housing to make it more affordable, but when landlords discover that there are more people living in a residence than expected, eviction and homelessness often result. With a rate of 44.9 homeless people per 10,000 people, Hawaii now has the second highest rate of homelessness per capita.
This means that the average monthly cost of living for a homeless individual in Honolulu is likely to be very high.
