01 · the cities
San Jose
San Jose is Silicon Valley's anchor city, much bigger than San Francisco by population, and culturally underrated because everyone drives through it on the way somewhere else. The Vietnamese food scene (especially in Little Saigon) is one of the best in the country. The weather is impossibly mild, the Santa Cruz Mountains rise to the west, and the tech money funds a genuinely excellent restaurant scene.
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
$3,470/mo
$2,597/mo
$873/mo less than San Jose (34%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.8M
$817k
$979k less than San Jose
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,088/mo
$4,961/mo
Santa Rosa has $873/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
283 days
254 days
29 fewer than San Jose
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
19 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 9 more days above 95°F each year than San Jose.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
70 / 100
69 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
29 routes
4 routes
25 fewer direct routes than San Jose
Metro size
Metro size
1.9M metro
482k metro
San Jose has 62.0x more events per month than Santa Rosa.
the verdict
3
San Jose
categories won
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
San Jose wins on weather and lifestyle, Santa Rosa wins on money. Dead even.
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