Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merced, CA and Saint Paul, MN

For one person, living costs are similar in Merced, CA and in Saint Paul, MN: $2,528 and $2,422 a month, rent and utilities included.

123

Cost of Living Index in Merced, CA
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Merced, CA Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Saint Paul, MN
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Saint Paul, MN Living Index

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Merced, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,528

/mo nomad

Saint Paul, MN

🇺🇸 United States

$2,422

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Merced, CA and in Saint Paul, MN

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Merced, CA and in Saint Paul, MN actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,528 in Merced, CA versus $2,422 in Saint Paul, MN.

Merced, CA $2,528
Saint Paul, MN $2,422

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,698 in Merced, CA versus $3,736 in Saint Paul, MN.

Merced, CA $3,698
Saint Paul, MN $3,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,868 in Merced, CA versus $5,050 in Saint Paul, MN.

Merced, CA $4,868
Saint Paul, MN $5,050

Living in Merced, CA is roughly 4% more expensive than in Saint Paul, MN, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Merced, CA 87% above, Saint Paul, MN 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 $17.30

$15.80 $15.80

9.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.53 $39.53

$67.5 $67.5

-41.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.13 $12.13

$9.96 $9.96

21.79%

Cappuccino

$5.67 $5.67

$5.28 $5.28

7.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$3.13 $3.13

-21.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 $1.47

$2.73 $2.73

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.15 $9.15

$5.93 $5.93

54.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.14 $10.14

$7.38 $7.38

37.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$0.92 $0.92

34.78%

White Bread (500g)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.80 $3.80

13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 $4.18

$3.38 $3.38

23.67%

Eggs

$5.69 $5.69

$3.09 $3.09

84.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.30 $19.30

$9.56 $9.56

101.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.22 $14.22

$9.86 $9.86

44.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.62 $21.62

$13.31 $13.31

62.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 $4.45

$4.74 $4.74

-6.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.11 $1.11

82.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$6.17 $6.17

-12.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.36 $5.36

$5.03 $5.03

6.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$3.95 $3.95

-11.65%

Onion (1kg)

$2.96 $2.96

$3.41 $3.41

-13.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.05 $2.05

19.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 $2.57

$1.70 $1.70

51.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.89 $11.89

$12.24 $12.24

-2.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.78 $15.78

$14.56 $14.56

8.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.71 $1.71

41.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 $3.41

$3.53 $3.53

-3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$2.24 $2.24

-33.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.9 $59.9

$119 $119

-49.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.44 $2.44

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.54 $1.54

7.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 $26.51

$30.76 $30.76

-13.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 $1.32

$1.02 $1.02

29.41%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.3K $37.3K

$36.1K $36.1K

3.34%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.8K $25.8K

$24.9K $24.9K

3.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$237 $237

$227 $227

4.53%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$29.93 $29.93

$51.2 $51.2

-41.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.7 $82.7

$66.0 $66.0

25.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.75 $32.75

$33.76 $33.76

-2.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 $14.11

$8.48 $8.48

66.39%

Cinema Ticket

$16.87 $16.87

$13.16 $13.16

28.19%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,851 $1,851

$1,472 $1,472

25.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.5K $40.5K

$27.3K $27.3K

48.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 $59.9

$40.97 $40.97

46.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.7 $50.7

$39.32 $39.32

28.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 $100.0

$79.0 $79.0

26.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 $120

$113 $113

6.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,638 $1,638

$1,330 $1,330

23.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 $1,082

$1,106 $1,106

-2.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,012 $2,012

$2,444 $2,444

-17.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,905 $1,905

$2,230 $2,230

-14.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,890 $2,890

$2,956 $2,956

-2.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,896 $2,896

$2,189 $2,189

32.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 $3,329

$4,190 $4,190

-20.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

6.31

0.79%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Merced, CA: October 10, 2026

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Merced, CA

$1.1K 42.8%

Saint Paul, MN

$1.1K 45.7% 2.2% $24

Groceries & Markets

Merced, CA

$479 19%

Saint Paul, MN

$363 15% 24.3% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merced, CA

$350 13.9%

Saint Paul, MN

$344 14.2% 1.6% $5.6

Eating Out

Merced, CA

$325 12.8%

Saint Paul, MN

$288 11.9% 11.4% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Merced, CA

$149 5.9%

Saint Paul, MN

$122 5.1% 17.6% $26

Getting Around

Merced, CA

$77 3.1%

Saint Paul, MN

$138 5.7% 79.4% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Merced, CA

$66 2.6%

Saint Paul, MN

$60 2.5% 9.6% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,638 in Merced, CA and $1,330 in Saint Paul, MN. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Saint Paul, MN pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Merced, CA vs $67.0 in Saint Paul, MN. Groceries flip the comparison at $479 vs $363, with Saint Paul, MN cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Merced, CA

🇺🇸 Saint Paul, MN

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

06:32 6:32 AM

2 h ahead of Merced, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,316

285,068

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Merced, CA Saint Paul, MN 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Merced, CA
Saint Paul, MN

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Merced, CA vs Saint Paul, MN: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merced, CA and Saint Paul, MN differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($2,528 vs $2,422 including rent). Saint Paul, MN is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Saint Paul, MN. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,638 in Merced, CA versus $1,330 in Saint Paul, MN. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,851 in Merced, CA versus $1,472 in Saint Paul, MN. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Merced, CA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,422 in Saint Paul, MN versus $2,528 in Merced, CA, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Saint Paul, MN but tight or insufficient in Merced, CA. The gap between the two cities makes Saint Paul, MN the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Merced, CA and Saint Paul, MN are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Saint Paul, MN gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Merced, CA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.