Island living has appeal -- at a price
Star-Bulletin Wire Services
As many Hawaii residents know, paradise comes at a price.
Island chambers of commerce and commissions estimate that the costs of products on islands can run from 25 percent to as much as 60 percent higher than those in nearby mainland cities, mostly because of added shipping expenses.
And island services are often more expensive and sometimes exasperatingly slower in delivery than new islanders expect.
That's not all: salaries are generally lower, and then throw in the expense of taking a ferry or plane back to the rest of the world.
Yet, more people are moving to nonmetropolitan regions with large percentages of seasonal housing, high expenditures for recreational activities and hotels, and a high concentration of natural amenities like shoreline.