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 | Long Beach | Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,698/mo | $1,197/mo | 41.9% higher in A |
| Median home value | $709,700 | $322,600 | 120.0% higher in A |
| Median household income | $78,995 | $59,233 | 33.4% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.0 | 104.1 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 82.4 | 125.1 | 34.2% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 100.5 | 104.6 | 4.0% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 104.0 | 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 Long Beach, you'd need $70,495 in Merced to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Merced, CA is about 29.5% cheaper overall than Long Beach, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 30% lower in Merced than in Long Beach. If you earn $80,000 in Long Beach, you'd need about $56,396 in Merced to keep the same standard of living.