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→Knoxville
Knoxville is the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains (the most-visited national park in the country, 30 minutes east), the University of Tennessee's Vol energy, and the gold-roofed Sunsphere left over from the 1982 World's Fair. Market Square downtown is brick, patios, and a Saturday farmers market that takes over the whole space. The food and bar scene has come into its own. The mountains do the heavy lifting.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,731/mo
$1,112/mo less than Honolulu (64%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$364k
$698k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,602/mo
Knoxville has $2,028/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
189 days
127 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
9 days
days below 20°F per year
Knoxville drops below 20°F on 9 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
69 / 100
14.0 pts ahead of Honolulu
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
17 routes
34 fewer direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
947k metro
Honolulu has 2.3x more events per month than Knoxville.
the verdict
3
Honolulu
categories won
5
Knoxville
categories won
Knoxville wins on money. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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