Is Santa Rosa a good place to live? The short answer
For many buyers, yes, with conditions. Santa Rosa is the largest city in Sonoma County, with about 177,090 residents (Census 2020-2024 estimate). Four numbers frame the decision:
- $708,056: Zillow's typical home value in September 2026, up 0.5% in a year and below most of its neighbors.
- $2,582: Zillow's typical monthly rent, a record high.
- $99,060: the city's median household income (Census).
- 22.9 minutes: the average one-way commute, against 28.7 minutes statewide.
The strengths are parks, a commuter rail line, a dry summer climate and prices well below Marin County and much of Sonoma County. The costs are a high income needed to buy, rising rents, and wildfire risk that shapes insurance. The rest of this page goes through each in turn.
Pros of living in Santa Rosa
Pro: two large parks for trails and water inside the city's reach
Trione-Annadel State Park, at 6201 Channel Drive on the east side, covers more than 5,000 acres with over 45 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and riding, according to California State Parks. Spring Lake Regional Park, also on the east side, has a 72-acre lake for boats without gas engines, a seasonal swimming lagoon, campsites and nearly 10 miles of trails, including a 2.3-mile paved loop. Few cities of this size have that much open land so close to homes.
Pro: a SMART train line with three Santa Rosa stops
SMART trains stop at Santa Rosa Downtown (7 Fourth Street), Santa Rosa North (1500 Guerneville Road) and Sonoma County Airport (1130 Airport Boulevard). The line runs south through Rohnert Park, Petaluma and Novato to Larkspur, where it connects with the Larkspur Ferry. A shuttle links the airport station with Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport.
Pro: dry, sunny summers and mild winters
NOAA's 1991-2020 normals for Santa Rosa show average highs of 81.6°F in July and 83.9°F in September, with almost no rain from June through September. Winter highs average about 59°F to 60°F, and no month's average low falls below 38°F.
Pro: prices below most of Sonoma and Marin counties
Santa Rosa's typical value is lower than every nearby city in the table below except Rohnert Park, which is about the same. Petaluma costs about $187,000 more on Zillow's measure, and San Rafael about $606,000 more.
| City | Zillow typical home value, Sept 2026 | 1-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa | $708,056 | +0.5% |
| Rohnert Park | $706,845 | +0.9% |
| Windsor | $794,051 | +1.3% |
| Napa | $861,798 | -1.4% |
| Petaluma | $895,482 | +1.3% |
| Novato | $1,064,815 | +2.0% |
| Sebastopol | $1,089,598 | +2.4% |
| San Rafael | $1,313,734 | +3.0% |
Pro: shorter commutes than most of California
Santa Rosa workers average a 22.9-minute trip to work, about six minutes less than the statewide 28.7 minutes, and 11.5% work from home (Census 2020-2024).
Pro: a wide spread of home prices by neighborhood
Zillow's neighborhood values run from $539,510 in Aston Ave to $1,230,101 in Bennett Valley, so there are options at several budgets. See our Santa Rosa neighborhoods guide.
Pro: new homes are being built at resale prices
Builders including KB Home, City Ventures and D.R. Horton are selling new homes in the city, with starting prices from $554,990 to $799,990 when we checked on October 30, 2026. Several include owned solar. Details are on our new homes in Santa Rosa page.
Pro: reported crime per resident below the state figure
Santa Rosa police reported about 2.9 violent and 14.1 property crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025, our calculation from California DOJ counts and Census population, against about 4.3 and 18.0 statewide. Both city counts were lower than in 2019. See our Santa Rosa crime data page for the method.
Pro: museums, performance venues and wine country nearby
The Charles M. Schulz Museum is on Hardies Lane in the northwest, open every day but Tuesday. Builders' guides to the area point to the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, the Children's Museum of Sonoma County, Old Courthouse Square and Railroad Square downtown, and wineries a short drive away in Healdsburg, Sebastopol and Kenwood.
Cons of living in Santa Rosa
Con: buying takes a high income
With 20% down at the 7.24% average mortgage rate (Freddie Mac, week of October 29, 2026), principal and interest on the $708,056 typical home are about $3,860 a month. Add property tax at about 1.13% of value (Sonoma County's 2026-27 rate for central Santa Rosa, tax rate area 004-001), roughly $668 a month, and you are near $4,528 before insurance. Keeping that at 30% of gross pay takes about $181,000 a year, well above the city's $99,060 median household income.
Con: rents are high and still rising
Zillow's typical Santa Rosa rent reached $2,582 in September 2026, up 3.1% in a year and 44.7% over ten years. Paying that at 30% of income takes about $103,000 a year. Census median gross rent, which includes older leases, was $2,152.
Con: wildfire risk, and what it does to insurance
The 2017 Tubbs Fire destroyed more than 3,000 homes in Santa Rosa, about 5% of the city's housing, according to local reporting, with the heaviest losses in Fountaingrove and Coffey Park. Fire risk affects which insurers will write a policy and at what price. Get quotes before you commit and read our California homeowners insurance guide and FAIR Plan guide.
Con: most trips are by car
Census figures show 71.4% of Santa Rosa workers drive alone and 11.4% carpool; only 1.3% take public transit. SMART helps for trips along the rail corridor, but most errands and many commutes need a car.
