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→Boise
Boise is basically Denver before Denver got Denver-y: walkable downtown, foothills you can run into on your lunch break, and a river slicing right through the middle of town. The Basque Block downtown anchors the biggest Basque community in the U.S., which nobody sees coming. The vibe is 'we close our laptops and go outside,' and the trails make that very easy to do. Locals would prefer you didn't tell anyone.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,794/mo
$803/mo less than Santa Rosa (45%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$490k
$327k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.8%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,056/mo
Boise has $1,095/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
166 days
88 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
27 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
24 days
days below 20°F per year
Boise drops below 20°F on 24 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
82 / 100
13.0 pts ahead of Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
16 routes
12 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
827k metro
Santa Rosa has 39.0x fewer events per month than Boise.
the verdict
2
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Boise
categories won
Boise wins on money and lifestyle. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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