$100k salary, packing up from Honolulu
changea dispatch from
madison
WI
43.07°N
89.40°W
Madison sits on an isthmus between two lakes, with the state capitol gleaming on one end and the University of Wisconsin sprawling on the other. The Saturday farmers market around the Capitol Square is one of the best in the country. Cheese curds, brats, and beer are mandatory food groups. The Terrace at Memorial Union, looking out at Lake Mendota, is the unofficial heart of the city in summer.
the verdict
less monthly outlay than Honolulu
Madison is the kind of cheap that changes the math. Same salary, a different life on the other side.
a quick ledger.
$1,673/mo
41% cheaper than Honolulu(vs $2,843/mo)
6.27%
$394/mo less in state tax than Honolulu
vs 11% in Honolulu
$6,138/mo
$1,564 more than Honolulu
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$465k
56% cheaper than Honolulu
vs $1061k in Honolulu
694k
vs 989k in Honolulu
field notes, weather & such.
147
pleasant days a year, in madison.
Honolulu has the edge here, logging 316 pleasant days a year. Bring a real coat. 71 days stay under 20°, well past Honolulu's 0.
58% fewer events than Honolulu. The pace eases up.
67/100
22% higher than Honolulu
vs 55/100 in Honolulu
Closest outdoor draw: Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area, 24.1 mi.
88/100
11% lower than Honolulu
vs 99/100 in Honolulu
11
78% fewer than Honolulu
vs 51 nonstops in Honolulu
neighbors of madison on the map of tradeoffs:
