Honolulu vs Suffolk
The short version
- Suffolk is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the Honolulu area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $347,400 in Suffolk and $843,400 in Honolulu.
- Households earn more in Suffolk ($92,666 vs $86,504 median).
- Honolulu has the warmer winter: January highs of 81°F vs 50°F.
- Suffolk is growing faster: +10.9% since 2020 vs -2.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Honolulu (22 vs 30 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Honolulu, HI | Suffolk, VA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 341,868 | 104,699 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.6% | +10.9% |
| People per square mile | 5,639 | 262 |
| Median age | 43.0 | 38.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 42% | 33% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $86,504 | $92,666 |
| Median home value | $843,400 | $347,400 |
| Home value to income | 9.7× | 3.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,823 | $1,563 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.0 | 97.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 135.5 | 99.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,200 | $73,500 |
| Homeowners | 49% | 71% |
| Top state income tax | 11% | 5.75% |
| Combined sales tax | 4.5% | 5.77% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.9 | 30.2 |
| Work from home | 10% | 11% |
| Take public transit | 7% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.8% | 5% |
| Poverty rate | 11.9% | 9.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 81° / 67° | 50° / 34° |
| July high / low | 88° / 75° | 89° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 46 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 3 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 32 | 42 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 32 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.8 | 60.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 97% | 78% |
| Home prices, past year | +11.1% | +3.6% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +38.6% | +43.4% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Honolulu: November to May. Suffolk: April to May and October.
Full monthly tables: Honolulu weather by month and Suffolk weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,200 in Honolulu and $73,500 in Suffolk. Moving from Honolulu to Suffolk, you would need about $66,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Honolulu and Suffolk
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Honolulu and Suffolk.
Which would you pick?
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