Portland, OR vs Merced, CA
Moving from Portland to Merced? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $419,171 median home) and taxes.
Portland 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 Portland, OR, you'd need about $93,350 in Merced, CA (−$6,650).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Merced, CA: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 1,790 sqft in Merced ($325 vs $279 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Merced, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $23,700 | +$2,136 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $5,247 | +$7 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $5,125 | +$1,445 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $3,804 | +$2,100 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,500 | +$600 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $18,715 | +$4,333 |
| Total | $47,470 | $58,091 | +$10,621 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Merced, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 99.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 10.70% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $419,171 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | -1.4% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $279 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,975 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.68% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 5 |