01 · the cities
Oxnard
Oxnard is California's strawberry capital, where the fields literally run up to the beach. Channel Islands Harbor is a quiet alternative to the busier Ventura and Santa Barbara, with great seafood and a chill Mexican food scene. The weather is the perfect 65-and-overcast that locals call 'June gloom' for most of summer. The Channel Islands themselves are a ferry ride away.
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
$2,995/mo
$2,597/mo
$398/mo less than Oxnard (15%)
Median home price
Median home price
$923k
$817k
$105k less than Oxnard
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,563/mo
$4,961/mo
Santa Rosa has $398/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
342 days
254 days
88 fewer than Oxnard
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
28 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 28 more days above 95°F each year than Oxnard.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
74 / 100
69 / 100
5.0 pts behind Oxnard
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
0 routes
4 routes
4 more direct routes than Oxnard
Metro size
Metro size
830k metro
482k metro
Oxnard has 24.0x more events per month than Santa Rosa.
the verdict
3
Oxnard
categories won
4
Santa Rosa
categories won
Santa Rosa wins on money. Oxnard has the edge on weather.
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