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→Sarasota
Sarasota is the home of the Ringling Brothers Circus (the museum is wild, and yes, there's a vintage clown college history), and Siesta Key's beach is regularly named the best in America for its pure quartz sand. The cultural scene is heavy for a Florida city of its size (theater, opera, art museum). Gulf sunsets here are the brochure shot. The food scene has caught up to the city's wealth and the retirees' time.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$2,121/mo
$722/mo less than Honolulu (34%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$423k
$639k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,212/mo
Sarasota has $1,638/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
249 days
67 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
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Honolulu edges ahead on pleasant days, but both cities have comparable comfort overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
59 / 100
4.0 pts ahead of Honolulu
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
6 routes
45 fewer direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
262k metro
Honolulu has 31.7x more events per month than Sarasota.
the verdict
2
Honolulu
categories won
5
Sarasota
categories won
Sarasota wins on money. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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