She doesn't want to throw money at rent. And she doesn't want to buy a fixer-upper.

So for now she's hunkering down, stashing her extra cash for a down payment on a two-bedroom condo somewhere between 'Aiea and Kahala. With air conditioning and parking. Away from the freeway. With a full kitchen and a washer/dryer in the unit. Pool optional.

"I want something nice," said Chang, an account manager for Kraft Food Service Hawai'i. "I'd rather save up for something I want."

She wants to move out, be independent, have some privacy. But for now, she's OK with living with her parents. The extra money she has available from living rent-free, she spends on herself. A new laptop here, a trip to Singapore there.

These are luxuries she knows she couldn't afford if she were paying off a mortgage.

"It's totally frustrating because you're in a Catch-22," Chang said. "I can't rent because I won't save money. But if I buy something, I'd be starving. I just don't understand why (home prices) are so high. Maybe it's the cost of living in paradise."

Across the United States, parents are seeing their empty nests fill back up — with their own kids. Some call these returning young adults the "boomerang generation." They leave and they come back, often because they can't afford to live on their own.

Soaring prices

"Because I've lived here my whole life, I don't feel very restrained," Kristina Chang says.

4 million Number of Americans ages 25 to 34 who live with their parents 16 million Number of American families who have at least one child older than 18 living at home 57 Percent of 2004 college students who planned to move back home after graduation 50 Percent of 2003 graduates who are still living at home $19,000 Typical undergraduate college loan debt Sources: 2000 Census, MonsterTRAK, Census Bureau's American Housing Survey, United States Student Association

They return home — or, in Hawai'i, often never move out — because of a tight job market, high housing costs, debt, divorce or health problems.

In Hawai'i, it's not uncommon for kids to live at home until they're married, and the trend is becoming even more pronounced. One major cause: real-estate prices, which have hit all-time highs in recent months.

The median price for a single-family home on O'ahu jumped to $550,000 in March, 25.3 percent more than a year earlier. The median price for a condo reached $230,000, 21.1 percent higher than March 2004.

Compare that to average salaries: In Hawai'i, the average annual pay is about $33,700, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"You can't have people working minimum wage and buying million-dollar homes," said Christine Heath, executive director of the Hawaii Counseling and Education Center and a licensed marriage and family therapist. "Something has to change ... or this will become more common."

Money is tight

These adult children who live with their parents aren't all single.

Denny and Luana Yoshikawa went house-hunting in Kane'ohe about two years ago, when Luana was pregnant with their son. They found three homes they liked, all around $400,000. But Denny Yoshikawa, a 36-year-old aircraft mechanic with Hawaiian Airlines, was scheduled to deploy for six months with the Air National Guard — just after his wife was scheduled to give birth. The couple decided it would be better to live with his parents in Kane'ohe until he came home.

It's two years later and they're still living with his parents, crowding into a small bedroom in the three-bedroom home.

"I didn't want to be in a new home by myself," said Luana Yoshikawa, 26, who's finishing up her bachelor's degree in family resources at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa this year. "We decided that then was not the time (to buy)."

The Yoshikawas also thought they could save up money for a down payment and lower their bills by staying with Denny's parents. But regret is now setting in. At least one of the homes they had considered is now valued at $700,000.

Even with Yoshikawa's two incomes, the pair can't afford the kind of home they want, with enough space for a growing family, without having to invest a lot of money in major renovations.

"It's ridiculous," said Luana Yoshikawa, watching her son, Dylan, 2, play with blocks on the floor. "I can't see an end to it. How will Hawai'i families continue to make it here? I don't see it getting better. Everyone's not getting paid more to live here, but living costs are going up.

"You have to be a millionaire to buy a home and raise a family here."

Home comforts

While most college-educated boomerangers aren't making six-figure salaries, they are getting paid more than those who graduated a year before.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers says annual salaries in business, accounting, economics, finance, engineering and computer science have increased this year, and that has benefited Hawai'i residents.

That might sound promising to twentysomethings, but they have to consider Hawai'i's cost of living.

"Prices keep going up, and for people starting out, it's hard," said Kristina's dad, Richard, an engineer who used to work in real estate. "But once they make the leap, they'll be OK. It's that first step, that's the hardest."

The allure of staying home is obvious. Dinner's always ready. The fridge is full. Mom and Dad help foot the bills.

But there are down sides, the most apparent being a lack of privacy and a return to traditional family roles. They'll always be kids to their parents.

"The biggest (challenge) is who's got the power," Heath said. "With parents with underage children, parents have the power. But with adult children, there's always a question of who has the power and control. Adult children tend to resent their parents still parenting them. But they don't see things that need to be done around the house. ... Children are blind to what parents have always done, and that causes some resentment in the parent.

"There is a shift in thinking that has to occur," Heath added. "Who's taking care of me? Me or you?"

Living with her in-laws has worked out well for Luana Yoshikawa. For one, she has free baby-sitters on the weekends.

"They've kept me sane," she said. "They're really helpful. To have them around is a huge relief for me. ... It's really important for Dylan to spend time with other people than just me. And as grandparents, they have a whole different perspective on life. They provide great insight for me and a solid foundation of morals for him."

In fact, the living arrangement has worked out so well, the Yoshikawas are considering building an extension to the family home so they can live there permanently. They're waiting to talk with the entire family — including her husband's two brothers — before making a decision.

"This is their house," Luana Yoshikawa said. "I think it's important to get everyone's feeling on this."

In Kristina Chang's case, her living at home isn't a concern to her siblings. All but one live there, too. Including her parents and grandfather, six people live in the Salt Lake house. Her older sister is in a separate unit on the property with her husband and their two children. In all, 10 of them live on the property.

"Because I've lived here my whole life, I don't feel very restrained," Kristina Chang said. "(My parents) are very accepting. They don't make me feel like I'm a child. We do have dinner together. And if I'm not going to be home, they ask me where I'm going. But we're pretty close, so I don't mind. If I were in New York, though, I would be a totally different 25-year-old."

Chang has been looking at condos in her price range — $150,000 to $200,000 — but hasn't found one she likes.

Luckily, she gets along with her parents and siblings, though the crowding can be stressful. And of course, there's no privacy.

"You can't have a romantic dinner with a date or anything," Chang said, laughing. "But at least you can get your whole family's opinion on him."