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→Charlotte
Charlotte is banking towers (it's the second-biggest banking center in the country after NYC) wrapped in pine trees and southern hospitality. Uptown is the downtown (Charlotteans correct you on this immediately), the NASCAR Hall of Fame anchors a real motorsport scene, and the Whitewater Center lets you raft inside the city limits. Growth is fast, breweries are everywhere, and barbecue gets the Carolina vinegar treatment.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,728/mo
$869/mo less than Santa Rosa (50%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$391k
$426k 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
$6,230/mo
Charlotte has $1,269/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
200 days
54 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
7 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
3 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 21 more days above 95°F each year than Charlotte.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
51 / 100
18.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
141 routes
137 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
2.8M metro
Santa Rosa has 113.0x fewer events per month than Charlotte.
the verdict
2
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Charlotte
categories won
Charlotte leads on money and wins overall.
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