Overall
- Barnstable Town
- 98.4
- Merced
- 98.3
Diff -0.1 RPP
Barnstable Town vs Merced
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Merced is 0.1% less expensive than Barnstable Town.
0.1% less expensive
Merced, CA is 0.1% less expensive than Barnstable Town, MA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.3 vs 98.4). A $100,000 salary in Barnstable Town buys about the same as $99,923 in Merced; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.4 (Barnstable Town) vs 98.3 (Merced)
- $100k in Barnstable Town ≈ $99,923 purchasing power in Merced
- Rents drives the gap (-11.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MA:CA 98.4→98.3
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE MA × CA
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Barnstable Town
98.4
Cost Index
Merced
98.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Barnstable Town, MA and Merced, CA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.1 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Merced is 11.4 points lower. But goods move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Barnstable Town corresponds to $99,923 in Merced.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Barnstable Town
- 97.0
- Merced
- 105.2
Diff +8.2 RPP
Services
- Barnstable Town
- 158.4
- Merced
- 158.3
Diff -0.1 RPP
Rents
- Barnstable Town
- 90.0
- Merced
- 78.6
Diff -11.4 RPP
| Category | Barnstable Town | Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.4 | 98.3 | -0.1 |
| Goods | 97.0 | 105.2 | +8.2 |
| Services | 158.4 | 158.3 | -0.1 |
| Rents | 90.0 | 78.6 | -11.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Barnstable Town 98.4
Merced 98.3
Goods
Barnstable Town 97.0
Merced 105.2
Services
Barnstable Town 158.4
Merced 158.3
Rents
Barnstable Town 90.0
Merced 78.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Barnstable Town would need to be in Merced for the same purchasing power:
| In Barnstable Town | In Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,961 | $-39 |
| $75,000 | $74,942 | $-58 |
| $100,000 | $99,923 | $-77 |
| $150,000 | $149,884 | $-116 |
$ in Barnstable Town = in Merced
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.4 → 98.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Merced more expensive than Barnstable Town?
Merced is 0.1% less expensive than Barnstable Town. The overall cost index is 98.3 vs 98.4 (national average = 100).
What salary in Merced equals $100K in Barnstable Town?
A $100,000 salary in Barnstable Town has the same purchasing power as $99,923 in Merced. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Barnstable Town and Merced?
Rents in Barnstable Town are indexed at 90.0 while Merced is at 78.6 (national average = 100). Barnstable Town has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.