Overall
- Merced
- 98.3
- Barnstable Town
- 98.4
Diff +0.1 RPP
Merced vs Barnstable Town
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Barnstable Town is 0.1% more expensive than Merced.
0.1% more expensive
Barnstable Town, MA is 0.1% more expensive than Merced, CA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.4 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Merced buys about the same as $100,077 in Barnstable Town; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Merced) vs 98.4 (Barnstable Town)
- $100k in Merced ≈ $100,077 purchasing power in Barnstable Town
- Rents drives the gap (+11.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CA:MA 98.3→98.4
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE CA × MA
- 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.
Merced
98.3
Cost Index
Barnstable Town
98.4
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Merced, CA and Barnstable Town, MA 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: Barnstable Town is 11.4 points higher. 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 Merced corresponds to $100,077 in Barnstable Town.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Merced
- 105.2
- Barnstable Town
- 97.0
Diff -8.2 RPP
Services
- Merced
- 158.3
- Barnstable Town
- 158.4
Diff +0.1 RPP
Rents
- Merced
- 78.6
- Barnstable Town
- 90.0
Diff +11.4 RPP
| Category | Merced | Barnstable Town | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 98.4 | +0.1 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 97.0 | -8.2 |
| Services | 158.3 | 158.4 | +0.1 |
| Rents | 78.6 | 90.0 | +11.4 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Merced 98.3
Barnstable Town 98.4
Goods
Merced 105.2
Barnstable Town 97.0
Services
Merced 158.3
Barnstable Town 158.4
Rents
Merced 78.6
Barnstable Town 90.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Merced would need to be in Barnstable Town for the same purchasing power:
| In Merced | In Barnstable Town | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $50,039 | +$39 |
| $75,000 | $75,058 | +$58 |
| $100,000 | $100,077 | +$77 |
| $150,000 | $150,116 | +$116 |
$ in Merced = in Barnstable Town
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 98.4), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Barnstable Town more expensive than Merced?
Barnstable Town is 0.1% more expensive than Merced. The overall cost index is 98.4 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Barnstable Town equals $100K in Merced?
A $100,000 salary in Merced has the same purchasing power as $100,077 in Barnstable Town. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Merced and Barnstable Town?
Rents in Merced are indexed at 78.6 while Barnstable Town is at 90.0 (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.