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→Kansas City
Kansas City is barbecue (burnt ends are a local invention), jazz (the 18th and Vine district fed Charlie Parker and Count Basie), and fountains everywhere you turn. The city straddles two states and doesn't make a big deal out of it. The Plaza shopping district looks like Seville, which is delightfully odd for the Midwest. Friendly here means genuinely friendly.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,502/mo
$1,341/mo less than Honolulu (89%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$326k
$735k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,440/mo
Kansas City has $1,866/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
170 days
146 fewer than Honolulu
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
8 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
Kansas City has 8 more days above 95°F each year than Honolulu. Kansas City drops below 20°F on 26 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
56 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
43 routes
8 fewer direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
2.2M metro
Honolulu has 1.1x more events per month than Kansas City.
the verdict
4
Honolulu
categories won
4
Kansas City
categories won
Honolulu wins on weather and lifestyle, Kansas City wins on money. Dead even.
run your numbers
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