We live on the northshore of Kaua`i -- the only A/C we installed in our house was for the bedrooms...and we typically turn on the A/C perhaps just 10-20 nights out of the year.

The Hawaiian islands are blessed (most of the time!) with wonderful tradewinds at 10-20 mph -- keeps us cool.

Ceiling fans in the bedrooms, dining area, parlor, kitchen and on the long lanai, create sufficient cooling air movement for those occasional times when the tradewinds vanish.

A lot of homes just have fans. I used to refer to my mom's home, despite being in lush Nuuanu Valley, as "the furnace," but she only had A/C installed in 2 bedrooms. The rest of the time the tradewinds and the fans take care of it. I have AC in my condo, but I have it as a luxury, not a necessity.

There are still spots of "affordability" even on Oahu, but you need to move really quickly when you find it. My neighbor is a bartender at the Marriott and he gets by just fine.