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→Gainesville
Gainesville is the University of Florida, the Gators, and a college town with serious natural assets: 30+ named springs within an hour's drive, including Ginnie, Devil's Den, and Ichetucknee for tubing. The food scene is solid and cheap (it's still a college town), and downtown's grown up with breweries and music venues. Surrounded by oak forests and prairie. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers got their start here.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,645/mo
$952/mo less than Santa Rosa (58%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$317k
$501k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,688/mo
Gainesville has $1,727/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
206 days
48 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
17 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 11 more days above 95°F each year than Gainesville.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
63 / 100
6.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
5 routes
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
350k metro
Santa Rosa has 3.0x fewer events per month than Gainesville.
the verdict
2
Santa Rosa
categories won
5
Gainesville
categories won
Gainesville wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on lifestyle.
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