Paradise Found » High Cost of Hawai’i

High Cost of Hawai’i

April 10, 2008 at 2:04 am · Filed under Food, island life

When we were moving, everyone (everyone!) asked about the high cost of living here. Coming from California, I honestly didn’t notice a huge difference for most things (bread, milk, and electricity being the main exceptions). I suppose if I’d moved from another state, that might have been different.

Recently though - the last six months? - I’ve noticed a huge increase in the price of our food at the grocery store. The high cost of fuel is really hitting our pocketbooks when we shop for items that have been shipped in (most everything). I have absolutely no idea how these increases compare to mainland increases. For fun, I took my camera to the grocery store and snapped some pictures of random items. How do these compare to where you live?

Crazy, yes?

I’ll add more pictures under the cut for the truly curious.

Permalink

jama said,

April 10, 2008 @ 4:41 am

Wow! Is that $8.79 for a gallon of milk? And $8.99 for a bag of tortilla chips? Can’t believe it! Is this a small, privately owned grocery store rather than a big chain store? What would the prices be like at Costco?

Not June Cleaver said,

April 10, 2008 @ 4:41 am

Aaaaack! In the DC area, we pay close to $4 for a gallon of milk. The other items, I can’t recall offhand, but I know they aren’t even CLOSE to those prices. I think we’d starve.

Meg said,

April 10, 2008 @ 5:39 am

WOW!

$8 for a pound of butter! I’m going to have to check. Our milk is about $3.40 a gal (I think)

Andrea said,

April 10, 2008 @ 6:27 am

Most of those are way more expensive than even CANADIAN foods. the flour is the same, and our milk is over $6 for a … gallon? It’s 4 liters.

I know someone up north (as in the Arctic) and her grocery prices are insane like that too.

paradisefound said,

April 10, 2008 @ 6:29 am

Jama, this is *Safeway* - large chain. I actually prefer to shop at the local grocers - and prices aren’t all that much different - but I happened to be closer to Safeway the other day. Costco is cheaper - I think 3 half gallons of organic milk are about the same price as this gallon. I’ve been buying milk from the only local producer in the state, but note that local milk is MORE expensive than shipped in. I don’t think my pocketbook is going to allow me to keep supporting our local dairy farmer!

Not June, I’ve come to the point that very often my shopping cart is lean just because I’m passing up the things that I deem “too expensive”. Hubby and I went to the store over the weekend to pick up a few things and I kid you not, we made it clear to the last aisle with an entirely empty cart. We looked at each other and laughed. We have to eat *something*!

Meg, If I watch sales I can get milk for just over $5/gal. Whee!

Shelly said,

April 10, 2008 @ 7:38 am

Lord, girlfriend … those aren’t even ORGANIC foods. You are gonna just be rollin’ in the dough when you get back here; your food bill will be cut in half. Here I thought WE were going to have to stop eating. No wonder you want to get your fingers in the dirt and garden again!

I promise to stop complaining about the hour drive to CostCo now.

tribeofautodidacts said,

April 10, 2008 @ 8:59 am

Holy Hannah! I think I’ll stop complaining so much.

carrie said,

April 10, 2008 @ 11:04 am

Yes, I’m going to have to stop complaining, too. Prices have gone up here with the gas prices - but nowhere close to those!

debra said,

April 10, 2008 @ 12:22 pm

Holy inflation, Batman! Here in NE Ohio, milk is about 3.79 for non-organic, 5.99 for organic. Someone usually has a sale on milk though. I buy flour in 50# bags so I don’t know about that. And $8.99 for tortilla chips?!?!?!?!?

Ron said,

April 10, 2008 @ 3:21 pm

A quick correct to Andrea’s comment. She mis-read the size. When our flour goes on sale we get 22 lbs for about that price.

The blocks of cheese are about the same price as here.

kelly said,

April 11, 2008 @ 12:20 am

holy guacamole…and at those prices, it ought to be holy…blessings, good tidings and all.

The string cheese. A-1?! Our prices are definitely up, but I’m thinking you’re a good 40% higher there. Will be so good for you to be back in CA and getting some food in the ground!!

CamianAcademy said,

April 11, 2008 @ 6:22 am

Insane prices. I’m right outside DC. Safeway is more expensive here than other stores. We shop at Costco where things are MUCH cheaper. But prices for Safeway as far as I remember them from last time I was there… A pound of butter runs about $4. String cheese I’ve only noticed the price for the Polly-O and that’s about $3.50 for 12 of them. A pound of cheese runs around $4. A gallon of milk is $4. Those tortilla chips are about $3.50 or $4. King Arthur flour runs higher than Pillsbury. 5 pounds is around $3 I think. Champagne I have no clue. We’ve never bought alcohol. I’ve never heard of that particular brand of salad dressing, but dressings usually range from $3 to $5 depending on if they are a premium type of plain old Kraft. I’ve never bough A-1, but I am sure it is much cheaper here than there. I’ve never heard of that brand of salsa, either, but the same size in other brands runs between $3.50 and $4.

So, needless to say, your prices are quite a bit higher and we’re in an expensive area (for the continental US).

AkuTyger said,

April 13, 2008 @ 1:47 am

This is quite normal for our standard of pricing in Brasil. Actually, when you work out how much our minimum wage is (R$450 a month) and the average price of milk (R$4 per LITER), this is downright cheap.