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→Lakeland
Lakeland has the largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world, on the Florida Southern College campus (designed in the 1940s, all skylights and copper). The city sits between Tampa and Orlando, with actual swans patrolling its namesake downtown lake (the city even has a swan management program). Publix is headquartered here, which Floridians treat as a point of pride.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,834/mo
$763/mo less than Santa Rosa (42%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$301k
$516k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
0%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,499/mo
Lakeland has $1,538/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
13 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 15 more days above 95°F each year than Lakeland.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
48 / 100
21.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
68 routes
64 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
818k metro
Santa Rosa has 12.0x fewer events per month than Lakeland.
the verdict
2
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Lakeland
categories won
Lakeland leads on money and wins overall.
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