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→St. Louis
St. Louis has the Arch (catenary curve and engineering marvel), Forest Park (bigger than Central Park and home to a free zoo, art museum, and history museum), and toasted ravioli, which was invented here. The Cardinals are a religion, the Hill neighborhood is wall-to-wall Italian red sauce, and Imo's makes pizza with Provel cheese that locals defend furiously. The skyline at sunset is underrated.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,843/mo
$1,411/mo
$1,432/mo less than Honolulu (101%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$277k
$785k less than Honolulu
State income tax
State income tax
11.0%
4.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,574/mo
$6,531/mo
St. Louis has $1,957/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
174 days
142 fewer than Honolulu
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
5 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
22 days
days below 20°F per year
St. Louis has 5 more days above 95°F each year than Honolulu. St. Louis drops below 20°F on 22 more days per year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
55 / 100
68 / 100
13.0 pts ahead of Honolulu
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
51 routes
60 routes
9 more direct routes than Honolulu
Metro size
Metro size
989k metro
2.8M metro
Honolulu has 1.2x more events per month than St. Louis.
the verdict
3
Honolulu
categories won
6
St. Louis
categories won
St. Louis wins on money and lifestyle. Honolulu has the edge on weather.
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