Houston, TX vs Merced, CA
Moving from Houston to Merced? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($308,306 → $419,171 median home) and taxes.
Houston vs Merced at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Houston, TX, you'd need about $115,815 in Merced, CA (+$15,815).
Livability — Houston, TX: 75 · Merced, CA: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,406 sqft in Houston vs 1,790 sqft in Merced ($147 vs $279 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Houston, TX | Merced, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,668 | $23,700 | +$4,032 |
| Groceries | $5,085 | $5,247 | +$162 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $5,125 | +$1,450 |
| Utilities | $5,064 | $7,320 | +$2,256 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $2,870 | $8,826 | +$5,956 |
| Total | $36,542 | $50,397 | +$13,856 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Houston, TX: 2.9% · Merced, CA: 8.8% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Houston, TX | Merced, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 99.7 | 99.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.96% | 10.70% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.6% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 63 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.67 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $308,306 | $419,171 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.0% | -1.4% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $279 |
| Median rent | $1,639 | $1,975 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 8.6% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 1.79% | 0.68% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.7 yrs | 76.2 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 19.6% | 8.6% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 61 | 42 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.65% |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 84 | 85 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 1 | 13 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 95% | 72% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 31 |
| Commute by driving alone | 73.6% | 76.8% |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,400 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 97.6 — Relatively High | 96.9 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 4.85 |
| Natural gas / mo | $52 | $72 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $134 | $138 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 430 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 45 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 55.6 | 13.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 59% | 75% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |
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