2025 Compare Cities Overview:
Champaign, IL vs Merced, CA

Change Cities
Highlights
Are people in Merced older or younger than people in Champaign?
- The Median Age in Merced is 2.7 years older than in Champaign.

Are housing costs cheaper in Merced or Champaign?
- Merced housing costs are 95.9% more expensive than Champaign housing costs.

Which city has a longer commute, Merced or Champaign?
- The average commute for residents of Merced is 7.9 minutes longer than it is for residents of Champaign.

Things to do in Champaign?
Champaign, Illinois is a thriving university town located approximately two hours south of Chicago. It has plenty of recreational facilities ranging from libraries to state parks offering access to Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve or Homer Lake.

Things to do in Merced?
Merced, California is a mid-sized city located in Central Valley known for its proximity to Yosemite National Park or Lake Yosemite making it an ideal spot for outdoor recreation.

 Champaign, ILMerced, CAUnited States
 Population  Unlock85,993329,725,481
 Median Income$52,687  Unlock$69,021
 Median Age  Unlock29.638.4
 Avg. Home Price$190,400  Unlock$338,100
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock9.3%6.0%
 Avg. Commute Time15.68  Unlock26.38
Reviews for Champaign    13 Reviews

Over 6 years ago

Pros - close to Chicago, has Parkland community college and lots of places to eat. There is a train station downtown that is really good. Beautiful deciduous trees and  More

   |    Reply

Over 8 years ago

I wonderful city with great  More

   |    Reply

Actually it's barely a nice place to live. The pros: Not terribly expensive - at one point the least expensive place to live in the country among modest sized  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Champaign

Reviews for Merced    44 Reviews

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

   |    Reply

Over 5 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

   |    Reply

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

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Merced


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.