Overall
- Utica-Rome
- 92.7
- Merced
- 98.3
Diff +5.6 RPP
Utica-Rome vs Merced
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Merced is 6% more expensive than Utica-Rome.
6% more expensive
Merced, CA is 6% more expensive than Utica-Rome, NY on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.3 vs 92.7). A $100,000 salary in Utica-Rome buys about the same as $106,039 in Merced; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 92.7 (Utica-Rome) vs 98.3 (Merced)
- $100k in Utica-Rome ≈ $106,039 purchasing power in Merced
- Services drives the gap (+26.4 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NY:CA 92.7→98.3
TIER-NEAR · CROSS-STATE · SERVICES-LED · BOTH-BELOW · PP-SHIFT
- TIER-NEAR Near tier
- CROSS-STATE NY × CA
- 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 is 6% more expensive than Utica-Rome, NY, a meaningful but not extreme shift. The move decision turns on which budget category creates the 5.6-point overall gap.
Services leads the difference, with Merced 26.4 points higher than Utica-Rome. 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 Utica-Rome to $106,039 in Merced, but it is not a personal spending weight.
How the Price Gap Changed
Utica-Rome and Merced share 17 published annual releases from 2008 through 2024. Their overall gap widened, moving from 1.5 to 5.6 RPP points. Merced remained the higher-index metro in the latest release.
Services changed the most within this pair: its gap moved 67.4 points between the first and latest shared releases (40.9 to 26.4 points). This describes a relative price-index history, not a forecast or a household budget.
| Release Year | Utica-Rome RPP | Merced RPP | Relative Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 95.7 | 94.3 | 1.5 points Utica-Rome higher |
| 2012 | 93.5 | 98.6 | 5.1 points Merced higher |
| 2016 | 95.3 | 95.3 | 0.0 points Utica-Rome higher |
| 2020 | 93.4 | 98.7 | 5.3 points Merced higher |
| 2024 | 92.7 | 98.3 | 5.6 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
- Utica-Rome
- 99.7
- Merced
- 105.2
Diff +5.5 RPP
Services
- Utica-Rome
- 131.9
- Merced
- 158.3
Diff +26.4 RPP
Rents
- Utica-Rome
- 66.1
- Merced
- 78.6
Diff +12.6 RPP
| Category | Utica-Rome | Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 92.7 | 98.3 | +5.6 |
| Goods | 99.7 | 105.2 | +5.5 |
| Services | 131.9 | 158.3 | +26.4 |
| Rents | 66.1 | 78.6 | +12.6 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Utica-Rome 92.7
Merced 98.3
Goods
Utica-Rome 99.7
Merced 105.2
Services
Utica-Rome 131.9
Merced 158.3
Rents
Utica-Rome 66.1
Merced 78.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Utica-Rome would need to be in Merced for the same purchasing power:
| In Utica-Rome | In Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $53,020 | +$3,020 |
| $75,000 | $79,529 | +$4,529 |
| $100,000 | $106,039 | +$6,039 |
| $150,000 | $159,059 | +$9,059 |
$ in Utica-Rome = in Merced
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (92.7 → 98.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Utica-Rome
92.7
Cost Index
Merced
98.3
Cost Index
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Merced more expensive than Utica-Rome?
Merced is 6% more expensive than Utica-Rome. The overall cost index is 98.3 vs 92.7 (national average = 100).
What salary in Merced equals $100K in Utica-Rome?
A $100,000 salary in Utica-Rome has the same purchasing power as $106,039 in Merced. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Utica-Rome and Merced?
Rents in Utica-Rome are indexed at 66.1 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.