Hello
I currently live and work in London England. I have been granted a 6 month sabbatical to study in Kailua (starting July), so I'm interested to find out as much information as possible on lifestyle & general living costs.
I have been reading some of the conversations posted on this site with interest, but would like to go into more detail about Kailua. Is it considered expensive to live there? Safe? London life is pretty tough at times (dirty, expensive, overpopulated, rude & unsafe), but I've lived here for 10 years so I know my way around. However, feeling unsafe away from home can be a different thing!
I would love to hear from locals or anyone from London who have stayed there. Would be interesting to get 2 perspectives.
Thank you all
It's a commuter suburb for Honolulu, middle-class and drifting upwards. It has some of the best beaches on the island and the coast north from there is great. Cost to rent would probably be mid-range for Oahu. It's generally very safe, but some of the communities to the north have the occasional meth-related crime issues.
If I was moving back to Oahu, Kailua would be at the top of my list for places to move to.
You're moving to Hawaii for 6 months and are worried about safety!!! You'll need to learn to relax.
Help us out here. I know of at least 3 Kailua's in the state, on 3 different islands. But yes, in any of them the background crime rate will be lower than LON.
Ed
I live in Kailua and grew up in one of the "communities to the north". Yes, Kailua is a commuter suburb, but its identity is closer to "beach town". Along with that comes a laid back atmosphere, lots of money, and lots of young people loafing by day and partying by night. Kailua is one of the kite surfing/windsurfing Meccas. Kailua and Lanikai beaches are top rate. There are two weekly farmer's markets, lots of places to eat (especially breakfast restaurants), surf shops, massage school, yoga studios,... you get the idea. The neighborhood of Lanikai is the home of the rich and famous, but has some old time residents who try to keep things down to earth with a vaudeville theater company (Lanikai Mortgage Players), a "Woes Day Parade" on Jan. 1, and outrigger canoe races that require a 12 pack of beer as an entrance fee.
Compared to nearby towns, Kailua is very Caucasian. The mix is probably 35% Caucasian, 25% Part-Hawaiian, 20% Japanese, 15% Portuguese, and then everyone else.
Safety... I've never been to London, but I'm sure there can be no real comparison. You're not going to get mugged or murdered. If you leave valuables in an unlocked car, they might get liberated. Rival high school kids sometimes have fights in one of the parks and you might get rude treatment from a person here and there, but Kailua people like to think of themselves as friendly and laid back. They seem to have the perception that Kailua is the nice, safe community with no real problems. I work with troubled teens, so I know that's not all true. But, for the most part, its a good place to raise a family. I know you're only coming for 6 months, but you get the picture.
Rentals are a bit high, very small, and competitive to get because many are used as vacation rentals. I'd say $1300 might be a decent price for a 400sq ft space with your own entrance. I pay $750 for a room in a house that I share with the owner. For a shared rental, that would be reasonable.
I'm a big fan of Google Earth. You can get it free from the internet. Look at satelite photos of Kailua and try to tell me that you're not excited to get here and jump in that water and paddle out to the offshore islands.
Where are you studying?
Thank you to all for replying. Apologies for not making it clear that it's Kailua Oahu.
Santaniano - your honest response was just what I was looking for, thank you very much.
The more information I unearth the more excited I am about the move. I love the idea of living in a beach town with farmers markets and yoga studios.
Satchie - I agree I do need to learn to relax and that's why I am moving to Hawaii. London life does tend to make you over cautious and working in the music industry (as I do) does make you very cynical about life. All this I hope to leave behind!
Right, I'm off to check out Google Earth!
Once again, thank you
Dora
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