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→Baltimore
Baltimore is steamed crabs with Old Bay, the Inner Harbor at golden hour, and row houses with painted screens. Edgar Allan Poe is buried here, John Waters still lives here, and Cal Ripken Jr. is a saint. The seafood is genuinely some of the best on the east coast. The neighborhoods (Fells Point, Hampden, Federal Hill) each feel like their own small town.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,868/mo
$729/mo less than Santa Rosa (39%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$412k
$405k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
8.2%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$5,782/mo
Baltimore has $821/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
168 days
86 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
4 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
21 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 24 more days above 95°F each year than Baltimore. Baltimore drops below 20°F on 21 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
72 routes
68 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
2.8M metro
Santa Rosa has 67.0x fewer events per month than Baltimore.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Baltimore
categories won
Baltimore wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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