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→Wichita
Wichita is the Air Capital of the World, with Cessna, Beechcraft, and major Spirit AeroSystems facilities all here. The Arkansas River runs through downtown, and the Old Town district has brick streets, breweries, and the kind of friendly Kansas pace that makes the rest of the country envious. The flatness is real, and the sunsets are enormous because of it.
full dispatch→02 · the money
Median rent
Median rent
$2,597/mo
$1,173/mo
$1,424/mo less than Santa Rosa (121%)
Median home price
Median home price
$817k
$221k
$596k less than Santa Rosa
State income tax
State income tax
9.3%
5.7%
Gross left after rent
Gross left after rent
$4,961/mo
$6,685/mo
Wichita has $1,724/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
164 days
90 fewer than Santa Rosa
Extreme heat days
Extreme heat days
28 days
30 days
days above 95°F per year
Extreme cold days
Extreme cold days
0 days
20 days
days below 20°F per year
Wichita drops below 20°F on 20 more days per year than Santa Rosa.
04 · the life
OutdoorScore
OutdoorScore
69 / 100
52 / 100
17.0 pts behind Santa Rosa
Nonstop flights
Nonstop flights
4 routes
11 routes
7 more direct routes than Santa Rosa
Metro size
Metro size
482k metro
653k metro
Santa Rosa has 18.0x fewer events per month than Wichita.
the verdict
3
Santa Rosa
categories won
5
Wichita
categories won
Wichita wins on money. Santa Rosa has the edge on weather.
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