

Los Angeles vs Honolulu
$538/mo less in Honolulu
Los AngelesHonoluluAbout 2,578 miles apart, a flight.
- Honolulu costs you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 271 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $1,162/mo in Honolulu. $1,700/mo in Los Angeles. −$6,456 a year.
Los Angeles
$1,700
left each month
Honolulu
$1,162
−$538 vs Los Angeles
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 1,005 households moved Los Angeles → Honolulu (avg AGI $94,429). 950 went the other way. The whole move →
−$538 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Los Angeles | Honolulu | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,750 | $7,969 | −$781 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,378 | $2,173 | −$206 |
| Take-home pay | $6,372 | $5,796 | −$576 |
| Rent | $2,273 | $2,116 | −$157 |
| Getting around | $674 | $619 | −$55 |
| Groceries | $476 | $524 | +$48 |
| Healthcare | $536 | $590 | +$54 |
| Utilities | $298 | $328 | +$30 |
| Everything else | $417 | $459 | +$42 |
| Left over | $1,700 | $1,162 | −$538 |
Salary to match Los Angeles
$106,000
Gross pay in Honolulu that leaves the same amount as $105,000 in Los Angeles.
Tax difference
−$313
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 27.2% in Los Angeles, 27.3% in Honolulu.
More about Honolulu
Los Angeles, CA in full
Perfect weather, deep job market, and a car payment you can't avoid.
Honolulu, HI in full
Lowest property tax in the nation, highest grocery bill.
The other way
Start in Honolulu.
Honolulu → Los Angeles →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Honolulu than Los Angeles?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Honolulu leaves about $538 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $2,273 in Los Angeles and $2,116 in Honolulu.
Does Honolulu have state income tax?
Honolulu is in Hawaii, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Los Angeles to Honolulu?
The paycheck is taxed in Hawaii. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Los Angeles and Honolulu changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.