Santa Rosa vs Napa
The short version
- Santa Rosa is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Napa area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $713,900 in Santa Rosa and $856,400 in Napa.
- Households earn more in Napa ($105,963 vs $99,060 median).
- Santa Rosa is growing faster: +0.8% since 2020 vs -3.5%.
Side by side
| Santa Rosa, CA | Napa, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 179,437 | 76,562 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.8% | -3.5% |
| People per square mile | 4,218 | 4,241 |
| Median age | 41.2 | 41.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35% | 38% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $99,060 | $105,963 |
| Median home value | $713,900 | $856,400 |
| Home value to income | 7.2× | 8.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,152 | $2,282 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 107.8 | 112.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 139.6 | 197.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $80,800 | $84,400 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 59% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.9 | 23.9 |
| Work from home | 12% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.3% | 5.7% |
| Poverty rate | 9.7% | 8.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 38° | 59° / 40° |
| July high / low | 82° / 52° | 83° / 56° |
| Precipitation per year | 32 in | 27 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 26 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 15 | 12 |
| Comfortable months | 8 | 9 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.1 | 95.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 100% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | -1.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +17.6% | +17.2% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Santa Rosa: April to November. Napa: March to November.
Full monthly tables: Santa Rosa weather by month and Napa weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $80,800 in Santa Rosa and $84,400 in Napa. Moving from Santa Rosa to Napa, you would need about $78,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Santa Rosa and Napa
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Santa Rosa and Napa.
Which would you pick?
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