01 · the cities
Boston
Boston is brick sidewalks, dive bars older than most states, and an accent that turns 'park the car' into a love language. The city is densely packed with colleges (Harvard, MIT, BU, BC, plus 30 more), which keeps it perpetually 22 years old in spirit. The Freedom Trail literally paints a red line through 400 years of American history. Dunkin' is not a chain here, it's a way of life.
full dispatch→Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa is the gateway to Sonoma wine country, less polished than Napa but more lived-in. Charles Schulz lived here and the Snoopy museum is a delight. The Russian River redwoods are 30 minutes west. The city itself has rebuilt impressively after the 2017 fires, with a downtown that mixes wineries, breweries, and farm-to-table restaurants. Cooler than San Francisco in summer.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,145/mo
$2,597/mo
$548/mo less than Boston (21%)
Median home price
Median home price
$771k
$817k
$47k more than Boston
State income tax
State income tax
5.0%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,772/mo
$4,961/mo
Santa Rosa has $189/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
160 days
254 days
94 more than Boston
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
2 days
28 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
33 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 26 more days above 95°F each year than Boston. Boston drops below 20°F on 33 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
71 / 100
69 / 100
2.0 pts behind Boston
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
103 routes
4 routes
99 fewer direct routes than Boston
Metro size
Metro size
4.9M metro
482k metro
Boston has 168.0x more events per month than Santa Rosa.
the verdict
5
Boston
categories won
4
Santa Rosa
categories won
Boston wins on lifestyle. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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