Here is a post that I would like to high-light by Miyoko who recently moved to Hawaii. While she is -probably literally- playing with the wrapping paper, I felt it the information she posted on Militarydutystations.com was great for anyone moving to Hawaii.

Please know that I have changed some personal data in observance of PERSEC.

HOUSING LIST: There are several reps in the housing office. Each one will tell you something different. Some people were told that they could not be added to the list until they actually arrive on the island, while others were added to the list before they arrived. You are not added to the “official” housing list until you have arrived on the island.

LIVING ON-POST VS OFF-POST: Check out http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/apa/ to see what you can look forward too. We were looking for a 2 or 3 bedroom place in Mililani. Closest city to the base and is nice and clean. Our price range was between $1400 and $1700. Some places cover the water bill in your rent and some even cover up to $100 of the electric bill. Things to keep in mind when living off post:
1. You will be coming to the base to go to the commissary, PX and to see the doctor.
2. Traffic may be bad for your husband to get on base.
3. If you live on base and only have one car, it will be easier for your hubby to find someone to pick him up and/or drop him off when you need the only vehicle you guys have.
4. You have to pay for repairs, and electric and/or water bill and sometimes parking.
5. You must pay a deposit and 1st months rent and possibly a deposit for utilities.
6. Even though you won’t need it most of the time, some places do not come with an AC nor ceiling fans.
7. If you have kids, communities on post have playgrounds.
We decided to live on base, we moved in on 04/14. If we would have stayed off post, we would of had to get a storage unit. The houses on post are very spacious. This is the first time we have lived on base, and so far we don’t have any complaints! Yes they take all of your BAH but. . .
EX: If you are an E-4, BAH is $2016. If you were to move off post, I estimated that you would have paid around $1650 for rent, $125 for electric, $75 for water. That’s $1850 and you may have to pay for a storage unit. On top of the $1850, you still have to pay for cable, internet and possibly a home phone. So you would probably end up saving like $166. Your spouse would have to put more gas in their car, plus they will have to leave the house about 15 minutes, if not more, to beat the traffic to get in the gate. (Right now gas is $4.11. Also, if you live on post Time Warner Cable gives you a larger discount than living off.
There are older houses on post that only take 85% of your BAH.
“We’ve looked at a few [houses] in Mililani. We found them on Craigslist & AHRN. How they do things here is kind of weird. Once you find a place you like, you then have to email and/or call the person on the listing. Half of the time they don’t email you back or respond to their Voicemails. Then they show properties once a week. For example, they will say “Yes it’s available. The next showing is Thursday from 2 to 4.” And when you get there either someone will be leaving when you are arriving, arriving when you are leaving, or there at the same time as you. The agents “say” that they only have 1 property.
Mililani is the closest city to the base. Even though the apartments in Wahiawa are cheaper, Wahiawa is dirty. Also. When you are doing your search, try to get a place where the water is covered. That’s one less bill you will have to pay.