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→Cincinnati
Cincinnati is chili served on spaghetti (Skyline and Gold Star will fight you about which is better), German heritage in Over-the-Rhine's beer halls, and a riverfront that looks straight across at Kentucky. OTR's brick warehouses have become one of the best urban revitalizations in the country. The Reds play in baseball's oldest professional city. Pronounce it correctly and the locals warm up fast.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,549/mo
$1,048/mo less than Santa Rosa (68%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$316k
$502k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
4.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,452/mo
Cincinnati has $1,491/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
162 days
92 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
3 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
26 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 25 more days above 95°F each year than Cincinnati. Cincinnati drops below 20°F on 26 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
72 / 100
3.0 pts ahead of Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
47 routes
43 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
2.3M metro
Santa Rosa has 87.0x fewer events per month than Cincinnati.
the verdict
2
Santa Rosa
categories won
7
Cincinnati
categories won
Cincinnati wins on money and lifestyle. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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