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→Indianapolis
Indianapolis circles its downtown with a literal loop (the Mile Square) and hosts the Indy 500 every Memorial Day weekend like clockwork. Basketball is woven into the state DNA (Hoosiers, the movie, is essentially a documentary). The Cultural Trail connects six districts on bike-friendly paths through the heart of downtown. The food scene has quietly leveled up.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,511/mo
$1,086/mo less than Santa Rosa (72%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$296k
$522k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
3.0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,572/mo
Indianapolis has $1,611/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
174 days
80 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
0 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
30 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 28 more days above 95°F each year than Indianapolis. Indianapolis drops below 20°F on 30 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
62 / 100
7.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
35 routes
31 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
2.1M metro
Santa Rosa has 89.0x fewer events per month than Indianapolis.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Indianapolis
categories won
Indianapolis wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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