Overall
- Merced
- 98.3
- Hot Springs
- 85.7
Diff -12.5 RPP
Merced vs Hot Springs
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Hot Springs is 12.8% less expensive than Merced.
12.8% less expensive
Hot Springs, AR is 12.8% less expensive than Merced, CA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 85.7 vs 98.3). A $100,000 salary in Merced buys about the same as $87,235 in Hot Springs; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 98.3 (Merced) vs 85.7 (Hot Springs)
- $100k in Merced ≈ $87,235 purchasing power in Hot Springs
- Services drives the gap (-84.1 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair CA:AR 98.3→85.7
TIER-GAP · CROSS-STATE · SERVICES-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-GAP Clear tier gap
- CROSS-STATE CA × AR
- SERVICES-LED Services-led gap
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-SHIFT PP shift
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.
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
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.
Merced, CA and Hot Springs, AR sit in clearly different price tiers, separated by 12.5 RPP points. At this distance, treating the same nominal salary as equivalent would materially change purchasing power.
Services leads the difference, with Hot Springs 84.1 points lower than Merced. Goods, services, and rents all point in the same broad direction, making the headline comparison more transferable across household types.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
For a service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Merced to $87,235 in Hot Springs, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Merced
- 105.2
- Hot Springs
- 93.6
Diff -11.6 RPP
Services
- Merced
- 158.3
- Hot Springs
- 74.3
Diff -84.1 RPP
Rents
- Merced
- 78.6
- Hot Springs
- 57.3
Diff -21.3 RPP
| Category | Merced | Hot Springs | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.3 | 85.7 | -12.5 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 93.6 | -11.6 |
| Services | 158.3 | 74.3 | -84.1 |
| Rents | 78.6 | 57.3 | -21.3 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Merced 98.3
Hot Springs 85.7
Goods
Merced 105.2
Hot Springs 93.6
Services
Merced 158.3
Hot Springs 74.3
Rents
Merced 78.6
Hot Springs 57.3
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Merced would need to be in Hot Springs for the same purchasing power:
| In Merced | In Hot Springs | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $43,617 | $-6,383 |
| $75,000 | $65,426 | $-9,574 |
| $100,000 | $87,235 | $-12,765 |
| $150,000 | $130,852 | $-19,148 |
$ in Merced = in Hot Springs
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.3 → 85.7), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Merced
98.3
Cost Index
Hot Springs
85.7
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hot Springs more expensive than Merced?
Hot Springs is 12.8% less expensive than Merced. The overall cost index is 85.7 vs 98.3 (national average = 100).
What salary in Hot Springs equals $100K in Merced?
A $100,000 salary in Merced has the same purchasing power as $87,235 in Hot Springs. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Merced and Hot Springs?
Rents in Merced are indexed at 78.6 while Hot Springs is at 57.3 (national average = 100). Merced 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.