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Pros and Cons of Living on Maui

PROS

The Maui lifestyle

It is a laidback lifestyle, we have just amazing people, everything is close by, it’s not a huge place. Amazing restaurants, great, fresh fruits, vegetables, and fresh fish, all you can eat. It’s so cool. So the Maui lifestyle, just living the laidback culture on Maui, easygoing, and never in too much of a hurry.

Natural Beauty

Look around, I mean, every part of the island is pretty spectacular. We have these amazing beaches. Every day, we have amazing sunsets. Rainbows all over the place, so when it rains, the great news is, we get beautiful rainbows. Golf, if you’re a golfer, 365 days a year. Surf, if you’re a surfer, 365 days a year. Hike, if you’re a hiker, 365 days a year. What an amazing place to be for outdoor lifestyle.

Part of the United States

I know it’s not a big surprise to you, but having our US system, our monetary system, the ability to have the US government behind us, is a really beautiful thing compared to a lot of other islands that are out there, that are absolutely beautiful as well, it’s just a little bit more beautiful here because we know we have the power and the safety of the United States behind us.

Perfect weather

You know what? Our average daily temperature is 82 degrees plus or minus 4 or 5 degrees. It never gets over 98, it never gets under 75. It’s just absolutely ideal. The weather is amazing. The other cool thing about Maui is we have 13 microclimates. So if you’re wanting to be in South Maui and you want to be warm and dry, that’s a place you could be. But if you want to go up country where it’s a little bit cooler, you can go there too. You want to go to the top of Haleakala when there’s snow, you can do that as well. But it’s one of the coolest things in my world that when I leave my house, I can look out at the Iao Valley and know that I’m in one of the driest places in the world, looking at one of the wettest places in the world. So Maui has any climate that you want. Whether it’s warm and dry, or cool and wet, we can find it for you, just let us know. But the most important thing is, I came for the weather, but I stay for number five…

The People

The Maui lifestyle and the Aloha spirit is so alive, and what I’ve come to realize after being here for many years. And I realize that right when I moved here, and I went back home and somebody said, “Oh my gosh, you moved to Maui. I could never do that.” And I thought to myself, “No, you can. You just choose not to.” And that clicked a button in my head, and I realized the people who do move can. They have the positive mental attitude, they have the ability to do it, and so our island is what I call the melting pot is half-full. It’s such an amazing place that we just can’t believe how positive and helpful everybody around us is, whether they’re the local Hawaiians, whether it’s the people that moved here from the mainland, this Aloha spirit is so alive. And that’s such a cool thing.

There’s one more pro at the end, but let’s talk about the cons.

Cons

Distance

Maui is far from everything; It’s far from your family. We are two to six hours from the mainland depending on what time zone it is, and also what time of year because we don’t change our clocks during daylight savings time. So it can be a bit far away. If you want to go somewhere, pretty much, you got to get on a plane, unless you’re just going offshore on a boat fishing trip.

No Big Events

We don’t have any big events. So not a big deal when you’re here, you can watch them on TV. We have no professional sports teams, no major concerts, but on Maui, we do have some really cool concerts at our Maui Arts & Cultural Center so it’s not a total no concerts, but nothing massive like 30 or 40,000 people. The coolest thing I think I ever did is in the way of concerts, I saw Elton John in a packed house with 6,200 people. Can you imagine seeing a concert like that with only 6,200 people? Well, you can do that here on Maui. So although it’s a con, it’s not a big con.

Limited Healthcare

This is one of the things we hear a lot. Our healthcare system has improved dramatically over the last 20 years. We have a great hospital. If you have other needs that are more elaborate or more in depth, you would fly to O‘ahu for that. So limited healthcare would be another con.

Higher Cost of Living

Things are expensive. Everything has to either be flown in, come in on a boat. Real estate is more expensive, we have limited supply. Trying to keep a building at a minimum that also has reduced supply and increased demand. And that can be a challenge. Shipping takes a little bit longer, but the good news about shipping is we have Amazon Prime. And then we got that a few years ago, and that has changed so many things. We still get free shipping through Amazon Prime, so that’s a bonus when you’re looking for something that you can’t find here on the island.

Tropical Issues

We have the risk of tsunamis and hurricanes, and we also have bugs, tropical bugs, a lot of them. And if you don’t like bugs then maybe Maui or Hawaii isn’t the right place for you. We just tend to get used to them. They love it here too. Can you blame them? It’s a pretty amazing place.

Island Fever

A lot of people say, “Do you get island fever?” And it’s a funny thought. We can travel for about an hour and a half, two hours here on Maui, but I want you to ask yourself this question if this is what you’re hung up on. How often do you leave for your front door and go more than 45 minutes away? Most people don’t. And what I like to say is, you’re sort of on your own island, it’s just not surrounded by water. If you’re somebody who loves to go on road trips and travel for the weekend, then again, maybe Maui isn’t the right place, or you might have to do it via airplane or a little puddle jumper as we call it, to go to the other islands, which are great options. But if you wanted to drive more than a couple of hours, Maui is probably not the place.

One Last Pro: Live Longer

You get to live four years longer compared to everybody else in the United States when you live in Hawaii. And I think that’s an amazing thing. And it all goes back to that Maui lifestyle, laidback attitude, less stress. The life expectancy in Hawaii is 82, the average life expectancy in the United States is 78. So join us here on Maui, live a little bit longer, live a little bit easier, enjoy your life, and enjoy all of this beauty around us. The one cool thing, the ocean water is always warmer than it is in California, or on the East Coast, or on Florida. It’s just because we are a tropical environment and it is the most amazing place to live.

If the cons haven’t scared you and the pros have encouraged you, please reach out to me and let me know how I can be a resource for you. If you’re thinking about moving to Maui, I would love to be your resource. It is an amazing place. I moved here 20 years ago and I have never looked back. It has been a great journey for me. Please reach out to me, [email protected], or call me 808.280.2055. I would love to be your guide and resource here on Maui.

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