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 | Merced | Mesquite | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,197/mo | $1,323/mo | 9.5% lower in A |
| Median home value | $322,600 | $208,800 | 54.5% higher in A |
| Median household income | $59,233 | $69,649 | 15.0% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 104.8 | 101.6 | 3.2% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 148.4 | 91.9 | 61.4% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 101.6 | 99.9 | 1.6% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 101.4 | 98.2 | 3.3% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Merced, you'd need $106,694 in Mesquite to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Merced, CA is about 6.3% cheaper overall than Mesquite, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 27% lower in Merced than in Mesquite. If you earn $80,000 in Merced, you'd need about $85,356 in Mesquite to keep the same standard of living.