Overall
- Pittsfield
- 95.1
- Merced
- 98.3
Diff +3.2 RPP
Pittsfield vs Merced
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Merced is 3.3% more expensive than Pittsfield.
3.3% more expensive
Merced, CA is 3.3% more expensive than Pittsfield, MA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.3 vs 95.1). A $100,000 salary in Pittsfield buys about the same as $103,332 in Merced; the largest component gap is goods.
- Overall RPP 95.1 (Pittsfield) vs 98.3 (Merced)
- $100k in Pittsfield ≈ $103,332 purchasing power in Merced
- Goods drives the gap (+8.2 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair MA:CA 95.1→98.3
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · GOODS-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE MA × CA
- GOODS-LED Goods-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 is 3.3% more expensive than Pittsfield, MA, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 3.2-point overall gap.
Goods leads the difference, with Merced 8.2 points higher than Pittsfield. 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 goods-led difference, remember that many tradable prices vary less by address than housing or labor-priced services. Use $103,332 in Merced as the BEA equivalent of $100,000 in Pittsfield, then replace the national basket with your own.
Pittsfield
95.1
Cost Index
Merced
98.3
Cost Index
How the Price Gap Changed
Pittsfield and Merced share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap narrowed, moving from 5.4 to 3.2 RPP points. Merced remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Services changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 41.6 points between the first and latest shared releases (37.0 to 4.6 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Pittsfield RPP | Merced RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 99.6 | 94.3 | 5.4 points Pittsfield higher |
| 2012 | 97.8 | 98.6 | 0.8 points Merced higher |
| 2016 | 100.5 | 95.3 | 5.2 points Pittsfield higher |
| 2020 | 99.5 | 98.7 | 0.7 points Pittsfield higher |
| 2024 | 95.1 | 98.3 | 3.2 points Merced higher |
Annual BEA Regional Price Parity releases; a higher index means a higher price level relative to the national average of 100. Selected years shown from the full shared series.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Pittsfield
- 97.0
- Merced
- 105.2
Diff +8.2 RPP
Services
- Pittsfield
- 153.7
- Merced
- 158.3
Diff +4.6 RPP
Rents
- Pittsfield
- 73.5
- Merced
- 78.6
Diff +5.2 RPP
| Category | Pittsfield | Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 95.1 | 98.3 | +3.2 |
| Goods | 97.0 | 105.2 | +8.2 |
| Services | 153.7 | 158.3 | +4.6 |
| Rents | 73.5 | 78.6 | +5.2 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Pittsfield 95.1
Merced 98.3
Goods
Pittsfield 97.0
Merced 105.2
Services
Pittsfield 153.7
Merced 158.3
Rents
Pittsfield 73.5
Merced 78.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Pittsfield would need to be in Merced for the same purchasing power:
| In Pittsfield | In Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $51,666 | +$1,666 |
| $75,000 | $77,499 | +$2,499 |
| $100,000 | $103,332 | +$3,332 |
| $150,000 | $154,998 | +$4,998 |
$ in Pittsfield = in Merced
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (95.1 → 98.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Merced more expensive than Pittsfield?
Merced is 3.3% more expensive than Pittsfield. The overall cost index is 98.3 vs 95.1 (national average = 100).
What salary in Merced equals $100K in Pittsfield?
A $100,000 salary in Pittsfield has the same purchasing power as $103,332 in Merced. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Pittsfield and Merced?
Rents in Pittsfield are indexed at 73.5 while Merced is at 78.6 (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.