01 · the cities
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→Albuquerque
Albuquerque is green chile on everything, the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset (the name literally means watermelon), and the Balloon Fiesta in October when 500+ hot air balloons fill the sky. The old town adobes feel like the 1700s, the food fuses Native, Mexican, and Spanish in ways you won't get anywhere else. Breaking Bad fans will recognize half the city, and locals are good-natured about it.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,489/mo
$1,108/mo less than Santa Rosa (74%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$351k
$466k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,353/mo
Albuquerque has $1,392/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
254 days
205 days
49 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
34 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
6 days
days below 20°F per year
Albuquerque has 6 more days above 95°F each year than Santa Rosa. Albuquerque drops below 20°F on 6 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
81 / 100
12.0 pts ahead of Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
23 routes
19 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
924k metro
Santa Rosa has 42.0x fewer events per month than Albuquerque.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Albuquerque
categories won
Albuquerque wins on money and lifestyle. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
run your numbers
How far does your Santa Rosa salary go?
Enter your salary to see a full ranked list of cities where you would live better.
see your top citiesWe use a proprietary blend of data from the US Census, Zillow, Ticketmaster, and more.
Walk Score® is a trademark of Walk Score, a Redfin company. How Walk Score works