San Antonio, TX vs Merced, CA
Moving from San Antonio to Merced? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($280,297 → $419,171 median home) and taxes.
San Antonio 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 San Antonio, TX, you'd need about $105,608 in Merced, CA (+$5,608).
Livability — San Antonio, TX: 75 · Merced, CA: 57 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,745 sqft in San Antonio vs 1,790 sqft in Merced ($134 vs $279 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | San Antonio, TX | Merced, CA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $16,848 | $23,700 | +$6,852 |
| Groceries | $4,647 | $5,247 | +$600 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $5,125 | +$1,450 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $3,804 | +$1,968 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,500 | −$2,100 |
| Taxes | $6,956 | $18,715 | +$11,759 |
| Total | $37,562 | $58,091 | +$20,529 |
Side by side
| Metric | San Antonio, TX | Merced, CA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 94.3 | 99.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.24% | 10.70% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.1% | 5.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 53 | 52 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.37 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $280,297 | $419,171 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 6.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | -1.4% |
| Price per square foot | $134 | $279 |
| Median rent | $1,404 | $1,975 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 13.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 8.82% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 13.30% |
| Property tax rate | 1.74% | 0.68% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $7,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $19,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 0.65% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $750 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $950 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 35.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 4.85 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 500 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 84 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 45 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |