Hawaiʻi’s affordability challenges affect nearly every aspect of daily life, from housing and education to healthcare, transportation, and childcare.

What are your personal experiences with the high cost of living in Hawaiʻi?

Many local residents leave or are considering leaving Hawaiʻi because they can no longer afford to stay, or because they seek greater economic opportunity, and according to the 2020 Census, approximately 55% of Native Hawaiians now live outside of Hawaiʻi.

With negative net migration continuing to drain Hawaiʻi of its local population, how can we restore optimism and convince local working families and young professionals that they have a viable economic future in the islands?

The 2026 UHERO report, “Beyond the Price of Paradise: Is Hawai‘i Being Left Behind?” argues that the popular “priced out of paradise” narrative is incomplete. While clear that our cost of living is too high, the lack of economic opportunity and low wages also weigh heavily on our local families. When adjusted for the local cost of living to reflect actual purchasing power, Hawaiʻi’s economy more closely resembles “left-behind” regions characterized by long-term economic distress.

What legislative strategies will you champion to address the root causes of lagging opportunity and low wages?

Many employers report difficulty finding qualified workers, while many residents struggle to access career pathways that provide long-term financial stability. It is estimated that in the next decade, 170,000 keiki will enter the workforce, but only 100,000 living wage jobs will be available for them.

What are ways the State can improve workforce development efforts and ensure that enough living wage jobs will be available for youth entering the workforce?

Housing experts recommend that a household spend no more than one-third of its income on housing costs. In its 2025 Employee Affordability Survey, Holomua Collective found that most local working families identify housing as the main driver of Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living. Most local families also said they are spending more than half of household income on housing costs.

What practical and actionable solutions do you have to lower housing costs?

Hawai’i’s housing market is impacted and constrained by out-of-state and speculative buyers. A variety of solutions have been proposed to dedicate housing for local working families.

How do you propose we dedicate housing for local working families over out-of-state or speculative buyers?

Hawai‘i needs tens of thousands of new homes, and every year we fall further behind, more local families are forced to leave.

What will you do to ensure the State quickly builds more housing for local working families before they are priced out of Hawai‘i?

Nearly one in three Hawaiʻi households experience food insecurity. More than one in five households report skipping meals or going entire days without eating because they cannot afford enough food. With grocery prices 30–40% higher than the continent, many families are struggling to meet their basic needs.

How do you propose we reduce everyday living expenses like groceries?

Hawaiʻi families face some of the highest early childcare and education costs in the country, with center-based infant care averaging more than $24,000 annually. These costs often prevent parents from returning to work and pose a significant barrier to economic opportunity for working families.

How can the State make childcare and education costs more affordable?

If you could change one aspect of Hawaiʻi’s tax system to improve affordability for local working families, what would it be and why?

Hawaiʻi ranks 49th overall nationally in America’s Top States for Business 2025. Local sentiment underscores this ranking, with Holomua Collective’s 2025 Employee Affordability Survey finding that only 19% of respondents believe Hawai‘i is a good place to do business.

Why do you believe Hawai‘i is seen as such a difficult place to do business, and how would you improve conditions for local businesses?

In a 2025 survey by Holomua Collective, only 20% of local working residents said that they had confidence in state and local government to do right by the people of Hawaiʻi.

What reforms would you support to improve transparency, accountability, trust, efficiency, and public confidence in state and local government?