my friend is going to live in Hawaii. Yes, free air and housing sounds great but the cost of groceries (and anything else) is going to kill $20 per hour.
Id have a few questions. How many hours per week? They never mention paying for the flight back.
My SIL is interested...
Based on your request, I have calculated an estimate of your total savings (net pay).
To do this, I had to make a few key assumptions:
- You are working a standard 40-hour week.
- The 3-month period is equal to 13 weeks.
- You are filing taxes as a "Single" individual.
- This is your only income for the entire tax year (this is very important for bracket calculations).
- All tax rates are based on 2024 data.
With those assumptions, here is the breakdown of your estimated savings.
Total Estimated Savings: $9,376
Here is the step-by-step math to show how I got that number:
1. Gross Income (Total Pay Before Taxes)
- Weekly Pay: 40 hours/week * $20/hour = $800
- Total Gross Income: $800/week * 13 weeks = $10,400
2. Total Tax Deductions
This is what is subtracted from your gross pay.
A. Federal Income Tax: $0
- Your total annual income ($10,400) is less than the 2024 Federal Standard Deduction for a single filer ($14,600).
- Because your income is below the deduction, your federal taxable income is $0.
B. FICA Taxes (Social Security & Medicare): $795.60
- This tax is paid from the first dollar you earn, regardless of deductions.
- Rate: 7.65% (6.2% for Social Security + 1.45% for Medicare)
- Calculation: $10,400 * 0.0765 = $795.60
C. Hawaii State Income Tax: $176.40
This is calculated in two steps:
- Find Taxable Income:
- Gross Income: $10,400
- Less Hawaii Standard Deduction (Single): -$4,400
- Hawaii Taxable Income: $6,000
- Calculate Tax (using 2024 brackets):
- Bracket 1: 1.4% on the first $2,400 = $33.60
- Bracket 2: 3.2% on the next $2,400 = $76.80
- Bracket 3: 5.5% on the remaining $1,200 = $66.00
- Total Hawaii Income Tax: $33.60 + $76.80 + $66.00 = $176.40
D. Hawaii Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI): $52.00
- This is another state-level deduction. The employee contribution is 0.5% of your wage, with a weekly maximum.
- Your Weekly Wage: $800
- TDI Tax per Week: $800 * 0.005 = $4.00
- Total TDI Tax: $4.00/week * 13 weeks = $52.00
3. Final Summary
| Description | Amount |
| Gross Income | $10,400.00 |
| Federal Income Tax | -$0.00 |
| FICA Taxes | -$795.60 |
| Hawaii State Income Tax | -$176.40 |
| Hawaii TDI Tax | -$52.00 |
| Total Taxes | ($1,024.00) |
| |
| Total "Saved" (Net Pay) | $9,376.00 |
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So let's be realistic about this individual's living costs and says she spends $20 a day on food and smokes half a pack of cigarettes what would be left over after that 3-month.
This is a realistic adjustment. Based on the starting net pay we calculated ($9,376) and these new daily expenses, here is the updated breakdown.
To calculate the cigarette cost, I found that the average price for a pack of cigarettes in Hawaii is approximately
$12.13.
Total Estimated Savings (After Expenses): $7,004.08
Here is the math showing how I got that number:
| Description | Amount |
| Starting Net Pay (from previous calculation) | $9,376.00 |
| |
| New Expenses (over 91 days) | |
| Food: 91 days * $20.00/day | -$1,820.00 |
| Cigarettes: 91 days * ($12.13/pack * 0.5 pack/day) | -$551.92 |
| Total New Expenses | ($2,371.92) |
| |
| Final "Leftover" Savings | $7,004.08 |
in other words, she better not get addicted to macadamia nuts
You are absolutely right. A macadamia nut habit would be financially devastating to that budget.
Just to put a number on your joke:
- A small 7 oz bag of macadamia nuts can easily cost $13.50.
- A 1 lb bag is often $22.00 or more.
If she spent just $10 a day on them—far less than her cigarette and food budget—it would cost her an additional
$910 over the three months, wiping out another big chunk of her savings.
She'll have to stick to the free mangos.
