01 · the cities
Boston
Boston is brick sidewalks, dive bars older than most states, and an accent that turns 'park the car' into a love language. The city is densely packed with colleges (Harvard, MIT, BU, BC, plus 30 more), which keeps it perpetually 22 years old in spirit. The Freedom Trail literally paints a red line through 400 years of American history. Dunkin' is not a chain here, it's a way of life.
full dispatch→Honolulu
Honolulu is Waikiki's high-rises pressed against turquoise water, Diamond Head crater glowing pink at dawn, and plate lunches that mix Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, and Portuguese into one perfect styrofoam container. Surf the south shore in summer, the north in winter. The North Shore is a 45-minute drive into a totally different world. Aloha here is a way of moving through the day.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$2,843/mo
$302/mo less than Boston (11%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$1.1M
$290k more than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
11.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$4,574/mo
Boston has $198/mo more gross after rent at $100k
Gross left after rent reflects state income tax but not federal, based on $100k salary. Enter your salary to find your ideal city.
03 · the weather
Pleasant days/yr
Pleasant days/yr
160 days
316 days
156 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Boston drops below 20°F on 33 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
55 / 100
16.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
51 routes
52 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
989k metro
Boston has 1.8x more events per month than Honolulu.
the verdict
5
Boston
categories won
3
Honolulu
categories won
Boston wins on money and lifestyle. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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