01 · the cities
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→Albuquerque
Albuquerque is green chile on everything, the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset (the name literally means watermelon), and the Balloon Fiesta in October when 500+ hot air balloons fill the sky. The old town adobes feel like the 1700s, the food fuses Native, Mexican, and Spanish in ways you won't get anywhere else. Breaking Bad fans will recognize half the city, and locals are good-natured about it.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,489/mo
$1,354/mo less than Honolulu (91%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$351k
$710k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,353/mo
Albuquerque has $1,779/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
316 days
205 days
111 fewer than Honolulu
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
34 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
6 days
days below 20°F per year
Albuquerque has 34 more days above 95°F each year than Honolulu. Albuquerque drops below 20°F on 6 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
81 / 100
26.0 pts ahead of Honolulu
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
23 routes
28 fewer direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
924k metro
Honolulu has 2.3x more events per month than Albuquerque.
the verdict
4
Honolulu
categories won
5
Albuquerque
categories won
Albuquerque wins on money. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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