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→Jacksonville
Jacksonville is the largest city in the continental U.S. by land area, which means everything is 20 minutes from everything else and most of those 20 minutes involve a bridge. The St. Johns River cuts the city in half, the beaches are a quick drive east, and the food scene leans seafood and surprisingly excellent BBQ. It's a Florida city without the theme-park vibe.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,679/mo
$918/mo less than Santa Rosa (55%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$358k
$460k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,654/mo
Jacksonville has $1,693/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
198 days
56 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
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa edges ahead on pleasant days, but both cities have comparable comfort overall.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
64 / 100
5.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
26 routes
22 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
1.7M metro
Santa Rosa has 52.0x fewer events per month than Jacksonville.
the verdict
2
Santa Rosa
categories won
5
Jacksonville
categories won
Jacksonville wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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