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→Asheville
Asheville is what happens when a mountain town and an art school have a baby and raise it on craft beer. Downtown packs more breweries per capita than almost anywhere in America, plus buskers on every corner and Art Deco buildings the Depression accidentally preserved (the city went broke before it could tear them down). The Biltmore, America's largest private home, looms on the edge of town like a stone-carved flex. Remote workers keep showing up, which is how you know.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,738/mo
$859/mo less than Santa Rosa (49%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$430k
$387k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,220/mo
Asheville has $1,259/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
201 days
53 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
13 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 28 more days above 95°F each year than Asheville. Asheville drops below 20°F on 13 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
66 / 100
3.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
8 routes
4 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
417k metro
Santa Rosa has 35.0x fewer events per month than Asheville.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Asheville
categories won
Asheville wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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