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→Lakeland
Lakeland has the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world, on the Florida Southern College campus (designed in the 1940s, all skylights and copper). The city sits between Tampa and Orlando, with actual swans patrolling its namesake downtown lake (the city even has a swan management program). Publix is headquartered here, which Floridians treat as a point of pride.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,834/mo
$1,009/mo less than Honolulu (55%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$301k
$760k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,499/mo
Lakeland has $1,925/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
206 days
110 fewer than Honolulu
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
13 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Lakeland has 13 more days above 95°F each year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
48 / 100
7.0 pts behind Honolulu
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
68 routes
17 more direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
818k metro
Honolulu has 7.9x more events per month than Lakeland.
the verdict
3
Honolulu
categories won
5
Lakeland
categories won
Lakeland wins on money. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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