Overall
- Walla Walla
- 98.5
- Merced
- 98.3
Diff -0.2 RPP
Walla Walla vs Merced
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Merced is 0.2% less expensive than Walla Walla.
0.2% less expensive
Merced, CA is 0.2% less expensive than Walla Walla, WA on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 98.3 vs 98.5). A $100,000 salary in Walla Walla buys about the same as $99,752 in Merced; the largest component gap is services.
- Overall RPP 98.5 (Walla Walla) vs 98.3 (Merced)
- $100k in Walla Walla ≈ $99,752 purchasing power in Merced
- Services drives the gap (+64.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair WA:CA 98.5→98.3
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE WA × 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.
Walla Walla
98.5
Cost Index
Merced
98.3
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Walla Walla, WA and Merced, CA are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Services creates the largest separation: Merced is 64.0 points higher. But services and 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 service-heavy household, test childcare, health, and other locally supplied costs before relying on rent alone. The BEA ratio converts $100,000 in Walla Walla to $99,752 in Merced, but it is not a personal spending weight.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Walla Walla
- 105.0
- Merced
- 105.2
Diff +0.1 RPP
Services
- Walla Walla
- 94.3
- Merced
- 158.3
Diff +64.0 RPP
Rents
- Walla Walla
- 86.6
- Merced
- 78.6
Diff -7.9 RPP
| Category | Walla Walla | Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 98.5 | 98.3 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 105.0 | 105.2 | +0.1 |
| Services | 94.3 | 158.3 | +64.0 |
| Rents | 86.6 | 78.6 | -7.9 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Walla Walla 98.5
Merced 98.3
Goods
Walla Walla 105.0
Merced 105.2
Services
Walla Walla 94.3
Merced 158.3
Rents
Walla Walla 86.6
Merced 78.6
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Walla Walla would need to be in Merced for the same purchasing power:
| In Walla Walla | In Merced | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,876 | $-124 |
| $75,000 | $74,814 | $-186 |
| $100,000 | $99,752 | $-248 |
| $150,000 | $149,628 | $-372 |
$ in Walla Walla = in Merced
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (98.5 → 98.3), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Merced more expensive than Walla Walla?
Merced is 0.2% less expensive than Walla Walla. The overall cost index is 98.3 vs 98.5 (national average = 100).
What salary in Merced equals $100K in Walla Walla?
A $100,000 salary in Walla Walla has the same purchasing power as $99,752 in Merced. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Walla Walla and Merced?
Rents in Walla Walla are indexed at 86.6 while Merced is at 78.6 (national average = 100). Walla Walla 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.