City comparison
Merced, CA vs Salt Lake City, UT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Salt Lake City, UT are 2.6% higher than in Merced, CA. Someone earning $100,000 in Merced, CA would need about $102,600 in Salt Lake City, UT to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,456 a month in Salt Lake City, UT versus $1,213 in Merced, CA. On $100,000, that's 23% of take-home pay in Salt Lake City, UT and 20% in Merced, CA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $1,536 a year higher in Merced, CA than in Salt Lake City, UT.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −20.0% moving from Merced, CA to Salt Lake City, UT ($133,060 → $106,437), while prices change by +2.6%. Net effect of the transfer: −22.1% in real buying power.
- Merced, CA: price level 98.3 (about average)
- Salt Lake City, UT: price level 100.9 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Merced, CA | Salt Lake City, UT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.3 | 100.9 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $102,639 in Salt Lake City | $97,429 in Merced |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,213/mo | $1,456/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,110 | $75,646 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $5,070 (CA) | $3,534 (UT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 20% | 23% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,220 | $55,240 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | Rest of U.S. |
Rent areas: Merced, CA MSA and Salt Lake City, UT HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Merced, CA and Salt Lake City-Murray, UT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Merced | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 78.6 | 123.3 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 96.4 |
| Utilities | 158.3 | 79.0 |
| Other services | 100.3 | 99.0 |
| Overall | 98.3 | 100.9 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Merced, CA → Salt Lake City, UT
Same pay buys less
Buying power −2.6%; rent takes 23% of take-home; state tax −$1,536/yr.
61 Fair offer
Salt Lake City, UT → Merced, CA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +2.6%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax +$1,536/yr.
77 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Merced, CA is in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA pay area; Salt Lake City, UT is in Rest of U.S.. The last column shows what a transfer from Merced, CA to Salt Lake City, UT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Merced, CA | Salt Lake City, UT | Real change, Merced → Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $77,161 | $61,722 | −22.1% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $93,358 | $74,678 | −22.1% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $111,896 | $89,508 | −22.1% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $133,060 | $106,437 | −22.1% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $157,236 | $125,776 | −22.1% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Merced, CA | Salt Lake City, UT | Salt Lake City pay in Merced dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $100,120 | $77,920 | $75,917 (−24.2%) |
| Software Developers | $132,120 | $129,600 | $126,268 (−4.4%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $80,420 | $82,100 | $79,989 (−0.5%) |
| Registered Nurses | $131,620 | $85,890 | $83,682 (−36.4%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.