City comparison
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 | Garden Grove | Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,887/mo | $1,197/mo | 57.6% higher in A |
| Median home value | $702,600 | $322,600 | 117.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $86,139 | $59,233 | 45.4% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.1 | 104.1 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 125.1 | 125.1 | ≈ equal |
| Transportation index | 104.6 | 104.6 | ≈ equal |
| Healthcare index | 104.1 | 104.1 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Garden Grove, you'd need $63,432 in Merced to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Merced, CA is about 36.6% cheaper overall than Garden Grove, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 37% lower in Merced than in Garden Grove. If you earn $80,000 in Garden Grove, you'd need about $50,746 in Merced to keep the same standard of living.