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→Indianapolis
Indianapolis circles its downtown with a literal loop (the Mile Square) and hosts the Indy 500 every Memorial Day weekend like clockwork. Basketball is woven into the state DNA (Hoosiers, the movie, is essentially a documentary). The Cultural Trail connects six districts on bike-friendly paths through the heart of downtown. The food scene has quietly leveled up.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,511/mo
$1,332/mo less than Honolulu (88%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$296k
$766k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,572/mo
Indianapolis has $1,998/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
174 days
142 fewer than Honolulu
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
30 days
days below 20°F per year
Indianapolis drops below 20°F on 30 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
62 / 100
7.0 pts ahead of Honolulu
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
35 routes
16 fewer direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
2.1M metro
Honolulu and Indianapolis have similar event volume.
the verdict
3
Honolulu
categories won
5
Indianapolis
categories won
Indianapolis wins on money. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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