City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 400 miles (600 km) from Santa Rosa, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 475 miles, or about 8 h behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Los Angeles, CA to Santa Rosa, CA takes about 47 min, covering roughly 400 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Los Angeles has a population of 3,881,041, vs 178,221 in Santa Rosa — about 21.8× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 43 sq mi for Santa Rosa.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Los Angeles | Santa Rosa | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $2,024/mo | 13.0% higher in Santa Rosa |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $661,700 | 24.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $92,604 | 21.5% higher in Santa Rosa |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 105.1 | 1.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 152.1 | ≈ equal (Santa Rosa slightly higher) |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 100.7 | 3.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.6 | 3.7% higher in Los Angeles |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need $90,804 in Santa Rosa to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Santa Rosa, CA is about 9.2% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 19% higher in Los Angeles than in Santa Rosa. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $72,643 in Santa Rosa to keep the same standard of living.