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→Rochester
Rochester is the city that Kodak and Xerox built, with a quiet college-town soul (UofR, RIT, Eastman School of Music). The Garbage Plate (cheeseburger, mac salad, home fries, hot sauce, on one plate) is the closest thing to a citywide handshake. Frederick Douglass made his home here, and the Susan B. Anthony House is downtown. The Finger Lakes wine country is right next door.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,534/mo
$1,063/mo less than Santa Rosa (69%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$273k
$544k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.9%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,312/mo
Rochester has $1,351/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
147 days
107 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
1 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
48 days
days below 20°F per year
Santa Rosa has 27 more days above 95°F each year than Rochester. Rochester drops below 20°F on 48 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
58 / 100
11.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
18 routes
14 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
1.1M metro
Santa Rosa has 30.0x fewer events per month than Rochester.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
6
Rochester
categories won
Rochester wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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