Cost of living in Santa Rosa research summary. The cost of living index is set to 100 for the average place in the United States. A cost of living index above 100 means Santa Rosa is expensive. An index value below 100 means the city is a relatively cheap place to live.
On a city-by-city basis in California, home prices and rent have the biggest impact on the cost of living. Here are the key takeaways based on Saturday Night Science:
The cost of living index in Santa Rosa is 167, with 100 being the average.
The cost of living index in Santa Rosa is 1.7x higher than the national average.
Santa Rosa ranks as the #418 cheapest in California out of 634.
Santa Rosa ranks as the #6,016 cheapest out of 6,489 in the US.
The median home value in Santa Rosa is $705,582.
The median income in Santa Rosa is $97,410.
According to the most recent data on the cost of living, Santa Rosa has an overall cost of living index of 167, which is 1.7x higher than the national index of 100.
Compared to California, Santa Rosa has a cost of living index that's 1.2x higher than California's index of 141.
The standard of living in Santa Rosa ranks as #418 most affordable out of the 634 places we measured in California. By definition, that implies Santa Rosa ranks as the #216 most expensive place in the Golden State.
For more reading on life in Santa Rosa, check out:
Six factors go into calculating the cost of living index in Santa Rosa. Here is how it fairs on each of the criteria:
The Services index in Santa Rosa is 122.
The Groceries index in Santa Rosa is 121.
The Health index in Santa Rosa is 127.
The Housing index in Santa Rosa is 272.
The Transportation index in Santa Rosa is 130.
The Utilities index in Santa Rosa is 134.
| Living Expense | Santa Rosa | California | National Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 167 | 141 | 100 | |
| Services | 122 | 110 | 100 | |
| Groceries | 121 | 112 | 100 | |
| Health | 127 | 110 | 100 | |
| Housing | 272 | 195 | 100 | |
| Transportation | 130 | 125 | 100 | |
| Utilities | 134 | 128 | 100 | |
Housing swings affordability the most between places in California, so we broke down housing costs into more detail. Home and income data comes from the most recent US Census ACS 2019-2023. The key points are:
The Median Home Value in Santa Rosa is $705,582.
The Median Rent in Santa Rosa is $2,084.
The Median Income in Santa Rosa is $97,410.
The Home Value To Income in Santa Rosa is 7.2x.
The Rent To Monthly Income in Santa Rosa is 0.26x.
| Statistic | Santa Rosa | California | United States | 
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Value | $705,582 | $763,287 | $303,400 | 
| Median Rent | $2,084 | $1,956 | $1,348 | 
| Median Income | $97,410 | $96,334 | $78,538 | 
| Home Value To Income | 7.2x | 7.9x | 3.9x | 
| Rent To Monthly Income | 0.26x | 0.24x | 0.21x | 
| Item | Santa Rosa | California | 
|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | $1.65 | $1.28 | 
| Movie | $16.02 | $12.13 | 
| Bowling | $24.01 | $18 | 
| Haircut | $28.38 | $24.26 | 
| Beauty Salon | $85.43 | $45.56 | 
| Item | Santa Rosa | California | 
|---|---|---|
| Ground Beef | $6.23 | $5.84 | 
| Fried Chicken | $2.11 | $1.57 | 
| Milk | $5.18 | $4.67 | 
| Potatoes | $4.98 | $4.93 | 
| Pizza | $15.74 | $12.09 | 
| Beer | $11.21 | $10.41 | 
| Toothpaste | $4.09 | $3.7 | 
| Item | Santa Rosa | California | 
|---|---|---|
| Optometrist | $159.79 | $125.68 | 
| Doctor | $174.45 | $135.78 | 
| Dentist | $155.36 | $113.29 | 
| Item | Santa Rosa | California | 
|---|---|---|
| Gasoline | $4.63 | $3.46 | 
| Tire Balancing | $75.33 | $59.92 | 
| Item | Santa Rosa | California | 
|---|---|---|
| All Electricity | $298.77 | $193.99 | 
| Phone | $203.63 | $192.25 | 
The cost of living varies in the cities and towns around Santa Rosa. Here's a quick look at the cost of living in the most populous nearby places:
Petaluma, CA has a cost of living index of 183, 1.1x Santa Rosa.
Rohnert Park, CA has a cost of living index of 163, 1.0x Santa Rosa.
Windsor, CA has a cost of living index of 177, 1.1x Santa Rosa.
| City | Population | Cost Of Living | Vs. Santa Rosa | 
|---|---|---|---|
| Petaluma, CA | 59,321 | 183 | 1.1x | 
| Rohnert Park, CA | 44,461 | 163 | 1.0x | 
| Windsor, CA | 26,179 | 177 | 1.1x | 
| Healdsburg, CA | 11,274 | 193 | 1.2x | 
| Oakville, CT | 9,233 | 113 | 0.7x | 
| Larkfield-Wikiup, CA | 8,861 | 175 | 1.0x | 
| Cotati, CA | 7,533 | 166 | 1.0x | 
| Sebastopol, CA | 7,466 | 176 | 1.1x | 
| St. Helena, CA | 5,378 | 249 | 1.5x |