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

🙂 Solo nomad: Saint Paul, MN is 19.1% cheaper than Merced, CA without rent, and 3.7% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Saint Paul, MN is 37.1% more expensive than Merced, CA without rent, and 9.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 $18.11

$20.02 $20.02

-9.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 $66.4

$40.51 $40.51

63.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.02 $10.02

$11.54 $11.54

-13.17%

Cappuccino

$5.06 $5.06

$5.66 $5.66

-10.60%

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

$2.82 $2.82

$2.97 $2.97

-5.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.04 $2.04

16.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$9.09 $9.09

-35.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.12 $7.12

$10.08 $10.08

-29.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.23 $1.23

-17.07%

White Bread (500g)

$4.28 $4.28

$2.7 $2.7

58.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.95 $3.95

$3.19 $3.19

23.82%

Eggs

$3.31 $3.31

$5.04 $5.04

-34.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 $9.11

$11.06 $11.06

-17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 $11.87

$15.24 $15.24

-22.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.1 $14.1

$17.42 $17.42

-19.06%

Apples (1kg)

$5.13 $5.13

$5.68 $5.68

-9.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 $1.17

$2.53 $2.53

-53.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$1.47 $1.47

292.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.27 $5.27

$4.28 $4.28

23.13%

Potato (1kg)

$3.97 $3.97

$2.07 $2.07

91.79%

Onion (1kg)

$3.72 $3.72

$3.26 $3.26

14.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.02 $1.02

100.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 $1.99

$2.79 $2.79

-28.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.3 $10.3

$10.18 $10.18

1.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 $13.91

$18.56 $18.56

-25.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$2.26 $2.26

-22.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 $4.53

$3.27 $3.27

38.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.31 $2.31

$1.52 $1.52

51.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$119 $119

$59.3 $59.3

101.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 $4.91

$3.04 $3.04

61.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.72 $1.72

-16.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.5 $29.5

$26.68 $26.68

10.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.26 $1.26

-31.75%

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

$34.9K $34.9K

$30K $30K

16.35%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$27.2K $27.2K

-7.67%

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

$219 $219

$278 $278

-21.35%

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

$47.85 $47.85

$35.23 $35.23

35.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.5 $73.5

$67 $67

9.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.39 $41.39

$33.04 $33.04

25.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.99 $9.99

$13.83 $13.83

-27.77%

Cinema Ticket

$13.88 $13.88

$15.63 $15.63

-11.20%

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

$1,452 $1,452

$1,959 $1,959

-25.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K $30.1K

$26.3K $26.3K

14.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.48 $39.48

$53.8 $53.8

-26.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 $42.66

$44.27 $44.27

-3.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 $83.8

$89.3 $89.3

-6.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 $126

$137 $137

-8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,249 $1,249

$1,593 $1,593

-21.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 $1,028

$1,099 $1,099

-6.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,202 $2,202

$1,963 $1,963

12.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,212 $2,212

$1,917 $1,917

15.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,857 $2,857

$2,947 $2,947

-3.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,398 $2,398

$2,902 $2,902

-17.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,170 $4,170

$3,525 $3,525

18.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.43

6.36

1.10%

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

Last update for Saint Paul, MN: October 28, 2025

Last update for Merced, CA: October 27, 2025

Similar cities

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

Toronto

🇨🇦 Canada

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

Melbourne

🇦🇺 Australia

Paris

🇫🇷 France