Merced, CA Cost of Living


44 Reviews



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Merced cost of living score
109.1
More expensive
9.1% higher
than the US average
27.2% lower
than the California average
Merced, California gets a BestPlaces Cost of Living score of 109.1, which means the total cost of housing, food, childcare, transportation, healthcare, taxes, and other necessities is 9.1% higher than the U.S. average and 27.2% higher than the average for California.

Merced, CA

Housing costs in Merced?
A typical home costs $373,000, which is 10.3% more expensive than the national average of $338,100 and 49.1% less expensive than the average California home, at $733,500. Renting a two-bedroom unit in Merced costs $1,280 per month, which is 10.5% cheaper than the national average of $1,430 and 68.0% cheaper than the state average of $2,150.

Can I afford Merced?
To live comfortably in Merced, California, a minimum annual income of $71,640 for a family, and $42,000 for a single person is recommended.

What does A.I. say about Merced?
Merced provides an interesting opportunity for reasonably priced living situated somewhere within California’s Merced County featuring medians hovering around the mid-$400s and rental rates come in a bit closer to upwards of 1.7 thousand dollars respectively - both slightly cheaper compared to beach side cities like Gilroy or Watsonville located much further down southward. Grocery stores equally hover just below US averages due largely to local taxes & regulations while sales tax totals out constant at 7%.
   Cost of living score
     CategoriesMercedCaliforniaUnited States
  109.1149.9100.0
  99.5105.1100
  121.398.3100.0
  110.3234.8100.0
  $373,000$733,500$338,100
  110.3%102.4%100.0%
  101.1133.1100.0
  108.7118.7100.0

   100=National Average

   Average Rent by Bedroom Size
Reviews for Merced
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Merced is totally slept on - you want a little bit of everything CA has to offer, at a fraction of the price of other CA cities? Merced is the place to go. The town  More

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Over 4 years ago

Good place to live. More affordable than most of california. The city is growing and there is alot of business and growth here. Moved from the Bay area years ago and  More

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Great place to live. Lots of progress and changes coming to the city. Great place to raise a family. UC Merced is expanding and businesses are investing. Downtown is  More

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