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→Boise
Boise is basically Denver before Denver got Denver-y: walkable downtown, foothills you can run into on your lunch break, and a river slicing right through the middle of town. The Basque Block downtown anchors the biggest Basque community in the U.S., which nobody sees coming. The vibe is 'we close our laptops and go outside,' and the trails make that very easy to do. Locals would prefer you didn't tell anyone.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,794/mo
$1,049/mo less than Honolulu (58%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$490k
$571k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
5.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,056/mo
Boise has $1,482/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
166 days
150 fewer than Honolulu
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
27 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
24 days
days below 20°F per year
Boise has 27 more days above 95°F each year than Honolulu. Boise drops below 20°F on 24 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
82 / 100
27.0 pts ahead of Honolulu
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
16 routes
35 fewer direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
827k metro
Honolulu has 2.4x more events per month than Boise.
the verdict
4
Honolulu
categories won
5
Boise
categories won
Boise wins on money. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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