Con: slow price growth for owners
Zillow's typical value rose just 5.2% over five years and is 3.2% below its December 2024 peak of $731,755. If you need your home to gain value quickly, Santa Rosa has not delivered that since 2022. Our housing market report tracks the trend.
Con: an older housing stock
The median Santa Rosa home was built in 1980, and about 67% of housing units date from before 1990 (Census). Older homes can need roof, electrical, plumbing and sewer-lateral work, and they cost more to insure. Budget for a thorough inspection.
Con: wet winters concentrated in a few months
Santa Rosa averages 31.53 inches of rain a year, and about 18.6 inches of it falls in December, January and February (NOAA normals). Check drainage, gutters and the flood zone on any home, and expect some storm-season disruption.
What living in Santa Rosa is like
Climate in Santa Rosa
Summers are warm and dry, winters cool and wet. The NOAA 1991-2020 normals:
| Month | Average high | Average low | Average rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59.7°F | 38.4°F | 5.78 in |
| April | 70.6°F | 43.9°F | 1.98 in |
| July | 81.6°F | 52.1°F | 0.01 in |
| September | 83.9°F | 51.0°F | 0.15 in |
| December | 59.0°F | 38.2°F | 6.47 in |
Getting around Santa Rosa
U.S. 101 and Highway 12 are the main highways through the city. SMART serves three stations in and next to the city, and Sonoma County Transit routes connect the stations with nearby towns, including Route 62 to Larkfield-Wikiup and the airport. Santa Rosa is about 60 miles north of San Francisco, according to KB Home's community description.
Things to do in Santa Rosa
Outdoors, Trione-Annadel and Spring Lake cover hiking, biking, paddling and summer swimming; Spring Lake parking runs $8 most of the year and $12 in summer, and Annadel charges a vehicle day-use fee. Indoors, the Schulz Museum, the downtown squares and local performance venues fill weekends. Oakmont, the city's 55+ community, hosts concerts and many clubs.
Salary needed to live in Santa Rosa
MIT's Living Wage Calculator, last updated February 15, 2026, estimates the income needed to cover basic costs in Sonoma County, including housing, food, transport, childcare and taxes. It assumes renting, not buying.
| Household (MIT Living Wage Calculator, Sonoma County) | Required income before taxes, per year |
|---|---|
| 1 adult, no children | $65,107 |
| 1 adult, 1 child | $114,058 |
| 2 adults (1 working), no children | $85,947 |
| 2 adults (both working), 2 children | $151,462 |
To buy the typical Santa Rosa home, plan on about $181,000 of household income, as shown above, or a larger down payment. To rent at Zillow's typical $2,582 a month, about $103,000 keeps rent near 30% of pay. For a full breakdown of everyday costs, see our Santa Rosa cost of living guide.
Who's moving to and from Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa is a settled city. Census 2020-2024 estimates show 87.6% of residents lived in the same home a year earlier. Of those who moved, most moved within Sonoma County (8.3% of residents). Another 2.8% came from elsewhere in California, 0.7% from another state and 0.6% from abroad. Statewide, 1.1% of residents had moved in from another state.
The Census survey does not count people leaving a city, so there is no official figure for moves out. The population estimate of 177,090 is slightly below the 178,127 counted in the 2020 Census. The city's median age is 41.2, 19.0% of residents are 65 or older (15.7% statewide), 35.1% of adults 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and 56.7% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Retiring in Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa has a larger share of residents 65 and over than California as a whole, 19.0% against 15.7%. Oakmont, in the 95409 ZIP on the east side, is the city's large age-restricted community, with about 3,300 homes, two 18-hole golf courses and resale homes only. Zillow's typical value there was $730,809 in September 2026. Our Santa Rosa 55+ communities guide covers the age rules and HOA costs.
If you are 55 or older and selling a California home, Proposition 19 may let you carry your current tax base to a Santa Rosa purchase; see our Prop 19 guide. Also check the fire zone, the insurance quote and the number of stairs on any home you plan to age in, and ask how far it is to the nearest SMART station or bus route if you expect to drive less in future.
Where to live in Santa Rosa
Choose by budget and daily routine. Bennett Valley and Lomita Heights are the priciest Zillow neighborhoods. Aston Ave, South Park and Corby/Beachwood have the lowest typical values. New subdivisions are in the northwest and southwest, and homes near the SMART stations in 95401 and 95403 suit rail commuters. For street-level detail, see the neighborhoods guide and the Santa Rosa ZIP code guide. When you are ready to buy, a local agent can compare recent sales street by street; see our featured Santa Rosa agent.
Should you move to Santa Rosa? A checklist
- Price your budget at today's rate: about $181,000 of income buys the typical home with 20% down.
- Get homeowners insurance quotes for two or three specific addresses before you choose an area.
- Look up fire, flood and earthquake zones on Cal OES MyHazards for each address.
- Drive or ride your commute at rush hour, and check the SMART schedule if you will use the train.
- Visit in late summer and in winter to see both the heat and the rain.
- Look up schools by address; see our Santa Rosa schools guide.
- Rent first for a year if you are unsure which side of the city suits you.