01 · the cities
San Diego
San Diego is the city most Californians secretly wish they lived in: 70°F, sunny, and a beach for every mood. Fish tacos are religion, Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park and packed with museums, and the craft beer scene is one of the best in the country. The zoo is world-famous and the burritos are aggressively underrated. Even the freeways feel relaxed here.
full dispatch→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→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,890/mo
$2,843/mo
Median home price
Median home price
$1.0M
$1.1M
$51k more than San Diego
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
11.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,668/mo
$4,574/mo
San Diego has $94/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
332 days
316 days
16 fewer than San Diego
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
San Diego edges ahead on pleasant days, but both cities have comparable comfort overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
75 / 100
55 / 100
20.0 pts behind San Diego
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
55 routes
51 routes
4 fewer direct routes than San Diego
Metro size
Metro size
3.3M metro
989k metro
San Diego has 1.8x more events per month than Honolulu.
the verdict
6
San Diego
categories won
0
Honolulu
categories won
San Diego wins this comparison, leading on money and weather.
run your numbers
How far does your San Diego salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works