Living in Santa Rosa, CA
Mid-size city in California
Santa Rosa is a mid-size city in California, home to about 177,000 people, with 598,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Santa Rosa a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 6 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Mild summers: highs around 82°F
- Dog-friendly: 19 dog parks within 9 mi
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
👎 Cons
- Pricey housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $704k, and rent is $3,890 a month
- Fewer graduates: 35% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
- Higher taxes: about $3,279 state income tax per resident, 0.72% property tax
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Santa Rosa ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Santa Rosa: common questions
What is the cost of living in Santa Rosa?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $704k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $3,890 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are above the US average (index 108, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Santa Rosa?
California collects about $3,279 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.72% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Santa Rosa safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.3× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Santa Rosa?
Santa Rosa has mild winters: winter days average around 61°F and summer days around 82°F.
Does Santa Rosa get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is high, mainly from earthquakes and flooding: 10 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 1.83 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Santa Rosa?
The nearest major airport is OAK, about 57 mi away.
How Santa Rosa scores
Each bar compares Santa Rosa with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Santa Rosa right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.