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→Cincinnati
Cincinnati is chili served on spaghetti (Skyline and Gold Star will fight you about which is better), German heritage in Over-the-Rhine's beer halls, and a riverfront that looks straight across at Kentucky. OTR's brick warehouses have become one of the best urban revitalizations in the country. The Reds play in baseball's oldest professional city. Pronounce it correctly and the locals warm up fast.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,549/mo
$1,294/mo less than Honolulu (84%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$316k
$745k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
4.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,452/mo
Cincinnati has $1,878/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
162 days
154 fewer than Honolulu
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
Cincinnati drops below 20°F on 26 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
72 / 100
17.0 pts ahead of Honolulu
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
47 routes
4 fewer direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
2.3M metro
Honolulu and Cincinnati have similar event volume.
the verdict
3
Honolulu
categories won
5
Cincinnati
categories won
Cincinnati wins on money. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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