SalaryCompareTool

Merced, CA vs Baltimore, MD

Moving from Merced to Baltimore? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($419,171 → $405,877 median home) and taxes.

Merced vs Baltimore at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Merced, CA Baltimore, MD Cost-of-living index Merced, CA — Cost-of-living index: 100 100 Baltimore, MD — Cost-of-living index: 103 103 Median home price Merced, CA — Median home price: $419k $419k Baltimore, MD — Median home price: $406k $406k Price per sqft Merced, CA — Price per sqft: $279 $279 Baltimore, MD — Price per sqft: $214 $214 Median rent Merced, CA — Median rent: $1,975 $1,975 Baltimore, MD — Median rent: $1,919 $1,919 Combined sales tax Merced, CA — Combined sales tax: 8.8% 8.8% Baltimore, MD — Combined sales tax: 6.0% 6.0% Property tax rate Merced, CA — Property tax rate: 0.68% 0.68% Baltimore, MD — Property tax rate: 1.04% 1.04% Violent crime /100k Merced, CA — Violent crime /100k: 500 500 Baltimore, MD — Violent crime /100k: 450 450 Electricity ¢/kWh Merced, CA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 35.3 35.3 Baltimore, MD — Electricity ¢/kWh: 22.1 22.1 Avg commute (min) Merced, CA — Avg commute (min): 31 31 Baltimore, MD — Avg commute (min): 30 30 Avg summer high °F Merced, CA — Avg summer high °F: 84° 84° Baltimore, MD — Avg summer high °F: 88° 88° Avg winter low °F Merced, CA — Avg winter low °F: 45° 45° Baltimore, MD — Avg winter low °F: 27° 27°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Merced, CA, you'd need about $103,580 in Baltimore, MD (+$3,580).

Livability — Merced, CA: 57 · Baltimore, MD: 57 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,790 sqft in Merced vs 2,341 sqft in Baltimore ($279 vs $214 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryMerced, CABaltimore, MDDifference
Housing $23,700 $23,028 −$672
Groceries $5,247 $5,075 −$172
Transportation $5,125 $3,685 −$1,440
Utilities $3,804 $2,388 −$1,416
Insurance $1,500 $1,400 −$100
Taxes $18,715 $11,584 −$7,131
Total $58,091 $47,160 −$10,931

Side by side

MetricMerced, CABaltimore, MD
Cost-of-living index99.6103.2
Unemployment rate10.70%4.86%
Population growth (5-yr)5.6%1.7%
Air quality (median AQI)5247
Big Mac price (est.)$5.67$5.87
Median home price$419,171$405,877
Home price ÷ income6.5×4.3×
1-yr home appreciation-1.4%0.8%
Price per square foot$279$214
Median rent$1,975$1,919
Total tax burden (% income)13.5%11.3%
Combined sales tax8.82%6.00%
Capital gains tax13.30%5.75%
Property tax rate0.68%1.04%
Healthcare (annual)$7,200$7,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$19,000$16,000
Vehicle property tax0.65%None
Avg commute (min)3130
Home insurance / yr$1,500$1,400
Auto insurance / yr$2,400$1,900
Flood insurance / yr$750$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$950$100
Electricity ¢/kWh35.322.1
Gas $/gal4.853.30
Violent crime /100k500450
Avg summer high °F8488
Avg winter low °F4527
Permit difficulty (1–5)54
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