2024 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
San Francisco, CA vs Merced, CA

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Merced or is it cheaper to live in San Francisco?
- Merced is 55.6% less expensive than San Francisco.

Which city has more affordable housing, Merced or San Francisco?
- Merced housing costs are 78.1% less expensive than San Francisco housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in San Francisco or is Health Care more affordable in Merced.
- Health related expenses are 5.6% more in Merced.
 San Francisco, CAMerced, CAUnited States
 Overall245.5109.1100
 Food & Groceries116.699.5100
 Health114.9121.3100
 Housing504.4110.3100
 Median Home Cost$1,237,600$373,000$338,100
 Utilities9,750.0%11,030.0%10,000.0%
 Transportation158.2101.1100
 Miscellaneous162.1108.7100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for San Francisco    149 Reviews

from a single guy's perspective. let's start this review from 2017. I moved here to be near to my sister who also relocated, and also to attend Cal State East Bay in  More

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I've lived in San Francisco for ten years. I thought I would write a balanced review for people looking to move here. My family is from places like Boise, Atlanta,  More

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I've lived in San Francisco for ten years. I thought I would write a balanced review for people looking to move here. My family is from places like Boise, Atlanta,  More

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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 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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