Kailua Kona Real Estate Blog

Big Island vs Kauai

Best Place To Live

You want to live in Paradise and can’t decide between the Big Island or Kauai, which is the best place to live?

Well, that is a depends answer and

You must ask yourself

• Do you want seclusion or city life?
• Do you want a nice piece of land with only a few neighbors?
• Do you want the beach a few blocks away?
• Do you need large malls and high-end shops nearby?
• Do you plan on working here or are you retiring?
• Do you require specialty medical care and facilities?
• Do you want blue skies and sunshine or can you deal with loads of wet weather?
• Do you plan to rent or buy?

These are just some of the questions we hope to address in our video today on the Big Island vs Kauai which is the best place to live

Aloha I am Stephen Proski a real estate broker with Compass Hawaii.   If this is your first time here welcome

So let dive into the question of the day, the Big island vs Kauai which is the best place to live

To begin with Kauai is the oldest of all the Hawaiian Islands and the Big Island is the youngest.   Kauai is one of the smallest of all the islands and the Big Island, well, all the Hawaiian islands can fit into the size of the Big Island.

Do you want seclusion or city life?

That is an easy question to answer.   Both the Big Island and Kauai are secluded and offer a very slow pace of life.   Neither are considered urban, have no metropolitan feel and probably give you a more reclusive lifestyle and true picture of island life

Kauai only has 1 road that goes around the entire island, and a drive of 20 miles on the Kuhio Hwy can take you upwards of an hour

The Big Island has over 4000 square miles to land. There is a highway that covers most of the perimeter of the island and a highway connecting the two main cities Hilo on the east and Kailua Kona on the west and it takes about 90 minutes to go 77 miles between those towns

Kauai has about 70,000 people living there and the Big Island has roughly 200,000 people the second largest populated island next to Oahu

Kauai has beautiful beaches and lush mountainous areas and that is why it is called the Garden Isle. 

The Big Island has a much diverse climate offering 8 eco systems from the snowy peaks of Mauna Kea about 14000 feet above sea, tropical rain forests, aired planes, green, black and white sand beaches.   You couldn’t experience a more unique place like the Big Island when it comes to which island is best to live on

Do you want a nice piece of land or a few neighbors?

You can have both on either Kauai or the Big Island.   There are great housing opportunities on both islands, however if you want a large homestead then you will find the Big island is the place for you.   Both islands offer condominiums, nice single-family homes and luxury estates.   The big island offers the lowest prices for housing on the majority of the island.  So, if you don’t have deep, deep pockets, want to live in Paradise and affordability is your #1 concern, then the Big Island could be your destination

Do you want the beach a few blocks away?

If close proximity to beaches is your top priority, then Kauai is the place for you.   Just about everywhere you live on Kauai you are within a few minutes of a beach.  That is not the case on the Big Island.    Depending upon where you live on the Big Island, you may have to drive anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes to get to a beach or shoreline.   Yeah its an island surround by water, but the Big Island does not have as many soft white sand beaches as Kauai and not as large.

• Do you need large malls and high-end shops nearby?

If you are moving from a major city on the mainland and frequently shop at large mega malls, then you will not like either Kauai or the Big Island.   Yes there are a good number of small shopping centers on both islands and a high end boutiques as well, but No real shopping malls like you are experiencing on the mainland.

Yes, both islands have a Costco and Macy’s and if you need to get your shopping fix on, you are probably going to have to fly back to the mainland or visit Honolulu on Oahu.  That is where most people on the Hawaiian Islands go shopping at those large shopping malls.

Do you plan on working here or are you retiring?

Both Kauai and the Big Island do not have the greatest employment opportunities unless you work in the hospitality industry.  Yes, both islands are heavily dependent on their vacation resort hotels to generate the majority of their income.  If you can telecommute and work remotely, then you can decide which island is the better place to live.   If you are  moving here and want to find a job that can support you living on one of these islands, that could be a problem and I would recommend you do some homework before you leap across the pond.

If you are retired or getting ready to retire, then you can decide which is the better location for you to live on Kauai or the Big Island.   I think they can both be great choices

• Do you require specialty medical care and facilities?

Well, this is a tough one to really answer.   Kauai has 3 hospitals on their island and the Big Island has 4.  Both have a good number of clinics, along with urgent care and VA clinics.   Both islands even have Kaiser Medical group, but they do not have hospitals on these islands only clinics

If you have medical issues that require specialists, then you might reconsider moving to either Kauai or the Big Island.  Most people fly over to Honolulu for any major medical needs or back to the mainland.  

If you have no health issues, then take your pick on where you want to live, you should be fine, however if you have serious medical issues and require specialists, then do your homework to see if those specialist are available on those islands.

To give you an idea on what it could be like, I wanted to see an ENT here in Kailua Kona and It took me 4 months to schedule an appointment in Waimea, otherwise I needed to go over to Honolulu and could have shortened that time by only waiting  2 months.

There definitely is a shortage of medical doctors here in Hawaii, so keep that in mind

• Do you want blue skies and sunshine or can you deal with loads of wet weather?

Well they call Kauai the “Garden Isle” for a reason because Kauai is the rainiest island in Hawaii with an average rainfall of 42 inches per year.   The inner core of the island can receive up to 390 inches of rain each year.

Now over on the Big Island, in Hilo the average annual rainfall is about 142 inches, up in Waikoloa that average annual rainfall is only 9 inches and in Kailua Kona the average rainfall is about 27 inches.

Yes both places offer sunshine and blue skies, however is you want more sunshine on a regular basis versus rain, then the west side of the Big Island could be your next home.

• Do you plan to rent or buy?

First off there’s not a lot of rental opportunities.  Neither of the 2 islands have a good number of apartment complexes so people generally will try and rent a single family home or a condo for an extended period of time, however good luck trying to find one.

We have had clients fly into the Big Island stating we will rent for awhile before we buy a home, and then they are scrambling trying to find a place.   If you are moving to Kauai or the Big Island I would highly recommend you secure a place long term before you get here.  It will take away some serious stress.

With regards to buying, this is where the 2 islands are completely different.

In January of this year Kauai had 29 single family homes sold with an average median sales price of $1,430,000

In January this year the Big Island had 157 single family homes sold with an average median sales price of $499,000

During the same time period in Kauai the average median sales price for a condo was 992,500K

And on the Big Island the average median sales price for a condo was 608,500K

Stephen why is the median sales price for a condo on the Big Island higher than a single family home you may ask.

Well there are very few condos on the entire Big island and the majority are located on the westside of the island in Waikoloa and Kailua Kona.   You can find single family home on the eastside and southside of the big island in the 2 to 300 thousand dollar range which lowers the median sales price average.  Hope that explains it to you a little better. 

So going back to the original question Kauai vs the Big Island best place to live, now that is a depends answer.  

We covered some specific differences and commonalities about each island.   I chose to move and live on the Big Island because it is much more affordable with regards to housing.  You may have other requirements.

 Have questions, call, text or email me anytime, I am here to help you and would love to be your Realtor.