Merced, CA vs Cleveland, OH
Moving from Merced to Cleveland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($419,171 → $252,210 median home) and taxes.
Merced vs Cleveland 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 Merced, CA, you'd need about $91,750 in Cleveland, OH (−$8,250).
Livability — Merced, CA: 57 · Cleveland, OH: 71 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,790 sqft in Merced vs 3,270 sqft in Cleveland ($279 vs $153 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Merced, CA | Cleveland, OH | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $23,700 | $17,532 | −$6,168 |
| Groceries | $5,247 | $4,830 | −$417 |
| Transportation | $5,125 | $3,025 | −$2,100 |
| Utilities | $3,804 | $2,100 | −$1,704 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,300 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $18,715 | $9,518 | −$9,197 |
| Total | $58,091 | $38,305 | −$19,786 |
Side by side
| Metric | Merced, CA | Cleveland, OH |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 99.6 | 91.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 10.70% | 5.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.6% | 0.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 52 | 55 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.67 | $5.20 |
| Median home price | $419,171 | $252,210 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.5× | 3.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.4% | 4.3% |
| Price per square foot | $279 | $153 |
| Median rent | $1,975 | $1,461 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 13.5% | 10.0% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.82% | 7.24% |
| Capital gains tax | 13.30% | 3.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.68% | 1.84% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $19,000 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.65% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 31 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,300 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $600 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $950 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 35.3 | 19.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.85 | 3.25 |
| Violent crime /100k | 500 | 300 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 45 | 20 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |