Napa vs Santa Rosa
Napa, California versus Santa Rosa, California: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Napa and Santa Rosa score about the same overall (50 vs 50 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Napa | Santa Rosa |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $100k | $93k |
| Cost of Living | $77k | $75k |
| Home Value | $772k | $662k |
| Monthly Rent | $2k | $2k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $3k | $3k |
| Property Tax Rate | 0.70% | 0.71% |
| Income Tax | 13.30% | 13.30% |
| Sales Tax | 8.85% | 8.85% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 21.63% | 21.29% |
| Unemployment | 5.8% | 5.6% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 48°F | 48°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 69°F | 65°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 26.7 in | 31.5 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 0.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sunny Days | 284 days | 284 days |
| Summer Humidity | 53°F | 53°F |
| Comfortable Days | 147 days | 150 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 84.7 | 95.3 |
| Air Quality | 26 AQI | 21 AQI |
| School Quality | 57.9 | 85.7 |
| Violent Crime | 984/100k | 1030/100k |
| Property Crime | 1481/100k | 1376/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 79,233 | 178,221 |
| Median Age | 40.5 | 40.4 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.52 | 0.59 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 0.99 | 0.95 |
| Political Leaning | D+41 | D+53 |
| White (%) | 51.8% | 53.6% |
| Black (%) | 0.8% | 1.6% |
| Hispanic (%) | 40.8% | 34.0% |
| Asian (%) | 2.7% | 6.0% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 3.9% | 4.8% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Commute Time | 24 min | 23 min |
| Walkability | 9.0/20 | 14.4/20 |
| Airport Distance | 39 mi | 57 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 91.8% | 93.4% |
| Amenities Nearby | 22.97 | 19.30 |
| Park & Nature Access | Excellent | Moderate |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Napa or Santa Rosa more affordable?
- Santa Rosa has the lower cost of living: its index is $75k, compared with Napa's $77k and Santa Rosa's $75k. Median rent is $2k in Napa versus $2k in Santa Rosa.
- Is Napa or Santa Rosa safer?
- Napa has the lower violent crime rate. Napa reports 984/100k and Santa Rosa reports 1030/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
- Are homes cheaper in Napa or Santa Rosa?
- The median home value is $772k in Napa and $662k in Santa Rosa, so homes are more affordable in Santa Rosa.