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→Atlanta
Atlanta is hip-hop's current capital, with 'Peachtree' in seemingly every other street name and the busiest airport in the world acting as the city's front door. The Beltline turned old rail corridors into a 22-mile loop of murals, breweries, and joggers. Food culture spans soul food, Vietnamese banh mi in Buford Highway strip malls, and barbecue. The tree canopy is one of the densest in any major American city.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,814/mo
$783/mo less than Santa Rosa (43%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$386k
$431k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.5%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,062/mo
Atlanta has $1,101/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
204 days
50 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
2 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
2 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 26 more days above 95°F each year than Atlanta.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
67 / 100
2.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
217 routes
213 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
6.3M metro
Santa Rosa has 239.0x fewer events per month than Atlanta.
the verdict
2
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Atlanta
categories won
Atlanta leads on money and wins overall.
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