01 · the cities
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo (SLO to locals) sits halfway between LA and San Francisco on the central coast, with Cal Poly students, gorgeous wine country (Edna Valley and Paso Robles nearby), and a Thursday night farmers market that takes over downtown. It's been called the happiest city in America (multiple studies, Oprah included), and the vibe really does back that up. Bubblegum Alley is exactly what it sounds like. Mellow and beautiful.
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
$3,095/mo
$2,843/mo
$252/mo less than San Luis Obispo (9%)
Median home price
Median home price
$934k
$1.1M
$127k more than San Luis Obispo
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
11.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,463/mo
$4,574/mo
Honolulu has $111/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
303 days
316 days
13 more than San Luis Obispo
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
14 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 Luis Obispo has 14 more days above 95°F each year than Honolulu.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
68 / 100
55 / 100
13.0 pts behind San Luis Obispo
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
3 routes
51 routes
48 more direct routes than San Luis Obispo
Metro size
Metro size
282k metro
989k metro
San Luis Obispo has 9.5x fewer events per month than Honolulu.
the verdict
3
San Luis Obispo
categories won
5
Honolulu
categories won
Honolulu leads on weather and wins overall.
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