It is simply impossible to survive on $21,000 a year
Hawaiʻi has the highest cost of living in the U.S. When adjusted for the cost of living, our minimum wage of $10.10 an hour is one of the lowest in the country.
Our cost of housing is the highest in the country. It is impossible to survive on $21,000 a year in Hawaiʻi.
For the past two years, advocates of a living wage have been seeking a $17 an hour minimum wage so that people can survive here.
A living wage allows an individual to have shelter, food, and access to basic healthcare. A wage of $17 an hour equates to $34,000 a year.
We have a huge number of unhoused people with many more on the verge of living on the streets. Hawaiʻi’s home prices have risen steadily over the last three decades because we are now part of the global housing market.
Locals have to compete with monied folks from all over the world. Locals don’t stand a chance.
