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→Louisville
Louisville is bourbon, the Derby, Muhammad Ali, and the Hot Brown sandwich (an open-faced turkey-and-cheese situation invented at the Brown Hotel). Derby week is a citywide event where people dress like they're at a wedding for a horse. The Highlands neighborhood has the best dive bars, the Urban Bourbon Trail downtown takes a full weekend. Pronounce it 'Loo-uh-vul' and you'll fit in.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,368/mo
$1,475/mo less than Honolulu (108%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$282k
$779k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,590/mo
Louisville has $2,016/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
181 days
135 fewer than Honolulu
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
15 days
days below 20°F per year
Louisville drops below 20°F on 15 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
54 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
22 routes
29 fewer direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
1.4M metro
Honolulu and Louisville have similar event volume.
the verdict
3
Honolulu
categories won
4
Louisville
categories won
Louisville wins on money. Honolulu has the edge on weather and lifestyle.
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