2026 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Merced, CA vs Fort Walton Beach, FL

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Fort Walton Beach or is it cheaper to live in Merced?
- Fort Walton Beach is 7.5% less expensive than Merced.

Which city has more affordable housing, Fort Walton Beach or Merced?
- Fort Walton Beach housing costs are 13.3% less expensive than Merced housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Merced or is Health Care more affordable in Fort Walton Beach.
- Health related expenses are 14.1% less in Fort Walton Beach.
 Merced, CAFort Walton Beach, FLUnited States
 Overall  Unlock100.9100
 Food & Groceries99.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock104.2100
 Housing110.3  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$322,200$338,100
 Utilities110  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock90.1100
 Miscellaneous108.7  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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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

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Over 6 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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Reviews for Fort Walton Beach    10 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

Ive lived in Fort Walton for atleast 15yrs.Ive seen the good days(early to late 200's)and now the bad.If you move here,youd better make atleast $10,000 a month.These  More

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I would like to know if Fort Walton Beach is a better place to live rather than busy Clearwater FL. We want to re-locate to a quieter city with all the amenities of a  More

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FWB is great for its beautiful beaches and saltwater fishing. It's also easy to move around town except during rush hour (yes, we have a rush hour - but it literally  More

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