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→Sacramento
Sacramento is California's capital and California's pantry, sitting at the heart of one of the most productive farm regions on earth. The 'Farm to Fork' food movement isn't marketing here, it's just dinner. Two rivers meet downtown, summer afternoons are dry and hot enough to justify ice cream as a meal, and Tahoe is a two-hour drive when you need elevation. It's quieter than its big-city neighbors and likes it that way.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$2,226/mo
$371/mo less than Santa Rosa (17%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$589k
$228k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
9.3%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$5,332/mo
Sacramento has $371/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
211 days
43 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
56 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
0 days
days below 20°F per year
Sacramento has 28 more days above 95°F each year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
75 / 100
6.0 pts ahead of Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
28 routes
24 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
2.4M metro
Santa Rosa has 84.0x fewer events per month than Sacramento.
the verdict
2
Santa Rosa
categories won
5
Sacramento
categories won
Sacramento wins on money and lifestyle. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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