01 · the cities
Santa Maria
Santa Maria has its own style of barbecue (tri-tip cooked over red oak with pinquito beans and salsa), which is a legitimate regional tradition that locals will fight you about. The surrounding Santa Maria Valley is becoming serious wine country (especially Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). It's quieter and more affordable than its central coast neighbors. The Pacific is right there.
full dispatch→Rochester
Rochester is the city that Kodak and Xerox built, with a quiet college-town soul (UofR, RIT, Eastman School of Music). The Garbage Plate (cheeseburger, mac salad, home fries, hot sauce, on one plate) is the closest thing to a citywide handshake. Frederick Douglass made his home here, and the Susan B. Anthony House is downtown. The Finger Lakes wine country is right next door.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$3,352/mo
$1,534/mo
$1,818/mo less than Santa Maria (119%)
Median home price
Median home price
$1.1M
$273k
$786k less than Santa Maria
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,206/mo
$6,312/mo
Rochester has $2,106/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
337 days
147 days
190 fewer than Santa Maria
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
0 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
48 days
days below 20°F per year
Rochester drops below 20°F on 48 more days per year than Santa Maria.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
59 / 100
58 / 100
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
2 routes
18 routes
16 more direct routes than Santa Maria
Metro size
Metro size
441k metro
1.1M metro
the verdict
2
Santa Maria
categories won
5
Rochester
categories won
Rochester wins on money and lifestyle. Santa Maria has the edge on weather.
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